Earth Day is one of my FAVORITE DAYS OF THE YEAR!!! I LOVE celebrating the beauty of our blue-green planet, and I LOVE seeing everyone making a contributing effort to protect the environment. But... what about all of the other days of the year?
We have reached a point in human history where our actions have had such a severe impacted on Earth that we have tipped the scales off balance. We have thrown Mother Earth out of harmony. As a consequence, we have put the survival of every single living being on the planet in jeopardy. Many are already extinct! Ooofff.... that is a big responsibility to shoulder, and many have chosen to ignore the facts regarding the critical state that our planet is in. We are at a fork in the road, and the time has come where we need to make a decision about what really matters. Will we continue down the road of greed, materialism + global destruction? Or will we make the necessary changes to pivot our priorities to focus on the health of people + planet? What will take precedence?
The longer we see ourselves as separate from nature, the harder our road to recovery will be! It's important to shift our awareness to the fact that we are a part of this Earth, every living being on the planet is vitally important in cycle of life, and our actions must reflect the wisdom that we are all interconnected + interdependent in a multitude of ways!
For those of us that that love our Mother, we understand the dire circumstances we face. We know that Earth needs our help. Here are a few ideas to celebrate our beautiful planet + be of service to make our world a better place this Earth Day + everyday:
1. Get outside and connect with Nature. It is a simple fact is that the more connected we feel to Mother Nature, the better stewards of the environment we will become. If you aren't connecting with Mother Nature on a regular basis, this is the best place to start! Get acquainted! For city dwellers who need some help, check out my article "Connecting with Nature in the Urban Jungle."
2. Be an informed + conscious consumer. Every time you spend your money, you are voting with your dollar for what kind of world you want to live in. Think of using the money you spend as an investment in your future! Because it is! Choose to support companies that respect their workers and the environment!
3. Plant a tree! Or a few! One of the many challenges we face is rapid deforestation. Our blue-green planet is quickly becoming less and less green each year! If you do not own property, you can still plant a tree! I live in an apartment building so I am teaming up with One Tree Planted. My goal is to plant at least 20 trees this Earth Day. You can do this too! $1 for 1 tree! What a great deal! Either visit their website to plant some trees of your own OR make a purchase at alexlozier.com. Because I believe that EVERYDAY IS EARTH DAY, I am committed to planting 1 tree for each and every online order all year long. Save the environment, support an artist, AND buy a new piece of jewelry?!?!?! WIN, WIN, WIN!
4. Hug a tree!
5. Clean up your local environment! Roll up your sleeves, grab a trash bag and tend to outdoor spaces by picking up garbage!
6. Commit to eating organic. By choosing organic food, we are protecting the health of our bodies + the environment by saying NO to cancerous pesticides, GMOs, mono crop farming, and soil depletion. Science has proven that not only can small organic farming feed more people, it does not have the same devastating effects on the land as commercial industrial farming.
7. Eat more vegetables. Raising livestock for meat consumption requires an incredible amount of energy and is one of the leading causes of green houses gases. By reducing your meat consumption, you can reduce your environmental impact. Major bonus points for planting an organic garden of your own!
8. Use less plastic. Ditch the single use plastic water bottles, bags, take out utensils, straws, etc. Choose reusable + biodegradable options to create less waste!
9. Become an ally! Every time you choose to practice any of the steps above, you are actively being a force for good in your community + the world at large. In order to take care of beautiful planet, we need to normalize this behavior. For example, if you're out on a hike, and you see some garbage that isn't yours, pick it up anyway! Be a friend of the forest! Educate other about how they can become friends of the forest as well. Raising awareness about how we can be stewards of the environment is crucial!
10. Give Mother Earth your love + gratitude. Sing her a song. Pray for her health. Participate in any of the steps above. Share this article with your family + friends!