Never turn your back on Mother Earth.

Happy Earth Day!

I'm an accidental environmentalist. I teach science, and somehow I got the reputation for being really into eco-issues (I think it's because I let Al Gore teach my class when I can). Last year some students wanted to start an eco-club, and this year I have a pretty committed bunch. A coworker of mine calls them my posse, and jokes that I am their leader, and if anyone messes me, they would have to answer to my posse.

As a result of my little club, I've now got the reputation as the staff environmentalist. People confess to me their environmental sins. I absolve them. They also come to me with absurd ideas, to which I smile and nod.

I try to be a good example. I had to make sure that I got a good reusable mug for my morning coffee. I used to drop by my principal's office for my morning environmental complaint/idea/initiative, with my paper coffee cup in my hand and then point out that I was well aware of my hypocrisy.

This I've been very busy planning Earth Week activities, finishing off our application for an award as an environmentally-conscious school, and teaching my classes that I forgot all about the Earth Day T-shirts that I got in San Fran for my favourite colleauges to wear. Luckily one of the lucky recipients reminded me of the shirt, 'cuz I totally forgot about it. Unfortch, one of the bunch is on mat leave, but four of us were wearing the shirt below:



By the end of the day the fact that four of us were wearing the same shirt was a hot topic. "Where did you guys get those shirts?" "Are you like friends or something?" "Oh, look it's another teacher in one of those shirts." "Why does Earth only have one tooth?"

Anyway, my Earth Day shirt and I are going out to a birthday party after I take some time to clean up my own environment. My apartment is a mess!!

ps My super also handed out new recycling buckets to everyone today. I don't know if it was a coincidence that it was Earth Day, but it made me super happy.