If you ask me, Earth Day is pretty much useless. You don't get the day off of work. The parties are terrible. And, when the generally inconsequential day draws to a close, very little in the way of lasting impact has taken place-and even less takes place in the days, weeks, and months that follow.All that said, I don't want Earth Day to be inconsequential. So this year, as I'm only somewhat delusional, I'm making an effort, on a small and personal level, to turn Earth Day into an impetus for lasting change.I'm making a pledge, right here and right now, to drastically reduce my intake of red meat for the rest of 2009. This may not seem significant, but I'm a carnivore at heart, and if left to my own devices, I would probably find a way to include red meat in every meal-in all honesty, I'd almost always rather eat five or six more bites of steak than even the most delicious desert. However, it's recently come to my attention that eating meat is really, really bad for the environment. And a number of people have brought it to my attention that by eschewing meat, one could do more to lower his or her carbon footprint than by giving up his automobile.My goal, beginning today, is to stop purchasing and preparing red meat for myself for the rest of 2009. This year, Earth Day becomes a spring board for change.Here's where you come in. In the comments, I'd like you to commit to an Earth Day Pledge. It could be a behavioral shift like mine-maybe you'll try to ride you're bike to work one day a week-or it could be a simpler, smaller pledge, like dedicating one day in June, or August, or December to cleaning up your local beach or park. The goal, quite simply, is to ensure that Earth Day makes an impact on at least one of the other 364 days of the year.So let us know: What's your Earth Day Pledge?
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