For the past 25 years people have celebrated Earth Day. Its beginning years were extremely valuable and eventful. We were emerging out of what might be called the dark ages of environmentalism; the decades preceding 1970 witnessed little concerted interest in saving Planet Earth from the destructive ways of its human inhabitants.

In the old days habitats were destroyed in the name of survival or out of a desire to create something that was viewed as a necessity.

Since the first Earth Day, we have come to look at Planet Earth in a new way. Perhaps it was prompted by the satellite photo of our Earth floating along in space — a "Blue Marble," quite isolated, quite alone. That image gave us the feeling that we had better not "foul our nest."

Much has happened since the first Earth Day. The level of consciousness of the people, of governments, and of many industries has risen to the point where the environment enters into our everyday decision-making.

So, now we look forward to Earth Day, which (like Christmas or Independence Day) comes but once a year. It is on our minds (and in the media) for a few weeks before and after. But, for the rest of the year, most people go back to thinking about other things besides the fate of the planet.

When I was a kid about to return to school following a great summer of freedom from math and English, I had chores to complete. My room had to be cleaned up and my "floor-drobe" picked up and put away so I would have a new start for the school year.

Thus, my modest proposal.

We are in the last days of this millennium, within striking distance of the next one. It is kind of awesome when you stop to think that this can only happen one year in a thousand. Most people and governments will celebrate the year 2000 as the beginning of the new millennium. Parties, extravaganzas, gala events and count downs will take place throughout that year. I suggest that we forget celebrating Earth Day in 2001. Instead, let's make the year of 2001 Earth Year.

Let's use 2001 to clean up the planet as best we can for the generations that will be born in the next millennium. Let's give our descendants the best and cleanest planet possible. We can start now, just as if we were getting ready for Earth Day, but instead we would be preparing for a much larger endeavor, Earth YEAR.

Earth Day, to many, serves as a feel-good day. But I believe we can do better. We need a more substantial goal to keep our level of energy high so we can focus on protecting the environment for the generations of the next millennium.