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Make Earth Day a National Holiday
In 1970, when Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, proposed the first nationwide environmental protest “to shake up the political establishment and force this issue onto the national agenda,” “It was a gamble,” he said “but it worked.”
Today, most everyone from small businesses to large enterprises are shaking things up and are contributing to the greening of America, leading eco-conscious initiatives and marketing them throughout their enterprises.
With the trend being green, why not make Earth Day a nationally observed holiday where companies and schools are closed? Wouldn’t we make more of an impact, if, instead of spending the day at work and school, we were out in our communities planting trees, collecting trash, and participating in environmental marches? Imagine the greater affect on the environment and in business, if companies led their employees on such day-long local green-keeping initiatives?
Until such a bill would ever pass, here are three steps to contribute to Earth Day while at work:
* Reduce and recycle office products
* Apply green principles to your office building
I can lead the charge. Next Earth Day, everyone is welcome to come to my house and clean up my yard.
Seriously, I love the idea, and hope one day we'll get a national holiday to show the importance for both consumers and the business world.
Quite possibly, but that's why the onus would be on companies to lead Earth Day activities for their employees on that day to keep them out of the stores and in their communities cleaning up.
If nothing else, making Earth Day a national holiday would give the day more of the credibility and attention it deserves.
Mila,
Great idea. But I wager that if Earth Day were to become a legal holiday and day off, retailers would take the opportunity to make it yet another "BIG SALE" day--so many of those who might have been planting trees and flowers in a park will instead be in the mall buying floral print dresses, power tools, or patio furniture.