Yesterday was Earth Day – did you know? I'm very curious about how you interpret the day: is it a day of celebration for Mother Nature? Is it a reflective day, something ANZAC-ish? A day of awareness and conversation, like International Women's Day or RUOK Day? Genuinely asking. In the year 2023 I'm not entirely sure who Earth Day is for anymore.

Earth Day's vision of itself is legit. Its goal is to activate people, political decision makers and businesses to protect the environment. The Earth Day organisation intends for the day to be a catalyst, something that sparks us all to mobilise and come together to exercise our collective power for the benefit of the planet. Its origin story is as a true activist movement – in 1970, after some big coastal oil spills, Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson brought together college students to organise a demonstration. An unfathomable 20 MILLION people joined the protest, prompting the US government to set up its Environmental Protection Agency.

Out of all the Days of Awareness and Action that we celebrate, Earth Day comes from arguably the strongest, most successful foundation of activism.

But after 53 years, I feel we don't really know what to do with Earth Day anymore.

Unlike the empty shells of IWD and RUOK Day, this isn't not really the fault of the organisation. It's just that so much has changed. 'Environmental protection' and 'climate action' are now viewed as one and the same; the latter is so urgent that it's swallowed up all the environmental discussions we have. On top of that, the way Earth Day's mission is leveraged seems to drive 'awareness' generated for businesses, brands, influencers and media content, rather than collective action groups. News coverage of climate and environment is now perpetual – it's an always-on topic for every major news outlet. Tips and hacks from sustainability creators on social media are feeling pretty redundant. Greenwashing has made every brand's claims suspicious to the point of irrelevancy. 

I'm guilty of this too – here I am, writing about Earth Day to an audience that does not need to be convinced to care about the environment. You already do! That's why I keep coming back to: who is this all for?

Maybe Earth Day should be for kids. I don't mean that dismissively. But I wonder if it's most useful now as an educational flashpoint, something that gets the wheels turning in young brains? I still remember watching Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth in school in 2006 and my brain chemistry actually fucking changing in that moment. For us adults, maybe it's a time to talk to the young kids in our lives about the environment, about climate, answering some of their questions that we know the answers to. The day can be a good entry point, the 101 course. 

For the rest of us... we can't take beginner classes forever. At a certain point you have to start grappling with more complex ideas. Taking part in a beach or park cleanup is a good thing! Keep doing those! But the vast majority of Zee Feed readers, followers, subscribers are smarter than believing picking up a bit of litter will save the planet. 

In the aftermath of Earth Day 2023, this a gentle reminder to reevaluate where you're at in your understanding of the existential challenge facing Humankind on Planet Earth. If you're still consuming entry level ideas, it's time to level up.

– CrystalFounder & Chief of Everything at Zee FeedFollow me on Instagram or TikTok

Good stuff on Zee Feed rn:

Kids ask good questions! If you're worried about not having the right answers for those young minds in your community, this piece from a while back might help. It's more straightforward than you might think. CLICK HERE TO READ.

Smart stuff on the Internet 💭

All the stuff I found on the web that made me think, smile, or have an ‘aha!’ moment. Spend your Sunday reading them – you'll be better off for it:

Drilled podcast on SpotifyIn the spirit of levelling-up your understanding of climate politics... Drilled is the truly excellent podcast by journalist Amy Westervelt. This is not entry-level stuff. Drilled really gets into how big business, big politics, big everything can get away with the climate crimes they commit. 

The Sciku Project by Andy Reisinger on TwitterA spoonful of sugar to help the dense medicine of climate reports go down... Scientist Andy Reisinger has turned the latest IPCC climate report into a set of haiku poems that explain the main points & they really just hit. This one made my eyes water:We can’t adapt toEverything. The more warming,The fewer options.

We’re in Asian America’s peak media moment. But ‘Beef’ has poisoned the well on the San Francisco ChronicleBeef on Netflix is a phenomenal series. But the horrific rape-confession-joke by one cast member, minimised by everyone involved in this show, is raising tangled ideas about representation that this piece lays out: "To uncritically embrace Beef... shows that we’re willing to let others pay the price for our feelings of validation and belonging."

Asking For It on SBSAs we've written about before, the next sexual revolution is already underway and it is focussed squarely on consent. This three-part series (episode one is live now) about Australia's sexual violence reckoning is one I reckon you should watch and discuss with your family and friendship circles. It's going to be a flashpoint for conversations that truly change perspectives, for the better.

If you found this email thought-provoking, will you share it with a friend? Sharing helps us grow 🌱 and makes you look really smart.