On April 22, 1970, U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson founded the national celebration of Earth Day by holding an environmental teach-in. Today, on the 40th anniversary of that holiday, I can’t help but wonder how many people will actually recognize its significance or even know of its existence.During the first Earth Day, over 20 million Americans marched in the streets to promote a healthier, more sustainable planet. Rallies were held from coast to coast and thousands of colleges and universities organized massive protests. American Heritage Magazine even said it was “one of the most remarkable happenings in the history of democracy.” How many people will we see in the streets today? How many people will acknowledge this monumental holiday? In my opinion, not enough people.The idea of “going green” is being pushed down our throats to the point where I’m afraid it is numbing the world. Many people see environmentalists as radical and quickly throw away the possibility that maybe they are just trying to bring back the passion many people once had for the environment, as demonstrated 40 years ago.It is obvious that activism for most issues has been on the decline since the turbulent and vigorous decade of the 1960s. This can be explained by individualistic ideals, such as religion, taking over many people’s lives, the growing popularity of professions which focus on financial rather than social success and countless other reasons, none of which provide a valid excuse. However, the environmental movement has picked up intense speed in recent years, for better or worse.No matter what the agenda of the “go green” crowd may be, it should be universally accepted that what they (and I include myself in this group) are striving to do is backed by a noble and more than reasonable cause. Is it too much to ask to recycle your plastic? Is it too much of a burden to use your own grocery bags? Is it too time consuming to take one day out of the year to focus on simple things you can do to make a difference?This holiday has lost importance in today’s society, though others seem to be more and more commercialized and enjoyed year after year. St. Patrick’s Day brings millions of people out into the streets, all dressed in green, to indulge in a 24-hour drinking fest. How about transferring that green for a good cause for just one day, and then maybe that one day will turn into a week, or a month or even a lifetime?Laziness has taken over society; simple actions that can make a huge difference seem wasteful.  How ironic. Supposedly not being wasteful is making us wasteful and ignorant of the planet we live on.I’m not asking for a revolution, though I would not fight it if one bloomed. I’m not asking for serious lifestyle changes. All it takes is a simple second to do something as easy as turning out a light or buying a reusable water bottle.Today allows us as humans to take a breather and find a moment to remember what Earth provides us and to realize there is only one, contrary to popular belief that we can pick up and move to Mars. Just look outside your window and be thankful that what you see is there and could be there to stay if we do what is right.