Happy Earth Day to You!

For weeks now, my In-Box has been absolutely overflowing with announcements and PR pitches about products and promotions for Earth Day.  Frankly, I'm a bit sick of it.  Earth Day isn't about buying stuff, it's about taking action to help the earth.  If you need to buy something in order to take that action (like a programmable thermostat or a reusable water bottle) then fine...but I don't think stocking up on discounted jewelry and clothing is really helping the earth much.

For me, Earth Day is a day to give thanks to Mother Earth for all that she brings us.  I will take special care to notice the blooming fruit trees and the chirping birds.  I will reflect on the eco-changes I have made this past year and think about what more I might do in the next.  I will engage my boys in a conversation about doing their part to help the earth. 

Instead of buying stuff on Earth Day, participate in an Earth Day activity!  There are plenty of Earth Day activities going on in the Twin Cities! (here's a listing of some of them)  My family will be participating in a neighborhood trash clean-up on Saturday.  I was planning to bike to school with my older son on Earth Day but realized he has a doctor's appointment....RATS!!

What will you do for Earth Day?

As a little Earth Day gift to my readers, I am giving away a signed copy of my book Practically Green: Your Guide to EcoFriendly Decision-Making.  Hopefully it will inspire you to make some earth-friendly changes in your life!  For a chance to win, just leave me a comment telling me what Earth Day means to you!  The giveaway will run through midnight, Central time on Tuesday, April 27th.  (only one entry per person please and you must have a U.S. shipping address) 

Comments

[kory]

Well said! I was just sifting through more of those emails myself! Earth day has always conjured up the image of planting a tree for me, but since we don't have a place to plant one right now, I'll be working on my veggie garden and giving my good neighbors mini pots with herbs. There's something about planting something, like I'm helping mother nature instead of interfering with her for once...

[sarah w]

for some reason it makes me think of our founding fathers. 40 years is a decently long time. sort of like our environmental founding fathers. maybe it has to do with the freedom - life - that it celebrates. anyway, i'm grateful.

[Allison]

Earth Day is a day for me to reflect on the past (i.e. learning the three "r"s in elementary school) and think about the future (which ways I can better my life). There always seems to be room for improvement, so I set goals for myself and my family to strive to be better citizens. It's like a renewal of vows in a way.

[Andie Slonecker]

I always make a "green" new year's resolution. This year it is getting plastic food storage totally out of my kitchen. Earth Day is a time for me to step back and assess how I've been doing so far in the first third of the year. My hold up is I love my brita filter jug in the fridge, but it is BAD plastic.

[Jennifer]

Unlike many other special days which celebrate a significant event that has happened, Earth Day to me celebrates the potential and the hope for the future of our planet. It's a chance to celebrate progress, sure, but it's also a call to action on an individual and collective level. It's also a great day to just take the time to appreciate this world and feel thankful to be here, which I am!

[Sarah Jacquart]

I think Earth Day is a great opportunity to educate & be thankful. I went to a Catholic elementary school & every year on Earth Day we would say a special prayer of thanks to God for providing us with this world we live in. We would also do some sort of "Earth-friendly" learning activity, like planting a tree, picking up trash at a nearby park, or setting up new recycling bins around our school. Now that I'm older, I try to apply these two ideas in my daily life, but especially today.

[Bonnie]

For me it's about recognizing that we need to do something about the environment. I think we have made some great strides over the past 40 yrs, but there is still a lot of work to do.

[Michelle]

Thanks for the chance to own your book!

I love that for at least that one day, there is so much abundant awareness that even those folks who shut their eyes to it on a daily basis have to take note.

[Lisa]

Earth Day means a conscious recognition that we cannot be selfish in how we live our lives. Everything we do--even in our homes, affects others (and, of course, the planet) in some way.

[Wendy]

I agree - the best thing I got was the "Greenwashing" post of the week from Rainforest Action Network - talking about how Exxon and Cargill bought some environmental titles for themselves from some non-profit partner.

For me, I think back to when I was in college and Earth Day meant a new green (colored, not sourced) t-shirt. I was already trying to adopt earth-friendly habits on a daily basis, and now I try to assess where I am, what is probably not worth the effort, and what I should do instead.

[Victoria]

Earth day takes me all the way back to reminisce in the days when I was in school. We would plant sprouts, and take mini field-trips to pick up litter in the school park. To me earth day is a day to educate people, and show them alternate ways of doing the same things.

vschilke at gmail dot com

[Lisa]

I ended up taking an every day is earth day approach. I want to celebrate it more deeply next year, even if it's just picking up litter at the beach.

[Sofia's Ideas]

You are right, but I think we need to be patient & compassionate, remembering that everyone has their own journey & has to come to their own conclusions in their own time. For some people, replacing their conventional products with "green" products is how they do their part, for now, or forever. But at least they are doing something instead of nothing. I completely understand your frustration with "greenwashing" but that only makes your part, your blog all that more important. You are doing a great job, continue leading by example, and be happy knowing that you are making a real impact.

Earth Day (week) was a time to unplug from technology & reconnect with nature & each other.

[abbie]

We live in the suburbs, where we have code-orange air-days, it takes 1 hr and 15 minutes to drive 16 miles during rush-hour, and the municipal water smells like a swimming pool. Smog, congestion, and pollution, high temps of 95+ and humidity, keep us inside a lot during the summer. Earth Day comes in the spring when the air is fresher, the landscape is turning green, and nature seems to be peeking out again. It is a wonderful time when we can go outside, explore the hiking trails, pick up trash, listen to the birds, clean out our basement and make a few trips to the recycling center, plant new seedlings and enjoy the nature around us.
I feel Earth Day gets us off to a good start for a season of warmer weather and encourages us to take on a new lifestyle choice to help preserve our Earth. This year we are eliminating plastics from our home. Wish us luck!

Thank you for this great post and giveaway!

[geri]

For us, Earth Day is a day alot of days. Most days really, especially in the spring time. My kids help us in the garden and learn alot about our earth and nature. I've really been hitting home the turning off the lights too.

[tina]

Earth day means giving back to the earth thanks for the chance to win