Each year on April 22nd we celebrate our earth. A planetary birthday celebration where we come together to appreciate all that nature provides us. Today will mark the 46th year of such celebrations.
Beginning on the first Earth Day in 1970 we realized that to mark a date would ensure environmental issues and the damage we are causing our planet stayed at the forefront of our consciousness. Since then the movement has evolved to include a multitude of happenings surrounding environmental activism that is a global collaboration against the deterioration of our planet.
Nature has her fury, but the ravages to our planet are caused by human hands. Oil spills, rampant use of pesticides, toxins in our food and water systems, clear cutting of our forests, chemical waste polluting our waterways, and emissions from autos and manufacturing in the air we breathe, are all huge environmental topics that we need to address, along with the root causes which are greed and corruption. Surely one day isn’t enough, but it is a start in keeping the conversation alive. We now need to move beyond that, and engage in daily action.
Earth Day Network has a great toolkit that provides information on events, and how to get involved, along with a list of ideas that you can use individually or with friends to shift the wheel towards change. As the people at Earthday.org say, you really must, “Take matters into your own hands.”
We all use the beauty of our planet to refresh ourselves and stay healthy, but what are we doing to keep our planet healthy? We enjoy paddling on waterways, walking in the woods, and doing yoga among rock formations that were created by nature’s hand. Today let’s give back. Today, do something special to appreciate nature, plant a tree, clean up an area that needs help, eat raw, organic food, or do yoga outdoors. Today take matters into your own hands, find your own way to celebrate the joys of nature and then make it a daily habit. Changing your world starts with you, by changing your own little corner, with your own hands.
