Letter From The Editor

Letter From The Editor

Earth Day is an annual observation held on April 22. It’s a day to celebrate the Earth and support environmental protections.

By Kaylee Duff

Photo by Emily Hirzel.

When I was in middle school, my classmates all called me Treehugger. I’ll bet you can guess why. I would hug trees during recess. I did reports on the dangers of global warming for class. I forced my family to recycle and listened to “hippie” music and read a lot of Rachel Carson. People thought I was weird and rambling about landfills for attention, but really I was a very scared teenager. And now, some 15 years later, I am a very scared 20-something. Because climate change is accelerating faster than scientists originally believed, and if humans don’t act now? It’s terrifying to think about.

The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970. Soon after, many landmark environmental laws were passed — the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act and more.

Like most holidays and observances dedicated to the common good, Earth Day gets a new theme every year. This year’s theme is Protect Our Species. The Earth Day Network (one of the largest environmental activist organizations and movements) urges participants in this year’s theme to increase education and awareness surrounding endangered species, in order to achieve victories on both a policy level and an individual level that will preserve endangered species.

The Earth Day Network website highlights some of our most critically endangered species: bees, coral reefs, whales, elephants, trees, fish, sharks, sea turtles, and the list goes on. The website claims that “if we do not act now, extinction may be humanity’s most enduring legacy.”

Hayden Falls Park.

Photo by Emily Hirzel.

On a personal level, there are things we can do. Recycle. Reduce our waste. No littering. Cut out plastics and other harmful products or chemicals. Plant some trees. Carpool or use public transportation. Invest in renewable energy. Pull the plug. Cut out meat. Try to reason with family and friends on how global warming can still exist even when it’s snowing.

But there’s only so much we can do without major policy change and enforced environmental protections. Recycling some cans and skipping on straws can only do so much when companies are dumping waste into rivers and pumping toxins into the air. That’s why citizens and consumers need to use our powers for good. What can we do? We do what we can with what we have. Vote. Vote consciously and vote educated. Speak up and demand change. Call your representatives and demand action. Boycott companies that aren’t doing their part.

It’s important to remember the intersectionality around environmentalism. It’s overwhelmingly difficult to demand action for climate change when your civil, social and human rights are on the line every day. It’s impossible to boycott companies with bad carbon footprints when it’s the only stuff you can afford. If you have the privilege to do those things, you need to do it. And you need to listen to those without privilege when they tell you what they need — because working together to fight climate change is the only way we can win.

In this month’s edition of True Q, we’ve dedicated ourselves to our environment. We talked with the Columbus & Franklin County Metro Parks about what they’re doing to preserve and protect nature, and how the community benefits from their parks. We talked with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency about ways we can live a greener life.

On Earth Day this year, ask yourself this: What do you want humanity’s legacy to be? And then see what you can do about it.

Love, Kaylee Duff, Editor