This weekend is Earth Day; one of the most revered of days for anyone of clue and conscience. Most think of it as just another day for the likes of tree huggers and old Woodstock goers; thinking it started with them, but it did not.
Our planet has supported its inhabitants in every way possible for millions of years; without its resources we would not be here at this very moment. From the water to the trees to the soil and the bees …..there is no other entity that is more important to our existence; it is our friend, our enjoyment, our protector, and our life giver. So many scoff and so many more ignore; but it is an indisputable fact; we cannot survive without it, and if it is injured and sickened so will we be. Just as you would protect and care for your loved ones, so should you the planet.
I so often wonder how humans can be so selfishly blind as to take so much from something so giving and treat it with such disrespect and unconcern. It is used and used and given back nothing; not even a considerate thought. I urge you to sit for a moment wherever you are and take in any scene-your home, your business, your backyard, or your bedroom. Any object you see has been enabled because of the planet. Whether furniture, computer, your lunch, your clothes, your pool, or the scene out the window. None of those things are possible without the help of the planet and its resources. Think about that, I implore you to really think about it.
Imagine the impact if on this one day we all planted a tree, or we all did not cut a tree. Imagine if we all unplugged our cell chargers from the outlet for just one day, or if we did not let the water run as we all brushed our teeth tonight. Imagine if the cruise ships did not dump their waste in the ocean on just that day.
Earth Day is just a single day of your life, once a year, to stop and thank this planet for everything it has done and struggles to still give us. Are we not taught to thank when given a gift? And aren’t we ever so grateful for help with no strings?
There are a multitude of large and small things we can do in thanks, look around you and it will become clear…crystal.
Five Easy Earth Day Thank You’s
Turn off your car at a drive-thru
Creatively reuse something-at least once
Lower your thermostat 5 degrees
Buy one local (or at least US) grown product at the grocery
Flip your paper in the printer
Recycle your Sunday paper
Look out the window, promise to do better and, say “thank you”.
A simple quote from one of histories most famous environmentalists and my favorite mentor.
“When we try to pick out anything by itself we find that it is bound fast by a thousand invisible cords that cannot be broken, to everything in the universe.” John Muir 1869
