Happy Earth Day!
Today, April 22, marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. The idea for Earth Day came to Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill right here in my hometown of Santa Barbara, California. On January 28, 1969 an oil platform six miles off of Santa Barbara’s coast ruptured, sending 80,000 to 100,000 barrels of crude oil into the Santa Barbara Channel over the next 10 days – an image that gives me goosebumps, not the good kind. The oil spread from Goleta to Ventura, killing thousands of sea birds, as well as dolphins, elephant seals, and sea lions.
Where on earth is the Silver Lining, you ask? Well as a result of this catastrophe, the first Earth Day was created, which led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. “It was a gamble,” Gaylord recalled, “but it worked.”
Earth Day is now a globally celebrated holiday that is intended to raise awareness about a wide range of environmental issues and problems, and to inspire people to take personal action to address them.
Below are some accessible – easy, even – that you can do beginning today to participate in Earth Day:
- Buy locally grown produce in season. Consider buying organically grown for the “Dirty Dozen” produce items with the most pesticide exposure.
- Use a cloth instead of a paper towel for spills.
- Pack leftovers and lunches in reusable containers or recyclable foil.
- Scrape plates rather than rinse before loading them into the dishwasher. This not only saves water but keeps grease and oily substances from going down your drain, a potential plumbing issue and wastewater treatment problem.
- Choose nontoxic, naturally derived cleaning products, which are proven effective but won’t cause long term damage to the Earth. I especially like the Shaklee products.
- Meat free day(s). Many people have signed onto the Meatless Monday movement which is great because reducing (eliminating, even) meat consumption conserves fresh water, saves topsoil, and even reduces air pollution! Wouldn’t it be great if this movement could evolve into meatless weeks and then months and then years and then…ever?
- Plant a tree! Did you know that over a 50-year lifetime, a tree generates $31,250 worth of oxygen, provides $62,000 worth of air pollution control, recycles $37,500 worth of water, and controls $31,250 worth of soil erosion. It also provides shade that keeps homes and cities cooler! How are those for Silver Linings?
- Use organic fertilizer. We just started doing this and I feel so much better already.
- Return hangers and plastic bags to the dry cleaner. When I first started doing this, our dry cleaner was a little surprised and then grateful.
- Use cloth tote bags for shopping. I recommend keeping them in the back of your car so you can remember them. The key is REMEMBERING that they are there….BEFORE you get into the checkout line! I can’t tell you how many times I have irk’d the supermarket line I’m in because I have to run out to the car to get my bags.
I’d love for you to add to the list. What do you do for Earth Day? Here are some other inspiring images to help us appreciate our beautiful Mother Earth.
In the Sunlight of Awarness,
Everything Becomes Sacred.
– Thich Nhat Hahn
* All Images via Pinterest & Tumblr. If you know who took any of these beautiful photographs, please do let me know so that I can give proper credit. Thanks!