Earth Day 2009: More Than A Pledge, We Need A Radical Lifestyle Change


Love Your Mother
Photo by Cayusa

Fresh from March 28, 2009’s well-celebrated and well-participated Earth Hour, Bloggers Unite, myself and my fellow bloggers are here once again, nudging and nagging perhaps to the point of annoying you to push for an immediate change in the way we treat our dear planet.

The signs of wear and tear are evident. Our over-indulgence and carelessness has taken its toll on this beautiful world we live in. No longer can we remain in our comfort zones, shut our eyes and cover our ears to the cries of
Mother Nature. Whoever coined the phrase “you can run but you can’t hide” is most probably referring to the consequence we will face in exchange for our wasteful and irresponsible ways of dealing with Earth.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I think, these people organizing this Earth Day event, the Earth Hour and similar undertakings aren’t doing these things simply because they are “cute”, “fun” or “morally acceptable”. The problem is REAL and it is HERE. And doomsday prophecy as it may sound, truth is there really is nowhere to hide. If this planet goes down in flames, we all go down with it — no exceptions. No special treatment. No way out.

And no matter how advanced we may appear to have become, we are still no match for our dear planet’s wrath, should it decide to instantaneously blow up or eventually die on us. After all, we’ve been negligent for so long, and this planet can only take so much.

There is no other planet for us but Earth. And even if there was another, I bet you’d still choose Earth all over again.

Earth Day 2009 is a call to ACTION — a call for tangible, measurable acts of the so-called GREEN GENERATION no coal, green schools, renewable energy and energy-efficient designs and technologies. The awareness stage is over. Or at least most of it is. We already know what to do. We already know what we can do. But do we actually DO it?

I’m not trying to be self-righteous here. I too, am guilty of inadequacies. What I lacked in action, I compensated in writing. But that is not enough. I know. So now, I urge you, dear friends — LET’S DO IT. AND DO IT RIGHT. It takes more than a pledge to nail this problem to the ground. It takes a radical, conscious effort on our part to effect change — one that’s for the better — one that serves the general good — and one that’s for the long-term.

Starting today, I will make that conscious effort. I will do it regularly until it becomes a habit — until this habit becomes a virtue — and I will not stop until this virtue ultimately becomes a part of me — until I become the virtue itself in the flesh.

April 22, 2009 is Earth Day.

You know the drill: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Don’t commit. Do it. There is no other way.

4 responses to “Earth Day 2009: More Than A Pledge, We Need A Radical Lifestyle Change”

  1. The Earth is deteriorating. Granted, it goes through these cycles on its own every so often but the Human element is speeding up the process.Instead of speeding the process up we should let it happen on its own and take preventive actions (i.e. Earth Day) to counteract our effects. Regards!

    Like

    1. very true. it only requires little sacrifices on our part so why must be hold back on efforts right? regards to you too! :)

      Like

  2. I really like your post. Does it copyright protected?

    Like

    1. Hi Kelly! Yes it is. But it’s okay to get excerpts as long as there is proper attribution. Thanks for the visit!

      Like

Let me know what you think… :)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Me
Cecilia Regina Aquino Blanquera Marmol aka RJ Marmol profile picture

I’m RJ Marmol — writer, musician, and independent creator based in Manila.

I write songs, essays, and books about the messy overlap between money, overwhelm, creativity, identity, and rebuilding. Much of my work circles around what happens when life stops feeling manageable — and how we try to think clearly, make decisions, and keep moving anyway.

I’m also the author of Rebuilding Under Debt: Thinking Clearly When Everything Is a Blur, a nonfiction book published under Steady Hand Press. The paperback edition is listed under my full publishing name, Cecilia Regina Aquino Blanquera.

On the music side, I release work as HeyRJ. On the writing side, this site is where I gather my books, essays, notes, and whatever I’m building next.

Music

HeyRJ is my sonic soul project. I create raw, minimalist-style and deeply personal music interpretations that feel like a late-night conversation with your truest self.

By blending lo-fi acoustic textures with poetic honesty, my work explores love, loss, grief, healing, and the quiet in-betweens of life. Each song is a letter — a journal entry — a gentle companion for when the world feels too loud or too quiet.

While my catalogue began with intimate cover renditions, my work is increasingly being shaped by original writing, drawing from years of poems, lived questions, and emotional survival.

“Stuck Home Syndrome” released on March 20, 2026 is my first original 20-track album written during a period when time felt compressed and days began to blur into each other. The songs came from sitting with thoughts that had nowhere else to go — unfiltered, repetitive, and sometimes uncomfortable. It’s a concept album that isn’t built around singles or polish. It’s closer to a continuous inner monologue, recorded with minimal production and very little ornamentation and meant to be listened to as one cohesive body of work. The goal wasn’t to resolve anything, only to document how it felt while it was happening.

On May 29, 2026 I released new original singles – “Rapturous”, “Uh Huh”, “Look At You”, “All That” and “Blew Print”. I continue to release both original and cover songs and intend to so for as long as I can so check back every once in a while — you might. just find something you’ll like.

For business inquiries relating to music, email me at: heyrjmusic[at]gmail[dot]com or my personal email at: rjmarmol[at]gmail[dot]com.

Books

Rebuilding Under Debt: Thinking Clearly When Everything Is a Blur

A nonfiction book about what debt does to the mind — and how to begin functioning again when financial stress has made everything feel blurred, urgent, and overwhelming.

Rather than treating debt only as a financial math problem, the book explores the emotional and cognitive realities of financial distress: shame, decision fatigue, avoidance, panic, relationship strain, and the difficulty of making sound decisions while mentally depleted.

Published under Steady Hand Press. It’s available worldwide in ebook and paperback formats on Amazon. Bookstores and libraries can also be order it wholesale via Ingram.

Contact

For book-related inquiries, media requests, bookstore questions, or discussion-group invitations, you can reach me through the contact page on this site or send me an email to rjmarmol[at]gmail[dot]com or hello[at]steadyhandpress.com