To the editor:

I appreciated your coverage of the April 19 Earth Day events downtown. However, I wish the headline writers had given more thought to their headline: “Activists on a roll for Earth Day.” Yes, it was clever enough – people on bikes and skates were prominently featured in the photos. But “activists”? That makes the event sound as though it was some sort of mini-WTO protest, with protesters stopping traffic, yelling slogans and waving signs. The folks I saw as I marched in the parade included moms, dads, kids in strollers, kids on bikes, grandmas, grandpas, college students – ordinary people who probably wouldn’t define themselves as activists.

Yes, there were activists involved, too, which is great. There’s plenty of work for everyone. But until we ordinary people stop thinking about the problems facing our planet as something “the activists” will take care of for us and start taking responsibility for changing what we can, we will make no serious progress toward repairing the damage, stopping the harmful practices and ensuring a better future for everyone.

Andrea Zuercher,

Lawrence