RIP Earth Day: Voices Decry National Day of Corporate Greenwash

RIP Earth Day: Voices Decry National Day of Corporate Greenwash



What was conceived as a national environmental teach-in and day of radical action against corporate polluters, 45 years later, Earth Day has seemingly grown into little more than a gimmick. On April 22, 1970, the inaugural Earth Day was celebrated by more than 20 million Americans who marked the day with widespread discussions, environmental clean-ups, and demonstrations demanding that the political establishment wake up to looming environmental destruction.


"There’s no use talking about Earth Day until we begin to think like Earthmen," said late muckraker I.F. Stone during his speech on April 22, 1970. (Photo: charamelody/cc/flickr)

"The reason Earth Day worked is that it organized itself," said the late U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson (D-Wisc.). "The idea was out there and everybody grabbed it. I wanted a demonstration by so many people that politicians would say, 'Holy cow, people care about this.'" The Environmental Protection Agency was created in that same year, followed by the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972 and the Endangered Species Act in 1973.

Now, observers note that the dominant voices on this day are not environmentalists or protesters, but many of the corporations whose drive for profits has only hastened many planetary woes. Case in point:
Marriott reduced global water intensity by 13.1% since 2007. #EarthDay #ConserveAndTravel http://t.co/jEUXAzH8Ic pic.twitter.com/CNKzHnz2zx

— Marriott Internat'l (@MarriottIntl) April 22, 2015

As Katie Herzog wrote for Grist on Wednesday, the rise of the corporate state has eclipsed any serious efforts to save the environment. "In such a rigged system, Earth Day doesn’t stand a chance, and so this widely celebrated international phenomenon has lost its relevance," Herzog stated. "It is a Band-Aid, a pat on the back, a Facebook like. It’s dumping a bucket of ice water over your head for ALS or wearing a pink ribbon for breast cancer. It’s nothing more than a symbol. We don’t need Earth Day or Earth Month or even Earth Year: What we need is for those in power to stop working for industry and start working for the people."

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http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/04/22/rip-earth-day-voices-decry-national-day-corporate-greenwash