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Too Many Earth Day Messages Ain’t Enough

David Kirshbaum
3 min readApr 23, 2021

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We Need All the Ideas, Including Yours

Photo by Louis Maniquet on Unsplash

April in Western Oregon is usually cool and wet. Not this year.

This Earth Day comes after weeks of warm, dry weather that have already begun paving the way for another intense wildfire season in the western US.

According to Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Think Out Loud, “Several Oregon counties have instituted burn bans in the last few weeks. Klamath County is under a drought declaration, and a wildfire there has already burned more than 1600 acres.”

Orange, smoke filled sky. Oregon, Sept 2020. Photo by David Kirshbaum

Just seven months ago, the entire Northwest was blanketed in thick wildfire smoke, sending air pollution in large areas literally off the charts.

Over a million acres burned in Oregon alone (including entire towns), and millions more in nearby states and provinces.

I’m glad to see the Biden administration taking new steps to address climate change. But no politician or government can make the needed levels of change without collective cooperation and action.

And what drives action? Ideas and beliefs.

Just like it’s up to all of us to take good care of this planet we call home, it’s also up to all of us to care for the collective pool of knowledge and ideas that influence behavior.

Yesterday, at a virtual conference for solopreneurs, I spoke about building the Confidence to Create.

One of the attendees expressed a concern about sharing her ideas online: “How do you keep from just repeating what everyone else is saying?”

My response:

“There’s room for you. You have a unique perspective. No one else has had your collection of experiences. No one else has exactly the knowledge you do. Share your ideas, and infuse them with your personality, your passion, and your unique perspective.”

There’s room for you.

What do you stand for, and why?

Put it out there. Add your voice on topics that matter to you so those ideas spread and make an impact.

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David Kirshbaum
David Kirshbaum

Written by David Kirshbaum

Writer, Transformationist, Peace Cultivator, Nature Lover @ davidkirshbaum.com

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