Forty years ago, it was a foreign idea. What, a day devoted to a bunch of grass and trees? Who in the world, except for those people who live in tree-hugging communes like Boulder, Colorado, would ever think this is a good idea? Who could imagine this madness would catch on?
The fact that April 22 is now an internationally-recognized day of environmental awareness reveals a lot about the extent to which our thinking about our natural world has changed (as does the commercial hype associated with the event, according to today's New York Times). No longer is it super-kooky to recycle, to walk or bike to commute, or to plant a tree. Being aware of oneself, and the way one impacts one's surroundings, is becoming much more of a cool thing. Only through awareness, after all, and environmental consciousness, will there ever be change.
As an organization that promotes health, fitness, and international awareness, we at Blaze encourage you all to do something special for your planet and your fellow people today: go for a run. Yes, we know, we encourage you to run every day. But think about it: when you run, not only do you improve your health and burn calories in an environmentally-friendly manner, but devote a portion of your day to move through this world that we call home. Movement is the first step to awareness. It is a celebration of what is, as is breath, and a celebration of what could be. We hope you all will take a moment to dedicate this celebration to our common larger cause today.
It's interesting. Forty years ago, an extreme push began to bring environmental consciousness to the mainstream. At Blaze, we believe that we are on the cusp of the same revolution when it comes to health and fitness. Change starts when a certain problem becomes no longer tenable, and the average size of the American waistline has long passed that limit. While it remains to be seen whether Jane Fonda's International Fitness Day on May 1 will catch on (she apparently didn't check the calendar when she scheduled that one - May 1 is International Workers Day, and everyone in the rest of the world is usually drinking or gardening for it), she is thinking along the right plane. We too need a day to bring fitness to the forefront of the international consciousness. And these days, the thought of organizing one is not out of the realm of possibility.
Happy Earth Day!
Labels: environmental awareness, hoidays |
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2 comments:
I had heard that people who spend outside, especially in area with high pollution (like Denver/Boulder which are nonattainment areas), are at higher health risk than people who spend their leisure time inside. Do you think there is any truth to that?
Are the people making the same argument the ones that say exercising is bad for your heart and makes you die sooner? Or that smoking is a good way to suppress appetite and solve the obesity problem? :o). Forgive the sarcasm, but the benefits - health and otherwise - to spending time outside far outweigh whatever bits of pollution are getting into your lungs. Slimmer waistline, better heart rate, etc. are of course all benefits. There are also the intangible benefits of being able to unwind, de-stress, and be happy. These benefits not only promote longevity (stressed-out people are at greater risk for heart attacks) and quality of life. Not to mention, it gives you more awareness of the changes that need to be made in your community - such as reducing pollution.
So no :o). Health depends on various factors, and air quality is only one of them.
If we were in Beijing, though, I admit I might have to recant this argument. But the air pollution in Beijing is a bit worse than in Boulder.
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