Earth Day Has Always Been a Favorite
Ever since I was in University, Earth Day has been something I acknowledge and celebrate each and every year. Back in those days it could have partly been because it occurred right around the end of exam time. But since then, I’ve always tried to do something special that connects me with nature….and then 2013 came around.
I am embarrassed to say that it didn’t even occur to me that today was Earth Day until about 5:00PM. I’ve been so fantastically swamped with getting things ready for the opening of our café (oh, and moving into a new house), that my mind was full of a billion things from the second I jumped out of bed.
So I might not have connected with Mother Earth today like I would have liked, but I’m honoring her now with a post dedicated to this special day….sort of a flashback of previous Earth Day’s:
Earth Day 2010:
Loving the Bike sponsored “Bike on Earth” day at a local high school – https://lovingthebike.com/uncategorized/bike-on-earth-day
Earth Day 2007:
Four days ago, another Earth Day celebration took place. For about the past 6 years or so, I feel like I’ve done a little bit more than just acknowledge the day. In the past years, I’ve made a point to do nice things for the Earth on that day, enjoy a Sunrise, Play in the waves…things like that.
This year, all I did was acknowledge the day. Nothing special. No connections with the Earth. Nothing to make it better.
But I think the purpose of Earth Day is not to just do things on that day, but to educate us on the things we should do every day of the year. Our Earth is a pretty darn important place….so realistically, every day is Earth Day.
The website www.earthday.net provides the following list of things we can all do to help out the Planet:
- Replace (3) frequently used light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs – reduce your carbon footprint by 450 pounds a year
- Car pool, use public transportation or drive a fuel efficient car – reduce your carbon footprint by 1 pound for every mile you do not drive
- Keep your tires properly inflated and get better gas mileage – reduce your carbon footprint another 20 pounds for each gallon of gas saved Change your car’s air filter regularly Run your dishwasher only when it’s full
- Make sure your printer paper is 100% post consumer recycled Move your heater thermostat down two degrees in winter and up two degrees in the summer – reduce your carbon footprint by 2,000 pounds Keep your water heater insulated and the thermostat no higher than 120°F Clean or replace dirty air conditioner filters as recommended
- Take shorter showers because showers account for 2/3 of all water heating costs Use a low-flow showerhead because less water means less energy to heat the water – reduce your carbon footprint 350 pounds a year
- Use cold water to wash your clothes – reduce your carbon footprint by 500 pounds a year Buy locally and reduce the amount of energy required to drive your products to your store
- Buy products with less packaging and recycle paper, plastic and glass – reduce your garbage by 10% and you’ll reduce your carbon footprint by 1,200 pounds a year Plant a tree because trees suck up carbon dioxide and make clean air for us to breath
- Buy energy efficient appliances
- Weatherize and insulate your home, and consider double pane windows
- Turn off what you’re not using and even unplug electronics you’re not using – reduce your carbon footprint by thousands of pounds a year
- Buy organic food because the chemicals used in modern agriculture pollute the water supply, and require energy to produce
Earth Day 2004:
Growing up in the land locked world of Saskatchewan, I had never been able to appreciate, let alone experience the wonders of ocean life and Island living. Today I was right there in the middle of water colored blue, green, and everything in-between. Something that was never offered me growing up now is a regular pleasure that comes with the simplest of ease. The Atlantic ocean is a definite powerhouse, but today I played in it alone…..the incredible vastness, as if it were a gentle giant.
There was a little wave, bobbing along in the ocean, having a grand old time. He’s enjoying the wind and the fresh air….until he notices the other waves in front of him crashing against the shore.
“My God, this is terrible” the wave says, “Looks what’s going to happen to me”.
Then along comes another wave. It seems the first wave, looking grim, and it says to him “Little wave, why do you look so sad?”
The little wave says “You don’t understand. We’re all going to crash. All of us waves are going to be nothing. It’s it terrible?”
“The second wave says, “No, you don’t understand. You’re not a wave, you’re part of the ocean.”
“Part of the ocean. Just as we all are.”
