Happy Earth Day

The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 ~ luckily, since then protecting and preserving our environment has become an important issue, not just politically, but socially.

I have been fortunate to move to an awe-inspiring town where the air is still fresh and pure and the culture is environmentally responsible. People here are crazy about recycling and about preserving open-space. I love being somewhere so progressive. Every bathroom has a note about using fewer paper towels and about turning off the lights to save energy. My recycle bin fills up faster than my garbage can these days.

I have also been fortunate to have taken environmental legal courses with many of the most EMINENT and respected faculty in this field in the entire nation (natural resource law, environmental law, public land law, water law). Needless-to-say, I appreciate their instruction, knowledge, and enthusiasm about the subject.

Our natural resources are precious - and once they're gone, they're gone. The environmental policy movement of the 60s-70s was ahead of its time, socially and culturally. But, luckily for all of us, those passionate advocates fought for legal protection/preservation of air, water, and endangered species, among other things. They were not just 'tree-huggers' but were scientists with evidence and a perspective of the future who were heroes. Most importantly, Congress passed NEPA, which forevermore required any major government action to undergo a specific evaluation with respect to the environment before the action could be approved.

But - on a day like today - EARTH DAY - its great to look back and see how far we've come. HOwever, we cannot forgot that there are those in society who are not yet convinced. (Global warming IS happening, and denial will only exacerbate the inevitable. As a global society, we need to increase level of consciousness about these issues.

This weekend I looked as some new cars ~ hoping that in the near future I can buy one to replace my trusty ol' Saturn (before it dies on me). Of course, the first cars I wanted to see were the Prius, Civic Hybrid and Camry Hybrid. Its not just that I hate buying gas like everybody else - but its also everything that the gas stands for (i.e. funding a meritless war that is killing/injuring our own soldiers, helping perpetuate our dependence on oil, and yes, a conspiracy against creating new technologies to overcome that dependence).

I was astounded to compare gas mileage - the Prius gets 45-48 miles/gallon!!! That's double what most gas-efficient cars receive - triple what SUV's receive. A couple of car salesmen (eww, right?) this weekend kept trying to dismiss my desire for this kind of a responsible vehicle. They continued by saying that that the extra price I'll pay for this kind of car will never make up for the money I'll save in gas.

THEY'RE WRONG! First, if the 45-58 m/g is truly accurate. Then this equates to less than $1000/year spent in gas. If that a 1/3 savings that an SUV would cost in gas, about $3000/year. Coincidently, an SUV costs about $2K less than a hybrid. According to my mediocre math skills, that means the returned investment is realized in less than a year. Second, value CANNOT always equated with money. Instead, there are some values that cannot be measured in dollars (think about loving your family, can you put a price on that? NO). What about ensuring that our great-grandchildren enjoy hiking in the undeveloped mountains with clean air and clear lungs who do not have to live under a smog cloud without an ozone layer.

So my friends, enjoy EARTH DAY. Try to get outside today and enjoy the natural aesthetics that exist now - and then fight like mad to make sure you're doing all you can so that future generations can have this same experience of beauty. (And, if you're not luckily enough to live somewhere as beautiful as Boulder -- enjoy these pictures).