These people just don't get it. It took me about four hours of intensive internet research to finally find an Earth Day event so that I could follow my own advice and hand out some flyers.

There is an official Earth Day website, www.earthday.net, (or maybe .com), but a search for Charleston came up blank. Then I searched by state and came up with about a dozen events, one of which was in Charleston! It probably didn't show up on the city search because the only contact listed had a Washington address and phone. The date of the event was given as the 17th, there was no location other than Charleston County, and the last attendance figures given were from 2001.

So I emailed this "contact" at his .gov email address. (The rest of the address made me think it was someone in the Dept. of the Interior.) I told him I was dismayed that the event had taken place on the wrong day and that the information was so incomplete and difficult to find. I also expressed the importance to this state of strong support for Earth Day because we are custodian of a significant amount of wetlands, which along with rainforests represent some of the most heavily threatened habitats in the world.

And the email bounced!

Finally, I got on the phone to the recycling center that I use and was able to get the information I needed after only being on hold once. I did my activist thing and told her that the event was conspicuous by its absence on the internet and repeated the points I had made in my bounced email. Her reply was that it had been "well-publicized" in the newspaper. I told her somewhat rudely that I never touch that rag! But I guess I wasn't too rude because she cheerfully hoped I would come and was more than willing to give me location, directions, times, planned activities, etc.

So flyers will be distributed Saturday from 11:00 to 3:00 at the North Charleston Recreation Center. I hope I don't have to go alone; I'm actually afraid of that area, but I keep telling myself that nothing could happen at an event of this nature no matter where it was held.... Still, I'll try to get someone else involved.