Well, Earth Day is being celebrated at this time and the day isn’t until Sunday 22^nd. I say celebrated because that’s what it seems to be. Events are happening as I write this editorial and have already happened and some can only be loosely described as being anything to do with Earth Day.

The name Earth Day was chosen as an appreciation of the Earth’s natural environment. It is celebrated in over 175 countries every year and it will be on the 22^nd of April at least up until 2015. April 22^nd is also the birthday of Vladimir Lenin!

Alex Steffen, an American writer, editor, public speaker, futurist and proponent of bright green environmentalism, charges that Earth Day has come to symbolise the marginalisation of environmental protection, and the celebration itself has outlived its usefulness.

I tend to agree with him that there is a questionable nature of companies and products involved in Earth Day related promotions.

I find it laughable with the local supermarkets boldly telling us, their customers, to “go green” and to think of the damage plastics are doing to our earth. They sell us ‘green’ bags so we don’t pollute the earth with the plastic bags they used to GIVE us. If we forget our green bag they’ve sold us (that we can use for a month before the stitching gives way and we have to replace it), they now SELL us a plastic one. What happened to the wonderful disposable brown paper bags they all used to have at the checking out counters? When I asked at my local store I was told they don’t stock them anymore; so weren’t they the culprit in the first place? They MADE us use their plastic ones – the very ones they advertise all over their car parks and stores not to use.

And, am I the only one on this earth who doesn’t notice who the biggest polluter of plastic is here in the Cayman Islands? It’s these same supermarkets. The two or three plastic bags we used to carry away our goods are a mere fraction of the plastics being used on all the supermarket shelves to package their wares they are selling to us.

What a farce. They think we’re foolish and they are right. We went meekly along with it and yes I did too. I try and remember to bring my green bag and load it up full of plastic!

May we watch Earth Day doesn’t become moneymaking enterprises and advertisements for the very people who cause the pollution of our natural environment and are anxious to benefit even more from.

I can assure you it is happening and here.