Opinion
Wilton Bulletin Editorial: Hug Your Planet

Apr 17, 2008

Another Earth Day is upon us this coming Tuesday, and the past few years have seen a steady rise in interest and participation to make this more than just one day of caring about the environment.

With each passing year people become more aware of the dangers posed by global warming and ignoring the environment. Without action, there will be consequences, and the time is running short for taking responsibility to help the planet. There are steps everyone can take to have a healthier planet — by themselves they might seem small, but all put together, they can have a real impact.

Taking a cue from resident Jack Mitchell, whose new book, Hug Your People, is profiled on page 10C this week, it’s time to Hug Your Planet.

There are plenty of opportunities to do so in the coming weeks. Just last week, the League of Women Voters held a Hot Topics on Alternative Energy at the Wilton Library. On Sunday, the library will be hosting an Earth Day 2008 celebration with a range of activities meant to make residents think twice about the environment. Ambler Farm’s Earth Day is on Sunday, April 27. There will be an Arbor Day celebration at the library on Friday, April 25, where new trees will be planted in Wilton Center in line with the newly adopted Wilton Center Tree Plan. And the town’s Energy Commission continues to make strides in pushing for a more energy efficient and financially friendly future for Wilton.

Everyone seems to be talking about going green these days. Companies that once would have laughed at the idea of more environmentally sound products now proudly trumpet how “green” they are. That means people are listening and starting to demand responsibility from businesses and government, and the more people get active on this issue, the more they will push everyone forward with them.

There are those who say recycling one bag, turning off one light or planting one tree is a waste of time. Even if you don’t believe in global warming, what’s the hurt in doing everything we can to create less trash and produce more oxygen? We can’t live without that.

Arguing that recycling is a waste of time is like arguing that not littering is a waste of time. So what if you throw a piece of paper out the window — there are 100 more. If everyone took that attitude, we’d be knee deep in trash. But if each of us chooses not to litter or chooses to recycle what we can, every little step adds up.

Education and awareness are powerful weapons, so the more you read up on what you can do, the more you can do. It’s true that we have only one planet, and with every new baby that comes into the world each day, we have to ask ourselves what kind of world we are creating for him or her.

One can argue that every day should be Earth Day, and that’s true, but it never hurts to have one day a year when the focus is on a greener, healthier Earth. What’s important is for that focus not to fade when the calendar turns from Tuesday to Wednesday.

© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers