It is Earth Day. For some, this is the day to take the streets and show, in an overtly public way, their virtuousness and commitment to the planet. The real decisions that help the environment, however, are not made at political rallies but every day by farmers, homeowners, and businesses, looking to use fewer resources – saving money and being good stewards of the environment.

The contrast between the success of every-day environmentalism and political environmentalism is stark. As political solutions show repeated failures – from the Pronto bike share fiasco to Snohomish County’s now-shuttered biofuel plant – market-based solutions help the planet every day.

• Car2Go, a private company, provides a fuel-efficient and convenient transportation choice that is so successful, the City of Seattle says there are thousands fewer cars on the road.
• Toyota and Honda created hybrid vehicles, without government subsidies, understanding there would be a market, creating a car that became the symbol of environmental consciousness.
• Numerous products, like the Sense monitor, allow homeowners to see their electricity use in real time, helping them economize and use less.
• Plastic bottles are now significantly thinner than years ago as companies found ways to make them stronger without using so much plastic. This also reduces the weight in transit, saving fuel as well.
• Farmers are finding ways to reduce the amount of pesticide and fertilizer they use not only because it costs them money, but because it impacts the environment, where they spend virtually every day.

For the environment, the best decisions are made by those closest to the ground, who have an intimate understanding of the issues and have incentives to do more with less. Technology in the palm of our hand allows us to do this like never before, replacing the top-down, one-size-fits-all approach of big government that is not only unfair but ineffective.

Those who believe in personal freedom have (rightly) perceived Earth Day as a political rally aimed at their beliefs and way of life. We should not, however, allow the left to commandeer values we hold – a belief in stewardship and an appreciation for natural majesty and beauty. Instead, we should show those whose concern for the environment is sincere – not just political – that it is time to replace 1970s environmentalism with smartphone environmentalism to make every day Earth Day.