Earth Day
In 1969, after witnessing the destructive oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin sparked the idea to establish a national conversation about the importance of protecting the environment. That conversation has become Earth Day, a movement focused on nearly all environmental issues, including deforestation, species loss, global warming, pollution, and every other threat to nature.
The first Earth Day was held in 1970 during Richard Nixon’s Presidency. Earth Day is observed on April 22nd , a day chosen by environmental activists between Spring break and final exams to make it convenient for students to participate in promoting environmental causes across America.
The popularity of Earth Day led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), The Clean Air Act, and many other laws and causes that help to protect the environment. In 2016, the United Nations chose Earth Day as the day to sign the Paris Climate Agreement, with the goal of limiting global warming to 2° Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Today, Earth Day is celebrated by billions of people worldwide, and in almost every single country on earth. To learn more about Earth Day, please visit www.earthday.org.
Earth Day is a way to remind ourselves about the dangers of being irresponsible stewards of the world we depend upon for our own survival.
As a business located in Southern California, we’re well aware of the effects of climate change. In January of this year, Los Angeles suffered through three of the most destructive fires in California history: the Palisades Fire, the Eaton Fire, and the Hughes Fire. By the end of January, the Palisades Fire had burned 23,448 acres and destroyed 6,821 structures. At the same time, the Eaton Fire burned 14,021 acres and destroyed 9,418 buildings in Altadena, Glendale, La Canada and Pasadena. Fortunately, the Hughes Fire burned 10,425 rural acres without damaging any structures. Twenty-eight people lost their lives by the end of January. Property and capital losses could total between $76 to $164 billion, of which about $45 billion is insured, with a total estimated economic loss of $250 billion, making the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires one of the costliest natural disasters in American history.
Several environmental issues, possibly caused by global warming, converged on Los Angeles to spark the fires. The County had historically low rainfall totals October Through January, typically our wet season, turning vegetation into kindling. A low pressure system converged on Southern California in January bringing almost hurricane force winds that likely damaged electrical equipment that sparked the Eaton Fire, and then the winds fanned the flames of all three fires to a monstrous strength as they spread.
I suppose a person would need to experience a natural disaster to understand just how destructive they can be. The fires in Los Angeles reminded me of the 1980 Mt. St. Helen’s eruption in Washington State, the most destructive volcanic eruption in US history. I was a kid living in a Portland, Oregon suburb at the time of the eruption. My Mom still has volcanic ash in a large glass jug in the garage. I remember timing how long I could hold my breath while riding my bike from our garage up the street while ash fell from the sky. Volcanic ash reminds me of the ash that fell here in Los Angeles during the fires. It’s a quiet, eerie feeling watching a feathery grey-like snow falling from an ominous looking pyro cloud. Seems to me those post-apocalyptic television shows could get quite a bit of free footage if they remembered to turn their cameras on while the fires burned.
If there are people out there who are not convinced that global warming is increasing the frequency of earth’s recorded natural disasters, then they should try looking at the planet through a microscope. They’ll find microplastic, and lots of it, a natural disaster on a very small scale. Microplastics are found at the top of the tallest mountains, and at the bottom of the deepest trenches of the sea.
Microplastics have infiltrated the food chain of every species on earth, including our own. In fact, many people are already suffering from a build up of plaque in their arteries caused by microplastics, increasing the likelihood of a stroke or cardiovascular ailment. According to www.superage.com, common foods that contain microplastic include sea salt, beer, bottled water, shellfish, rice, apples, carrots, and tea. A good substitute for a plastic tea bag is loose leaf or plastic-free tea bags. Yogi makes wonderful, healthier teas, and the company is a Eugene, Oregon based Certified B Corporation.
Earth Day matters, folks. If not for earth’s sake, then for ours.
Brett Bridgman
Doo Dah Apparel
