Since 1970 we have celebrated Earth Day. A few years ago, as the ecological crisis approached certainty, we added Earth Hour. But now we need more than hours or days; we need a whole year.
In Earth Year we stop. No more obliteration of natural ecosystems, no more urban sprawl and no more superfluous consumption. The futility of these pursuits will become evident in the next decade or so when we will face one or several major crises, shifting focus to food and clean water. So let’s take a year to radically change course. The global economy shuns self-reliance and environmental responsibility in a race to compete for – and deplete – every possible resource. Even the few remaining, truly self-reliant indigenous peoples are in danger. Natural limits and satiated needs are being countered by economic stimulation to push us even further beyond our means, which we passed many decades ago. We are all involved in a conspiracy for self- destruction. Global sustainability can only be achieved if globalization is reversed in favor of localization and profit-centered privitization is ceased for the common good.
There’s so much beauty left in the world, but it becomes more scarce by every second of every hour. And so I propose that 2013 be an Earth Year to create our finest hour.
Jacob Levallius
Artwork by me.