Yesterday was the 50th Earth Day and lots of people worldwide celebrated in a variety of ways from taking walks to sharing their favorite photos on social media. Environmental organizations had campaigns and celebrations on their own social media, like the Sierra Club's But that day is over, so what do we do now?
One thing that bothers me every year in the temporal nature of Earth Day celebrations. We accept that it is okay for us to give thanks for the beauty of nature and plant trees on one day a year. I think this is a bit ridiculous. The Earth is still here and she is still beautiful and still needs more trees those 364 other days of the year! We do a lot to excuse governments from acting sustainably on all those other days. The President of the United States plants trees on the White House property every Earth Day but does not do any planting other days of the year. It is a social tacet norm to act sustainably on Earth Day; you will get weird looks if you do something against the Earth on April 22nd, but it is totally acceptable to use single-use plastic bags any other day.
I am proposing that you make a commitment to yourself and to Earth about your post-Earth Day plans. What will you do on April 23rd?
Here is my commitment. This is what I'm going to do now that Earth Day is over.
1. No more packaged beans and rice. I eat a lot of beans and rice. I have a lot of glass mason jars I use for bulk food, but sometimes I forget those jars. Not anymore!
2. Reuse more. I am an avid recycler for all my non-trash products. I do not produce a lot of trash anyway so nearly everything can be recycled. Since COVID-19 my local recycling center has been closed. I pledge to start reusing what would otherwise be going to the landfill.
3. Appreciate, love, and listen more. I started nature journaling a few months ago and it has been amazing for my relationship with nature. I have appreciated nature more, which has caused me to love more (love myself, love the earth, and love others more). Because nature journaling requires the use of all the senses, I have been able to recognize more subtle changes in the environment. This is my form of listening to the land. I pledge to continue nature journaling and to enhance my appreciation, love, and awareness of the natural world.
We've celebrated and shared our appreciation, but what's next for you? How will you be part of the environmental movement for more than one day? Leave your post-Earth Day commitments below and let's see how much of a difference we can make together.