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April 22, 2010 - Earth Day
- Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day Network
- Celebrate the 20th anniversary of Earth Day Canada
- See also: Green economy network
Sisters and Brothers:
Earth Day Network was founded in the United States by Denis Hayes and the organizers of the first Earth Day in 1970. Their goal was to promote environmental activism and year-round progressive action.
Earth Day Canada was founded in 1990 as a national environmental charity, to provide Canadians with the practical knowledge and tools they need to lessen their impact on the environment.
Forty years after the first Earth Day celebrations, the world is in greater peril than ever. While climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, it also presents the greatest opportunity – an unprecedented opportunity to build a healthy, prosperous, clean energy economy now and for the future.
Earth Day 2010 can be a turning point to advance climate policy, energy efficiency, renewable energy and green jobs. Earth Day 2010 is a pivotal opportunity for individuals, unions, corporations and governments to join together and create a global green economy. Join the more than one billion people in 190 countries that are taking action for Earth Day.
We all know that strong public services are needed for the enforcement and protection of the environment. This government must stop the chronic under-funding of environmental programs, and create more federal programs to achieve a green and healthy Canada.
In the past the government has used what it calls regulatory reform to privatize every aspect of Canada’s regulatory regime to the greatest extent that it can.
Rather than supporting strong government enforcement, the federal government own policy requires that all federal regulatory functions seriously consider moving towards more private sector self regulation.
This has resulted in a decrease in the number of federal workers who enforce regulations across the board, making it harder or impossible for them to enforce the regulations they oversee.
This is a dangerous game of environmental russan roulette that has victimed both Canadian and the environment so many times in our recent past.
We urgently need to achieve deep, science-based reductions of climate pollution while providing authority for the government to make regulations in order to meet any set targets and penalties.
This year again we must remind the federal government on the urgent need to establish enforceable guidelines for drinking water quality, starting with standards for First Nations reserves, and working with provinces and territories to make sure that all Canadians have clean, safe water in their homes and communities.
Indeed, Canada would do well to embrace a traditional Aboriginal worldview of the environment, one that acknowledges a responsibility to the 7th generation. Respect for the earth is what’s going to protect our waters, lands, fish and wildlife.
PSAC members should actively pressure the federal departments and agencies to lead by example in their own environmental practices, including emission reductions, product purchases, recycling, and sustainable development strategies.
Earth Day also marks the launch of the Green Economy Network. The PSAC is part of this coalition of 25 unions, social justice and environmental groups seeking to build an authentic green economy in this country.
As labour activists, we all know that we cannot have healthy and safe workplaces if our communities are not healthy and safe.
We encourage all our members to make Earth Day a day to celebrate and to raise the consciousness of every citizen around the world on environmental issues critical to the surviving of our planet.
Date Modified : 2010/07/13
