I Don't Celebrate Earth Day - and This is Why

Earth Day - With Earth above humans

There is a whole bunch of new holidays that governments and international organizations have put into place that I simply couldn't care less about, one way or another.

Earth Day  is not one of these.  While I care a good deal about nature and the environment, I specifically choose NOT to celebrate Earth Day.  Why?

What is Earth Day?

Earth Day is a celebration of environmentalism.  The idea is to highlight and inspire people to start good ecological habits, do something to care for the environment or promote environmentalism, etc.  And as far as these actions themselves are concerned, I agree with them and believe they are good.

The Problem with Environmentalism

However, the problem I have with Earth Day is that its purpose is to promote environmentalism.  Environmentalism has problematic current within it - and I would say it's a strong one, although it runs below the surface in many cases - to place the environment and earth above and beyond humans themselves.

In extreme cases, the point is obvious. For example, I once read somewhere that fanatical environmentalists would rather procure an abortion than cut down a tree. Once I told a truly fanatical environmentalist (vegan and obsessed with animal rights to the extreme) about the death of a person; his answer was, "Good, another meat-eater dead."

Those are extreme cases and not worth dwelling on. But even in fairly non-fanatical environmentalism, I believe this same basic problem defines some basic assumptions and it is seen as normal that the care of nature should take precedence over the quality of life of humans.  The earth and protecting basically becomes an end.

This basic error is the reason I don't celebrate Earth Day.

Healthy Care for Nature

In a healthier view of caring for nature, it is a means rather than an end in itself.  We care for nature primarily because it is good for us.  Destroying nature will have (and has had) horrible consequences on the quality of human life.

His Holiness Benedict XVI, an open advocate of
protecting nature as a means, not an end.

However, since the purpose of caring for nature is to improve human life, we must also be prepared to use and adapt nature responsibly for that purpose when it is available.

Now, some people who celebrate Earth Day will probably object at this point and say that they agree with me. "You can believe that and still celebrate your view of caring for the Earth."

No, in fact, I can't. And this leads me to my last point.

No Room for God

Earth Day does not include God. It does not recognize Him, name Him or acknowledge Him.

"But can't I say that caring for God's creation is praising Him?"

You sure can, but that's not what Earth Day is about.  If it were, then somewhere, on all the pages of the official organizers of Earth Day, we would see the words "God's Creation."

Thus, it not only promotes a movement that puts nature above humans, but one that puts God's Creation above God.  This is, in fact, the root of the previous problem.  God created the universe to glorify Him.  He specifically created the Earth to be subservient to human beings, His children.  He created it to glorify Him, and part of this is to serve us.  We are given care of the Earth, together with use of it and command of it.

Now, if you take God out of the picture (as all Earth Day write-ups do)  then the reason for making care for nature a subordinate means to improve human life is greatly weakened and lines are blurred.  It is no longer necessary to make this distinction clear.

"I'll celebrate Earth Day to praise God, but you can do it to worship the earth and wish death upon meat-eating humans if you like; as long as we plant some trees together ..." Not a healthy message to put out there.

There are many, many Christians who care for the environment. Some of the most enthusiastic people I have known have been devout Christians.  So why is God excluded from Earth Day, then? As far as I can guess, the organizers wouldn't want to distract people of the matter of highest importance (environment) from one that to them is of secondary importance (God.)  They mention the improvement of quality of human life in passing, but not as a main point; they know they can safely mention it without risking removing the Environment as the end, the #1 item.

Replacing the Importance of Pascha (Easter)

On another point, I'm also distrustful of this holiday displacing Easter.  Easter, (or, by its correct name, Pascha) is the greatest celebration of the Christian year.  It is the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ, the most important event in history, the defeat of death and the victory of Christ bring us eternal life.

But isn't Easter is only 2 days - or 3 if you want to count Good Friday?

In the Western tradition, which includes most Christians I know, Paschatide (or "Easter Season") includes the 50 days after Easter - which makes sense since it is the most important festivity of the year. Earth Day almost always falls after Easter, so right in the middle of these 50 days of joyous celebration.  Easter is, in fact, a feast of renewal, of springtime; from what I've read, early Christian writings connected the renewal of nature in spring to the Passover, to the Resurrection, and even to the Creation.

I wouldn't begrudge Earth Day one simple day the 50 of Paschatide, but as the website for Earth Day Canada points out, "In Canada, Earth Day has grown into Earth Week and even Earth Month to accommodate the profusion of events and projects" (http://www.earthday.ca/pub/about/history.php.) So, now people are taking a full 30 days of Easter's 50 to devote an environmentalist cause that specifically excludes the mention of God?

I prefer to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ.

If Earth Day were to give due place to God and even mankind over nature, I would also not hesitate to mix the two holidays.  But I cannot justify mixing the holiday which has been the most important celebration of God's mercy since Israel left Egypt with a month-long celebration that excludes Him altogether.

Caring for nature - our gift from God to care for and use

I'm not anti-fanatical

So, now, just for the record, I'm not a fanatic against Earth Day.  I wouldn't look down on a family or individual for participating.  I`m sure many many people participate with best of intentions - even best of Christian intentions, participating with the purpose of glorifying God and serving the betterment of human life.  I did not discourage my son from participating in the school events or being excited about it.  I only took time to sit down and talk to him and make sure he know why we celebrate and protect the Earth.  I was sure that first God and then humans held their proper place.

My family recycles, saves water, reduces garbage, reuses containers, shops local (as often as our budget allows us) and uses cloth bags, among other such items. But we don't do it to serve the Environment as a end in itself.  We do it primarily because the Earth is God's creation, and secondarily because humans will be able to live better as a result.

If I knew Christians who celebrated Earth Day, I would express my doubts about this day, but I won't go on any crusade against it.  It's not important enough - at least not yet. (If I live to see an "Earth Day Easter Celebration," that might change.  In 2057, the Western Easter is on April 22.)