Staving off despair at Windsor's Earth Day celebration

Global environmental reports have been grim, with climate change being described as an existential threat to humanity — but the mood was far from gloomy at Windsor's annual Earth Day celebrations.

Hundreds of citizens gathered in Malden Park on Sunday to browse exhibitions, take part in activities, and mark the 54th anniversary of the international day meant to show support for environmental protection.

"Every day is Earth Day, but I think the meaning of this date, specifically, is that we're taking some time to consciously think about what the planet, and what the environment, mean to us," said Niharika Bandaru, president of the local environmental group Windsor of Change.

"We come together on this day and talk about what we've done so far, and what we can do better going froward. So it's like any festival — you don't stop thinking about it on other days."

But such festivities take place under the shadow of global data: The World Meteorological Organization — a part of the United Nations — reported that 2023 was the planet's warmest year on record, with categories such as greenhouse gas levels, surface temperatures, sea level rise, and ocean acidification reaching unprecedented territory.

The non-profit watchdog organization CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) has found that more than 70 per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions are being generated by just 100 companies — all of them fossil fuel producers, many of them state-owned.

It's enough to make any person ask: What's the point of Earth Day?

"I won't say that despair is an emotion that you need to completely shelve," Bandaru said. "I think part of the journey is to feel it, and to own it. But then to use that despair to, you know, do something about it."

"I do get depressed. But then, I don't see any choice but to act. You've got to keep going, because not doing anything is not an option."

The first Earth Day celebration was held in California in 1970. The City of Windsor began officially marking the occasion in 1989.

"We've always had a great turnout ," said Karina Richters, the city's supervisor of environmental sustainability and climate change. "Lots of energy, over 40 exhibitors are here... We have something for everybody to learn about environmental sustainability."

Attendees of all ages enjoyed such features as: a pedal-powered art-making machine, a sun-powered hot pot, live snakes and turtles, ecologically-themed games, and a costumed "green robot" hero.

The City of Windsor brought out a prop toilet to get across the message that disposable wipes cause problems for the city's sewer systems and wastewater treatment.

"We're teaching people what not to flush down a toilet," Richters explained. "Even if it says 'flushable,' that doesn't necessarily mean that it will get out of your drains. And those could make big impacts on our systems."