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Earth Day's Humble Beginnings

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Julia Rosien | 04/22/2009 - 19:19 | Add new comment

Have we made a difference since 1970?

A couple of years ago I interviewed one of the founding fathers of Earth Day - Dennis Hayes. In 1970, Hayes, a Harvard drop-out, inspired 20 million Americans to focus their Flower Power on Voluncation Power!Voluncation Power!environmental change. By 1990, more than 200 million people across the globe were joining hands - and hearts - to bring awareness to ecological issues. Nine years later a reporter for Time Magazine equated Earth Day to the Civil Right's Movement.

 

As a passionate traveler and self-proclaimed greenie, Earth Day poses a conundrum. Travel in and of itself can be wasteful and deepen even the most conscientious carbon footprint.

"We didn't expect that there would be an earth day in 1971, much less in 2007," Hayes said. "It was a one blow-the-door-off-the-hinges event, and then we'd move on with our lives. Today, environmental advocacy is neither highly fashionable nor dorky, it's just the way things now are now. It's what we were all hoping for in the beginning."

Hayes philosophy can be translated into every area of our lives, whether it's travel, everyday life or how we manufacture goods. We have to find ways to do everything we do with an eye on sustainability and environmental impact.

Travel doesn't have to be about floating resorts that Celebrate Earth!Celebrate Earth!use more fuel than a small city or all-night slot machines in Vegas. It can be about volunteering in third world countries or adventuring with a "Leave No Trace" attitude. Volunteerism owes its roots to people like Dennis Hayes for whom advocacy and social change is a lifelong commitment. Finding news ways to explore this big beautiful world we live in - without draining its resources - is a challenge. But it's not impossible.

Do you think Earth Day is still relevant and making a difference in the way we live our lives everyday, manufacture goods and take vacations?

Have you changed the way you travel in the last decade?

GoGirlfriend has been blessed with some great stories on how to green up your travel. Enjoy!

Volunteering in the Dominican Republic

10 Best Places to Eco-Adventure

Slum Tourism

Volunteer Travel Hot Spots

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