Earth Day Events Attract Environmental and Business Interests

There’s green as in the environment, then there’s green as in money. Supporters of Earth Day wonder whether organizers are more enchanted with the green of cash than they are with the green of the countryside. Earth Day has become more mainstream, attracting companies that want to capitalize on the events surrounding it. Celebrations at the Capitol and in the major cities have attracted commercial business, bringing in more participants, but supporters say it comes at a price. They worry that the message of Earth Day will be corrupted by the commercialism of the event. The St. Louis Earth Day Festival lined commercial vendors at the front of the Muny ground in Forest Park, making up what organizers called the “Earth Day Bazaar.”