It's Earth Day again, San Francisco, and the city is rolling out no fewer than ten events under this year's theme: Our Planet, Our Power. If that slogan sounds like it was workshopped by a committee that bills $400 an hour, well, welcome to environmentalism in 2025.

Look, we're not anti-environment. Far from it. Clean air, clean water, well-maintained parks — these are things every San Franciscan deserves regardless of political persuasion. The problem is when Earth Day becomes less about practical conservation and more about performative green theater funded by taxpayer dollars and corporate sponsorships that amount to glorified branding exercises.

San Francisco has real environmental problems worth tackling. Our streets could be cleaner. Our recycling program is byzantine. The city's own buildings aren't exactly models of energy efficiency. But instead of focusing on measurable outcomes — reduced waste, lower municipal energy costs, better maintained green spaces — we get a calendar packed with feel-good activations and slogans that prioritize vibes over results.

Here's what we'd love to see: an Earth Day where the city publishes a transparent accounting of what it actually spent on environmental programs last year and what those dollars achieved. How much did we spend on green initiatives, and did air quality improve? Did waste decrease? Did city departments hit their own sustainability targets? That would be actual power to the planet — accountability.

To be fair, community-driven cleanups and volunteer planting events are genuinely great. They cost little, build neighborhood pride, and produce visible results. If you're heading out this week, those are the ones worth your time.

As one Bay Area resident put it, the city "pretty much feels the same" day to day — and that includes the annual ritual of Earth Day programming that's long on symbolism and short on substance. Another local noted that "everything is fine except the prices have gone up by a lot," which is worth remembering when the city asks for yet another bond or fee increase in the name of going green.

Celebrate the earth this week. Plant something. Pick up some trash. Just don't confuse City Hall's PR calendar with actual progress.