In 1970, Earth Day activists talked about Thinking Globally, But Acting Locally. Their argument was that what one community does, effects other communities. Yet, it’s too difficult to affect international communities, so it’s best to focus locally. Yet, today we see the problem with thinking too globally and ignoring local concerns.

On this Earth Day I would suggest a different approach to environmental problems: rather then thinking globally and acting locally, we should instead think locally and act locally. Despite all the hype about global commerce, and advances in transportation, we spend most of our lives locally in places that should matter.

Local places are any places where we reside, work, or otherwise spend time in. Too often local places do not get the attention they deserve. There is such a national and international focus on issues, and our nearby surroundings get ignored at the cost of bigger issues. This Earth Day we should pay more attention to our communities, to their needs, and their future.

Too often all the action and concern is over big issues. There will certainly be a lot cry and concern about Climate Change and fossil fuels this year. That’s a big issue. But what about our own communities? Is their a need to demand better transit options, better parks, and more businesses nearby? Especially with rising gas prices, we should be concerned more about our community’s well being, as it’s getting more and more expensive to get away.

We do not need any more cookie cutter communities or standardized designs that reflect global trends. We need to think more locally, more about building communities that suit local needs, not theoretical national or international trends. It’s time we moved away from a one size fits all, and work to develop communities that serve local needs efficiently and desirably.