Celebrate Earth Day in Your Garden

Birth Tree by woodleywonderworks

With today being the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, it seems appropriate for all of us Earthlings to celebrate Earth Day right where we’re at, in our gardens.

Do you already have Earth Day plans? Let’s think on this together a little. Let me know your thoughts too. I’d like to hear what you have to say.

What is Earth Day Anyway?

I’ve been celebrating Earth Day for years, but, until now, I’d never read about the history. Earth Day was conceived with the express purpose of putting the environment on the political agenda.

“…before 1970, a factory could spew black clouds of toxic into the air or dump tons of toxic waste into a nearby stream, and that was perfectly legal. …there was no EPA, no Clean Air Act, no Clean Water Act. There were no legal or regulatory mechanisms to protect our environment.”

Pretty shocking when you think about, huh? 20 million Americans joined the first Earth Day protests in April of 1970 and succeeded in raising the issue enough to authorize the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency by December of 1970.

Let’s Be Thankful and Be Different

I’m all in favor of each of us using Earth Day to plant something, whether that be a pot of herbs, a butterfly plant, or a tree. But many of us already do that a whole lot at this time of year (if you don’t already, go for it, there’s no better day to get started)! I’ve got something different in mind.

Mmmm, an Earth Day Picnic

Let’s say you’re sitting in your back garden enjoying an Earth Day picnic – you have a sandwich, a glass of water, and some salad. As you slurp down water from your glass it suddenly occurs to you that the water fell down to earth from a cloud. The bread is made of wheat, which came from the earth. The egg in your sandwich came from a chicken which ate bugs, which fed on plants, which grew in the earth…

Thank You Earth

There’s no escaping it, every single thing which makes your garden, and indeed your very life, possible comes from the planet we live on and our wonderfully unique position with the sun powering us and the moon’s influence. It’s in our own best interests to take care of our own corner of the globe, if not the whole planet.

Take a Deep Breath

Breathe in the air in your garden. Drink of the clean, fresh water, dig in the dirt, admire the plants, trees, birds, and critters. Think about how the first Earth Day was a step to protecting our own future. Celebrate Earth Day in your garden. Tell others about how you feel. We have something precious to maintain.

You don’t have to join a crowd and go to a large Earth Day event, though it might not be a bad idea. Just don’t be afraid to let your local politicians know your thoughts on the environment. They can’t listen if you don’t talk.

Do you value clean air, safe water, and fresh food? What are you doing for Earth Day? Have you ever called your senator or representative?

Related posts:

1. 10 Simple Earth Day Ideas
2. Weekly Earth News 03/24/09
3. Earth Active