When Earth Day Was Every Day and Everyone Walked

The Big K, Greenwich, NY, James Howard Kunstler, 2010

Ever since March, my calendar began filling up with Earth Day activities. Lectures, demonstrations, mixers and, of course, the big 2012 Austin Earth Day Festival at the Historic Browning Hangar at Mueller. I was all set to go on Sunday, but as I was having coffee that morning in my kitchen, with the French doors swung wide open letting in the cool backyard breeze, I thought about a few things.

The radio was tuned to KMFA, one of my favorite stations because the commercials are generally non-intrusive, classical music keeps me and my dogs sane, and the station has innovative programming so you are not stuck listening to the same old Mozart, Beethoven and Bach over and over.

A commercial came on announcing a store that was locally and independently owned, selling 100 percent cotton and organic clothing. (Would have been better if they were sustainable and fair-trade as well!) Not too long ago – maybe some time before World War II – these qualities weren’t luxuries, or options for the eco-conscious. These were part of normal everyday life.

Read the rest of the article in the Austin Post.