WWED?

So today is Earth Day. Happy Birthday, Earth! No, wait, that's not what today is about.

Happy Anniversary, ol' buddy! No? That's not it, either?

Um...

Here's to another year of sobriety? What? Oh, okay...

Um...

Happy 161st blog post, Earth! Wait, that's me.

Anyway, today is Earth Day, so apparently we're supposed to celebrate this by eating. Or, that's what it seemed like at the Green Expo in Chicago this weekend. Organic lavender chocolate, vegan "ice cream," hemp oil tastings, organic cherry cabernet jam, vegan BBQ soy nuggets with vegan BBQ sauce, etc.

There were other booths, of course, all celebrating everything and anything "green." Housed in the huge McCormick Place, there were so many products that some vendors had to share the same booth. Paint, clothes, soap, razors, tiles, rugs, new magazines, books, office supplies, baskets made out of recycled chopsticks and more. It was like a street fair but with more flax and less drugs.

Maybe it could be called the "Whole Foods Effect," or maybe it's because of An Inconvenient Truth, but, based on those attending the Expo, the green movement and environmentalism seem to be getting more and more mainstream, which in turn attracts diversity. Families with SUV strollers paraded through middle-aged couples in hemp shirts. Buff pretty boys lead their girlfriends past skinny, dread-locked hippies on cell phones. Maybe it was the cause, maybe it was the great weather, but everyone seemed pretty pleasant in the loud, packed exhibit.

One of my favorite highlights was the Steaz booth. They created a line of organic green tea sodas with only organic Ceylon green tea, natural flavors and organic cane juice (not high fructose corn syrup!). In flavors like orange, root beer and lemon dew, they are slightly fizzy and not too sweet. Even better news was the Steaz Energy drink, the self-proclaimed "world's first certified USDA Organic and Fair Trade energy drink." Combining guayaki yerba mate ("nature's most balanced stimulant") and guarana ("high in naturally occurring caffeine") with natural flavors and organic green tea, one can has 80mg of caffeine without that awful, chemically sweet taste of most energy drinks.

While recharging with an organic energy drink, why not charge your cell phone the natural way? Noon Solar has created a line of handbags with a solar panel on one side and inside is a small charger. After sun exposure for a minimum of three hours, you can remove the charger, plug in your cell phone or iPod and recharge it wherever you want. Not only is it a practical way to start thinking about sustainable, renewable energy, the bags are rugged and, well, stylish. I mean, why shouldn't it be environmentally friendly and cool-looking?

Even conscientious crowds can be overwhelming so we left after a few hours. As we walked down to dinner, the wind had blown garbage from overstuffed dumpsters across a few, normally well-maintained streets.

"Ugh," I frowned. "Isn't this supposed to be Earth Day?"

So we picked up what we could. And when picking up the bf's eye contact solution at Walgreens, the cashier put the single box into a plastic bag.

"No, thanks," he told her, carrying it home in hand.

Just what Earth would want us to do.

Also check out: LOL @ NPR.
And: That Pretty Much Sums It Up.