For more than 50 years, people around the world concerned about the health of the planet have celebrated Earth Day. Recent data suggests that some one billion people participate in Earth Day celebrations every year on April 22. Earth Day 2022 is coming up. How will you celebrate?
We would like to encourage you to consider making a commitment to stop using single use products including alkaline batteries this year. Make that your Earth Day 2022 resolution. We are confident that once you trade your alkaline batteries for USB-C rechargeable batteries, you will never want to go back to the old battery chemistries and technology. Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries are just that good.
The very first Earth Day was celebrated on March 21, 1970. It was proposed by peace activist John McConnell at a San Francisco UNESCO conference the previous year. The date was chosen because it is the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. Earth Day was eventually moved to April 22. It was observed mostly in the United States until 1990, when it finally went global.
It is interesting to note that Earth Day was originally a concept that combined both environmental responsibility and world peace. At the time, the Vietnam War was still raging. Environmental activists could see the environmental damage being done by the war and its chemical weapons. They believed that environmental responsibility and peace went hand-in-hand.
Earth Day has gained steam and surpassed even the early goals of 1970. It has evolved to be about more than environmental responsibility and peace. The scope of Earth Day has both expanded and refined and these days is aimed at sustainability, clean energy, and waste reduction.
Assuming you have your eyes on celebrating Earth Day this year, you might be wondering what you can do to make a difference. We have already suggested dispensing with alkaline batteries in favor of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Just in case you are thinking that doesn't sound like much, consider this: efforts are like pennies.
The few pennies you may have lying around your house do not amount to much. But what if we gathered all the pennies currently in circulation? They would add up to an awful lot of money. Likewise, your commitment to using rechargeable batteries may accomplish very little in terms of planetary impact (although the ROI can be quite good for your wallet). But what if everyone around the world did the same thing?
Not only that, think about all the little efforts people put forth. Some people do their best to utilize as much green energy as possible. Others are avid recyclers. Still others avoid foods that are not produced organically or have started keeping backyard chickens to better utilize their food waste. All these efforts add up to something big.
One of the traps of huge events like Earth Day is the tendency of such events to make average people feel insignificant. After all, most of us cannot just quit our jobs and spend our lives working as environmental activists. We have families to take care of, bills to pay, and plenty of other responsibilities.
Still, we can all be world changers by doing the little things. Better yet, we don't have to do all the little things immediately Choose one little thing and start there. When you have it mastered, add a second little thing. If we all do this, our collective efforts will have a large impact.
With Earth Day 2022 just around the corner, we invite you to celebrate by getting rid of your alkaline batteries and replacing them with USB-C rechargeable batteries from Pale Blue Earth. It is a small step, but one that will certainly add to an important global effort and impact..
