不只是4.22，每一天都是地球日

地球是我们每个人赖以生存的家园。随着人类社会的发展，我们也不得不承认，这美丽的净土正逐渐被我们所“玷污、甚至摧毁”。扪心自问，你真的忍心继续这样下去吗?4月22日是一年一度的世界地球日，借以呼吁人们保护地球。仔细想一想，也许只有我们把每天都视作地球日，一点一滴地去保护地球，我们才不会有追悔莫及的那一天……“Every day is Earth Day!” squealed the third-grade choir. Most of us barely understood what Earth Day was, let alone appreciate the message of the song. We just knew that every year on April 22nd, we would get gummy worms as a reward if we listened quietly to the importance of not throwing trash on the street and sang a couple of songs. Although I don’t remember the rest of the lyrics, but that first line has echoed in my mind since then. Growing up in Canada, I believed that protecting the environment for future generations was obvious. I soon discovered that this was not the case, as my experiences in both the U.S.A. and elsewhere opened my eyes to how concern about the environment usually fell by the wayside as soon as more immediate crises emerged. Yet with the rate of climate change accelerating over the past few years, causing widespread pollution, desertification , and drought, perhaps the message of that song is more relevant than ever. Maybe on April 22nd, 2015, if we can remind ourselves that taking care of the Earth is a daily requirement, just like eating or sleeping, perhaps we can avoid a future where our children ask “Why wasn’t every day Earth Day?”

The first Earth Day was celebrated 45 years ago on April 22nd as well, and it is considered the origin of the modern environmental movement. After witnessing the destruction caused by a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, in 1969, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson worked tirelessly with both the U.S. Congress and everyday people to bring environmental issues to the forefront of politics. Senator Nelson managed to unite people from all levels of society, from the rich to the poor, city dwellers to farmers, and chose April 22nd to express their views to the government. His mission was a resounding success, as the government established the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and three other crucial environmental acts that regulated clean water, air and endangered species.

Since then, Earth Day has leapt onto the world stage, with over 184 countries participating in the celebrations this April. With such a global scale, the organizers had to create themes that would unite the entire world in their message. The past few years have featured slogans such as “Green Cities” and “The Face of Climate Change.” This year, the organizers have turned their focus from the present to the future with the theme “It’s Our Turn to Lead.” With this simple phrase, the torch is passed from the current generation to the next: the youth. As young people, we are the generation that must live the world that we shape today. So we face a choice: let the present situation run its course and leave our futures to chance, or rise to the occasion and lead the way to a sustainable future for both humans and the Earth.Each person will celebrate Earth Day differently, as each person faces different challenges and contexts. When I celebrated Earth Day in Canada, my school organized massive recycling projects. Students scrambled through classrooms and sorted through the trash bins, throwing the paper products into one container and plastics into another. We worked with a wild frenzy , because we were promised a bucket of candy for whoever could collect the most recyclable material. Other habits we cultivated included shutting off all lights before we left a room and not tossing trash to the ground. But Earth Day is not just limited to doing what should already be done. Caring for the environment requires knowledge as well in order to make the fullest impact. Perhaps you can read a report about how to build environmentally friendly cities that integrate nature with economic development, or take an ecology class to understand the interconnections between every organism in a certain environment. Maybe the most ambitious students could organize a symposium to showcase the environmental knowledge of his or her peers to the school. The possibilities may be endless, but only one goal should trump all else: to establish a mindset that building a sustainable future requires the contribution of all members of society, especially the young people that will inherit the Earth.

But that goal may be the greatest challenge facing not only our generation, but for generations to come. The question of why should we care about the environment, especially when others will not, is one that will never disappear. The common logic states that if one person begins to conserve gas or water, someone else would simply take advantage of the extra supply and use it for themselves. Thus no one has an incentive to change their current habits until all the resources are used up. Such a phenomenon has a name: the tragedy of the commons. Perhaps a change in mindset is also necessary to tackle this problem as well. In the tragedy of the commons, each person believes that the resources rightfully belong to him: mine, not theirs. Instead, a more sustainable mindset would say: “not mine, not theirs, but ours.” The Earth is not owned by any one entity or institution, but is shared amongst all peoples. After all, what good is owning the Earth when climate change and pollution has destroyed everything worth living for? As a species, we must come together not as citizens of different nations, but as citizens of the Earth, to protect our home for the present and for posterity . And if all the moral arguments fail to convince you, then perhaps another human emotion will. Investing in efforts against climate change will be lucrative in the future. As the world begins to realize the magnitude of the danger that climate change poses, more and more money will be poured into research and projects that can salvage what will be left of the environment. Humans are an inventive species, after all. There will always be ways forward, just some lead to better conclusions than others.

So this April 22nd, let’s celebrate Earth Day together, and every day from thereafter . Whether you are motivated by a social conscience or a quest for lure, may this year’s Earth day harken back to its roots, when the rich and poor stood shoulder to shoulder in solidarity for our common home. The time for waiting is over, because it’s the youth’s turn to lead. On this Earth Day, let’s not ask what the Earth can do for us, but what we can do for the Earth.

Vocabulary

1. Earth Day: (世界)地球日，即每年的4月22日，是一项世界性的环境保护活动。

2. squeal: 长声尖叫;choir: 合唱。

3. 我们当中的大部分人几乎不了解地球日是什么，更别提能领会到歌曲传达的信息了。barely: 几乎不;let alone: 更不必说;appreciate: 领会。

4. gummy: 黏性的。

5. lyrics: 歌词;echo: (声音)回荡。

6. fall by the wayside: 半途而废，中途退出;emerge: 显现，出现。

7. desertification: 荒漠化。

8. 也许就在2015年的4月22号，如果我们能提醒自己将善待地球视作如同吃饭或睡觉一般的日常需求，我们也许就能避免有朝一日自己的孩子们问出这样的问题：“地球日为什么不是每天呢?” remind: 提醒。

9. witness: 目睹;oil spill: 漏油;tirelessly: 不知疲倦地;forefront: 最前线。

10. dweller: 居民。

11. 政府建立美国环境保护署，另外又颁布有关清洁水、空气及濒危物种的三大重要环境法令，(这一切标志着)他的工作取得了彻底的胜利。resounding: 彻底的，轰动的;crucial: 重要的。

12. slogan: 标语，口号。

13. run its course: 按常规发展。

14. recycling: (资源、垃圾的)回收利用;下文出现的recyclable意为“可回收利用的”。

15. 学生们争先通过教室，将垃圾箱进行分类：将纸制品和塑料制品分别扔到两个箱子中。scramble through: 仓促完成，匆忙完成; sort through: 分类，整理。

16. frenzy: 极度兴奋。

17. cultivate: 培养;toss: 乱扔。

18. integrate: 结合。

19. organism: 有机体。

20. symposium: 讨论会;showcase: 展现。

21. 能做的事情数不胜数，不过有一点比其他都重要：树立这种意识，即建立可持续发展的未来需要社会上的所有人都参与其中，特别是即将“继承地球”的年轻人。trump: 胜过;sustainable: 可持续的;inherit: 继承。

22. conserve: 保护。

23. incentive: 动机。

24. tragedy: 悲剧。

25. tackle: 处理，解决。

26. posterity: 子孙后代。

27. lucrative: 有利可图的。

28. salvage: 抢救。

29. thereafter: 此后。

30. conscience: 良知，道德心;lure: 诱惑;may : 愿;solidarity: 团结一致。