Earth Days Lab

The following are ten things I found interesting or enlightening in the Earth Day video.

1. I never realized that Earth Day was so widely accepted and celebrated. Or that, like one man said in the video, everyone "embraced it, at least superficially and stylistically." It was interesting to see how much of a following it received.

2. It was somewhat strange to learn that the Earth Day Center's telephone lines were tapped by the the FBI and military. I wouldn't think that the Earth Day movement would be perceived as a threat. It just seemed kind of unusual that such a cause would generate that much concern.

3. In the video they showed a clip of a past interview, with what I assumed to be Earth Day activists. They were asked if they intended to start a new form of government or religion. This caught my attention, mainly because it was so strange for me to think of Earth Day activists starting a religion or new form of government. It just goes to show that causes can take on a mind of their own sometimes...

4. The commercial with the Native American man was interesting to me. It used him to help portray the modern day American as wasteful and neglecting. I found it intriguing that they used one of the least wasteful cultures to symbolize their point.

5. Solar energy and hydrogen power have always been something I found amazing and it was neat to see that they have been experimenting with the idea of solar and water powered cars. It's disappointing to think that they have not been implemented yet. Hopefully one day the choice will be available.             

6. I didn't realize that California was one of the forefathers who started to conserve, direct and create energy. It never occurred to me that they were the ones that helped pioneer it.  Or that they are one of the most solar reliant places in the world.

7.   Later in the video we see a commercial for the Sierra Club, advocating conservation and waste reduction. It shows a commercial right after it, for a presidential candidate, who protested the theory. I contemplated why they would show these back to back, wondering what affect this created. In the end, I decided the reason they showed both extremes of the issue was to both promote the Sierra view and give the viewer the option to decide which to believe in and agree with.

8. I didn't know that President Carter installed a solar energy system onto the White House roof, only to have it taken down, shortly after by President Regan. What baffles me is, why did Regan choose to remove it, after it was already there? Why not just use it?

9. The concept of exponential growth is mind boggling! When they used the table cloth to demonstrate the concept, I realized just how much it increases in such a short time. It makes you wonder, if this is correct, how much can the Earth sustain before it's unable to continue and how far are we from that point?

10. The last thing I will bring up is the fact that environmentalists became more professional as they developed. When they became more professional, however, they were overpowered by bigger companies. I found it interesting that environmentalism changed like this and started to use more professional ways to reach people. I wondered why they decided to take this course of action. Was it to be able to reach more people and be taken more seriously?