Can You Hang Tinsel on a Recycling Bin?
Stephenie Freeman

I just noticed that Earth Day is Saturday.  I’m embarrassed to say that if I hadn’t seen it on my calendar, Earth Day would have come and gone and my family would never have been the wiser.  This holiday, however, has become important enough to have its own pre-printed spot on our calendars nestled quietly between Easter and Mother’s Day.  Still, I have to wonder, is Earth Day really a holiday? 

 The major holidays are fairly straight forward and have a core concentration of commercialism associated with them that drives us straight to the poor house and the brink of insanity.  For example, for Halloween we load up on candy and spend too much on elaborate costumes and only a month later start shopping for the latest new toy for Christmas.  Easter gives a lot of attention to chocolate bunnies in baskets and Valentine’s Day wouldn’t exist without cards and flowers.  That’s not to mention the thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours that we spend decorating our houses, sending out cards wishing a happy “whatever” and enduring festival merriment with the in-laws. 

 Earth Day is much different.  There are no ornaments to hang or eggs to hide.  No ham to bake or card to send.  My boys won’t wake up to recycle bins filled with candy and toys.  My oldest hasn’t been asking, “Is it Earth Day yet?”  And so far, I haven’t seen a single cartoon episode dedicated to the holiday.  Which leads us back to my original question: If there’s nothing to eat, decorate or buy how do you celebrate it?

 I wonder what an Earth Day holiday celebration would look like.  I picture families gathering outside to sit on blankets under the warm springtime sun, eating organic vegetables from their gardens.  Afterwards, Mom and Dad load the family’s recycling bins into little red wagons and walk together to the nearest recycling center.  Maybe the day would come to a close with everyone camping out under the stars with only fireflies and each other for entertainment.  I feel more peaceful just thinking about it. 

 Even without religious affiliations or commercial products, Earth Day is still about believing and wanting.  It about thinking about something bigger and hoping for something better.  To us mothers, it’s about wanting the world that we are raising our kids in to be a healthy and safe place for years and years to come.  I even spent $50 of my own fun money on enormous recycle bins hoping to make a difference and be an example to my children.  My husband thought I was nuts for spending so much on plastic tubs with fancy lids.  His comment, “Won’t cardboard boxes work just as well?” truly demonstrated the mission of Earth Day.  I was still high from the seductive powers of organized efficiency at the Container Store to pay him any attention.

 So perhaps Earth Day really isn’t a holiday after all.  Maybe its purpose is to be more of a reminder than a celebration.  Earth Day will never be as big as our traditional holidays, and that’s probably a good thing.  It shouldn’t be one big hurrah that we spend hours preparing for and only one day enjoying.  Earth Day celebrations must be practiced each and every day if they’re going to make a long-term difference.  So, I’ll keep reminding my kids to put the empty milk jugs in the recycle bin, turn off the water while they brush their teeth, and to plant something pretty every spring.  I really don’t need a reminder on the calendar every April for that, but maybe they should leave it on there just in case.     

Previous Posts:
The Lies We Parents Tell
Birthdays to Remember

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Mama Wants More
A column for today's mother who has it all and still wants more because you're a mother, a wife, a citizen, a consumer. You're unappreciated, underpaid, and over qualified for wiping bottoms & cleaning toilets. But this was your dream. This is what you always wanted. you love your life, but you still want more . Me too.