In clearing out the litter, cleaning up the sidewalks, and sorting out the recyclables in the Old Town district, the Saginaw Area Democratic Club was well aware that our contribution to meeting the daunting challenges to the Earth’s well being was miniscule. It was a symbolic gesture in many ways- a single case of acting locally while thinking globally. It was, however, an example from which to build a deeper and lasting awareness- and spur a relentless activism- which will clarify a truly global and green worldview.

Our Earth Day efforts should be considered a small step towards a greater and desperately needed change in our most basic thinking about our relations with our fragile planet and all its inhabitants. An Earth 'Day' must one day soon transform into an Earth 'Age'.

Like the Ages of Stone, Iron, Industry, and Information before it, this Age will require a change in technology and also a change in understanding. It will not come without sacrifice and setbacks. There will have to be a reassessment of our material needs and self-absorbed interests. There will also be 'bitter-enders' who refuse to acknowledge the reality that surrounds them, grasping at a past age of waste and recklessness. Yet, despite their self-serving appeals to ancient creeds and false idols, their cause will be lost. Their rejection of this evolution in perspective only assures the extinction of their own antiquated worldview.

All this will come to pass because the human race above all must follow the path on which it can survive. The interconnectedness of all humanity, all life, and all matter is well established by mountains of evidence and observation from all fields of scientific study- from chemistry to biology, geology to anthropology. It is also a fundamental tenet in most religions. It is only a question of integrating this universal understanding into our daily lives- at work and in the home, in our roles as parents and as citizens, as investors and as consumers.

We cannot allow this enlightened sense of Oneness to be twisted or perverted into something “unholy”, “unpatriotic”, or “impractical” by those who refuse to move forward. It is not only practical, it is necessary. It is not only in the interest of national security, but also of global security. In its call to simpler lifestyles, humane relationships, and the common good, it is spiritually enriching and gratifying. It is a giant leap of progress from the decayed dogma of plunder, possessiveness, and greed.

The Earth is our common home. Each of us has a stake in its long term health and its ability to sustain life. There is no greater “family value” than the tender loving care for this 'mother' of us all. In small ways and large, we are charged with this responsibility. The defense and advocacy of the environment is not covered with an afternoon of Earth Day activities, an act of Congress, or even an international treaty. There is no "end game" to environmental activism, because the end of that “game” would be the end of us all.

Reuse, Renew, and Recycle are words of action that reflect and demonstrate a never ending, continuous commitment to a more sustainable and rational lifestyle. This must take place at the kitchen table as well as through the halls of power, and in private talks as well as in public forums. On April 22nd, we celebrated and honored one Earth Day. Let us now make it the first day of a new 'Earth Age'- by embracing environmental consciousness and Earth-friendly acts nearer to our homes and closer to our hearts.

Special Thanks to the following participants in the Saginaw Area Democratic Club Earth Day Cleanup:
Connie Glave
Terry Wolff
Bill Thibodeau
Ginger Thibodeau
Keith Becker
Garnet Lewis
Vicky Cobb
LoRayne Apo-Joynt
Adele Apo-Joynt
Wylie Apo-Joynt
Jo Kraych
Amy Seaver
Path Fillion
Jerry Ulrey
James Magyar
Sonni Magyar
Thorin Magyar
Xavier Magyar
Dan Taylor