Religion & Law

Apparently Earth Day is big business now, but I'm the last person who should be judging others about the corruption of the day.  On certain occasions -- such as the annual post-Christmas-present-unwrapping stupor or the periodic realization that I carry my own Great Pacific Garbage Vortex in the back of my minivan -- I have a sinking feeling that my family's carbon footprint is more akin to a carbon crater or canyon.  I gladly spend ten minutes a week sorting our recyclables, but an environmental friendly lifestyle only extends about as far as my personal sense of convenience will carry it.  That's my problem, not the government's, but my own sense of environmental ineptitude is exacerbated by the political discourse, which has made environmental causes another Rorschach test for one's overarching worldview.  Are "drill baby drill!" and "Earth First!"  the only options?  While I'm not sure how one is supposed to celebrate Earth Day, I do think it is an occasion for us to reflect on our care for the planet, and Catholics should be at the front of the line when it comes to taking environmental stewardship seriously.