When April 22nd rolls around every year people observe Earth Day to bring awareness to issues such as climate change and support environmental protection campaigns. However, each year the situation about our planet seems more and more frantic as scientists warn that one day the human inflicted wounds will be irreparable.

Does Earth Day really make a difference though? The purpose of Earth Day is, simply put, to protect our planet from the eminent effects of humans such as pollution and deforestation. Honestly, who cares. One day of picking up litter and planting trees doesn’t make a difference. Sure, it certainly may make a minor impact, but without many long term initiatives the effort and effect fizzles out. 

On one hand, Colby Langley, a senior here at Lambert, does indeed care about Earth Day and what it represents. 

“It represents positivity and trying to achieve the betterment of the earth, which I think is noble and good,” Langley explained.

Spreading the word about protecting our planet certainly is a noble and admirable cause, sometimes even sparking legislation from governments to protect vulnerable areas such as forests and animal habitats.

In our opinion, Earth Day is important because of the message it symbolizes and how it becomes a jumping-off point for some to further the cause to help maintain the planet. However, without any long term action, Earth Day sometimes seems little more than a moment of sunshine while the rest of the year no change happens.