Should Earth Day be just once a year, or every day? Grist says "Screw" it

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Online magazine and publishing eco-leader, Grist, just announced a campaign to highlight the utter importance of “walking the walk” when it comes to green living and not just once a year.

Earth Day, celebrated every year on April 22, is widely known as a major cornerstone of the modern-day environmental movement. However, some argue that, similar to last month’s “Earth Hour”, its message has become watered down and all-too-easily exploited. Grist’s hopes to encourage and inspire the changes people can make in their everyday lives to help the planet.

“Too many people tokenize Earth Day, using it as an excuse to hug a tree one day and ram it with their SUV the next,” said Chip Giller, founder and CEO of Grist. “We say, screw that. One day is for amateurs. We can do better.”

According to Grist, a lasting impact for the planet is less about what a person does (or doesn’t do) once a year on April 22 and more about what they do every single day.

The Screw Earth Day! campaign coincides with the start of a year-long 10th Anniversary celebration for Grist and the launch of its new website at grist.org. The campaign will include an extensive online ad campaign and will be reflected in Grist’s editorial offerings during the two weeks leading up to April 22.

Grist is encouraging new users to sign up for daily and weekly news updates by providing two compelling incentives: a free download of its popular, award-winning book Wake Up and Smell the Planet: The Non-Pompous, Non-Preachy Grist Guide to Greening Your Day; and a free trip for two (including round-trip airfare, full festival passes and carbon offsets) to Bonnaroo, the popular music and arts festival that has a long-standing commitment to sustainability.

To download a free copy of Wake Up and Smell the Planet and enter the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival sweepstakes, register at http://www.grist.org/screwearthday or www.screwearthday.com.

About Grist
With a fresh spin on environmental news and views, Grist informs, inspires, and links America’s next generation of green citizens. Founded in April 1999, Grist has developed the most recognizable voice in environmental journalism: funny, opinionated, and intelligent. Grist offers in-depth reporting, news analysis, opinions, and practical advice — all tailored to inform, entertain, provoke, and encourage its users to think creatively about environmental problems and solutions.

Each month, Grist reaches more than 800,000 unique individuals through its website, emails and social networking tools, and it has enjoyed particular success among users in their 20s and 30s. Through partnership with major media outlets such as MSN, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, and Yahoo!, Grist is reaching an even broader audience that extends into the millions. Grist has been featured in The New York Times, Newsweek, Time, Vanity Fair, and dozens of other major media outlets worldwide, and was recently ranked as a top green website by both Time and the London Guardian.

For more information, visit www.grist.org/screwearthday.

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