Now that the Earth Day celebrations are over, what do we do next? Read on in this article about how the whole “save the world” campaign is turning out to be a massive marketing blitz for the few industry players who can afford to pay for it.

Earth Day is the most significant event in the global environmental calendar. It was born in the late 60s and 70s, at a time when Americans were protesting against the Vietnam War, against environmental pillages, against man’s prejudice towards his brethren.

Today, Earth Day events and celebrations are taking a turn. Earth Day today is about who comes up with the best campaign. And how do these campaigns help the planet? We can only guess.

In Malaysia, World Earth Day celebrations just passed. Compared to the previous years, the celebrations this year finally caught fire. The publicity has been amazing. The demand from the public is strong. More corporate players have joined the bandwagon as part their fulfillment towards corporate social responsibility. Even radio and television stations like ASTRO have pooled their efforts to provide quality environmental films for their audience. But how are their efforts really helping the planet? Today, “saving the earth” seems to be the new buzz words in the country (“Save the cheerleader, save the world” was more popular last year). But do we really know what “saving the earth” entails?

With all the marketing strategies that big corporate players try to embark on, I am afraid the whole idea of saving the world seem to be losing its essence. Today “saving the world” is about packaging your products differently (preferably with a green logo and is affiliated with a local environmental NGO), giving money to some kind of charity, and paying millions for a media blitz (how does a RM20K billboard with an eco-message help save the environment?). And somewhere in the African continent, where cars hardly exist, children and adults are suffering from poverty, living on less than RM5 a day. These people are not at liberty to shop for eco-friendly products, neither are they impressed with multimillion dollar digital animations about the environment. What they need is hard solutions to their deteriorating state of living.

What do all these corporate and public efforts mean to Mother Nature, if you were to ask her? Where are we heading in our global efforts to stop global warming? On this one day (22nd April 2008) celebrated nation-wide by all Malaysians, what have we done to minimize our impacts on Mother Nature?

IKANO had a green politician at their venue to talk about green politics, apart from the wide range of eco-friendly products (from hydrid cars to organic mini burgers) on sale from the 22nd to 27th April 2008. Of course, the “underground” movement also had a field day at Sunway Pyramid when hundreds of concerned Malaysians “froze” for 4 minutes at 8 pm on April 22nd, with the objective of raising awareness about global environmental issues. Elsewhere, other industry players are organizing free film screenings.

Yes, the nation applauds all these efforts at raising awareness about the environment. Yet, sometimes I can help wonder that perhaps we are all, indeed, already aware of the urgency to address environmental issues. Where are the solutions and the actions?

Have we planted more trees today than yesterday? Have all Malaysian households switched to eco-friendly light bulbs yet? Have these big corporate leaders, who spent millions on campaigns for the environment, physically reverse or minimize their impacts on the environment? If yes, then how? How much carbon emission has been reduced by the key business players who are running eco-campaigns? Has our agricultural industry reduced their pesticide usage yet? Are we managing our livestock well, especially the cows? I am afraid that there aren’t any data or factual answers for these questions as being Malaysian, we like to speculate and jump on to the bandwagon without much thought. It’s a “monkey see, monkey do” situation in this country.

So let’s move beyond “creating awareness” and move towards “creating solutions”? Let your mind explore other avenues on how YOU can work towards a better environment. It’s rather simple really. Start by changing 4 light bulbs at home/office to the eco-friendly ones.

So let’s reflect: Is Earth Day a mere symbolic day for celebration? Certainly yes, but celebration should be backed with action and solutions, and not mere marketing and reflection.