Anyone who is familiar with the classic holiday story of A Christmas Carol will know that the story concludes with the statement that the character Scrooge would keep the spirit of the day in his heart all year long. This is a lesson most people could benefit from, and is especially true where a holiday like Earth Day is concerned.
While good will and charity towards fellow humanity is necessary, it is also obligatory to consider the costs of todays actions on many generations in the future. There is the Great Law of the Iroquois Indians too, and this says that in every deliberation, we must consider the impact on the seventh generation.
Seven generations ago it was the height of the Industrial Revolution, and if they could have known how badly the coal fires, smog, and chemicals being used would have impacted todays world they might have hesitated to continue. The problem is that one hundred-plus years ago most people didnt know about the ozone layer, the carbon footprint, or environmental problems. We dont have that same excuse to protect our modern choices.