Monday was Earth Day. Teachers dutifully scooted the little ones outside for a little while to pick up lunch and candy wrappers strewn around their playgrounds.
On the weekend, earnest volunteers took advantage of the decent weather to clean out ditches in Queensborough, plant trees and spruce up parks.
By today, however, most of us will have moved on, consuming, creating waste, running water and idling vehicles, and just generally carrying on as human beings.
But this year, we ask you to stop, and consider making every day Earth Day.
After all, we have a very special relationship with our Mother Earth - she gives us life. And we share it with billions of other creatures that are just trying to get through their day. Plus, it's a really cool place. In fact, as far as we can tell, it's the only inhabitable spot in the universe for light years.
But what can you do? Lots. Think of Earth Hour, which took place on March 23. When we shut off our lights and gadgets for an hour that night, B.C. cut its power consumption by 136 megawatts. Think of what it would mean if you continued to snap off the switches for an hour every day - if all Canadians did the same, if people around the world did?
Look in your garbage bag - does it all really need to be there? Have a yard sale or give that stuff in the garage to charity.
Check your spending habits - do you really need another T-shirt? Eat local foods, in season. Learn to can. Make a meal from scratch. Share a ride.
Tell our elected officials to get serious about protecting our ecology.
And teach your kids (or parents) that cleaning up after themselves includes the environment.
Because for the foreseeable future, there is no Planet B.
