"On its 49th birthday, Earth Day is having a midlife crisis.

In the beginning, it was a policy-shaking event that awakened a new generation of activists. But now even environmentalists have misgivings about it. Sure, they can get behind planting trees and clearing trash out of rivers, but they have issues with Earth Day itself.

What issues, you ask? I asked environmentalists to weigh in. Their qualms were numerous: Earth Day is too short. (C’mon, one day a year?) They point out that companies use Earth Day as an excuse to sell or give away products, even though consumption is part of the problem. (Free gas for hybrid owners! Free tote bags!) They say it encourages a surface-level “change your lightbulbs” mentality that focuses on personal responsibility at the expense of ignoring big polluters or mobilizing for political change. Some have boycotted Earth Day events over the participation of anti-immigrant groups.

Other than that, Earth Day is great!"

Kate Yoder reports for Grist April 22, 2019. [2]