THURSDAY APRIL 22, 2021 EARTH DAY!!!!

 THURSDAY APRIL 22, 2021 EARTH DAY!!!!

Earth Day came about on April 22, 1970.  I was teaching at West Grant High School (in the Western part of Grant County Wisconsin).  The school did observe it - and I was part of a crew that picked up trash along a roadway.  

Here are some suggestions for Earth Day 2021

https://www.almanac.com/content/earth-day-date-activities-history 

Plant something.  Arbor Day is Friday, April 30.  Over the years, when I helped with Boy Scouts, we planted trees various times.   Trees give off oxygen and absorb CO2.  Trees can cool cities (and towns).  And, (especially in Central Texas can give shade on those 100+ days!!!

Ride your bike to work (or walk or job).  Car pollution can be dangerous to the environment.

Support the pollinators (not polluters!!).  I have friends who raise bees.  Not only do we get honey from the bees, but they pollinator plants.  

Attract birds (and the bees).  In this area, I have several friends who have hummingbird feeders.  I find it neat to see those tiny birds fluttering at what seems to be a million beats a second.  And, they too pollinate plants and flowers.

Others feed the birds.  Some particular birds like specific wildflowers and other plants.  Do you like butterflies, plant the appropriate seeds to attract birds to your area.

And, even take care of the bats.  In central Texas, there are huge bat colonies.  At dusk, the millions of bats come out and swoop down on insects.  Nature does have a way to control each other!!!

Clean up your part of the world.  Separate out your recyclables.  Pick up plastics.  It seems as if the ditches are full of trash - get out and clean up your world.

Check your pantry for cooking and cleaning products that can harm the environment.  Some harsh ingredients are in some of the products we use.  

Reduce, reuse, recycle - in the garden and everywhere.  

Americans fill up landfills with too much packaging.  Recycle your cardboard, reuse your plastic bugs, or maybe buy a larger container that has less waste than using ten smaller containers.

Compost your organic material. Some garden experts call compost “black gold”.  With natural organic materials, your compost will support earthworms which give benefit to the soil!!

Be careful of pesticides - yes, they kill the bad bugs but they can also kill good creatures.  Plus when it rains, the runoff of pesticides can get into our creeks, rivers, and streams and hurt fish and those that catch fish.

Conserve Water.  Don’t overwater, don’t wash your car every day.  I (personally) sense that water is going to be an issue in the future!!!

Watch your diet!!  (When I saw this one, I first said “HUH?”  How can what I eat affect the environment and the Earth (on Earth Day)?

The article says “About one-third of the food that we produce every year goes to waste annually! Usually, this happens after we buy the food. How do we avoid waste in our own lives (and save money)? Also, how can we improve our diet so that it’s healthier for ourselves (and the planet)? One way is to care about your “foodprint,” which is the result of everything that it takes to get your food from the farm to your plate.”

So, when I buy some food - let’s think about the foodprint.  My lettuce and vegetables might come from the Imperial Valley in California (or at certain times of the year from Argentina or some other location).  Workers and equipment harvest it, pack it, put it on transportation and it shows up in my local grocery store.  There are workers at the store that fill the produce bins and workers who check out my food.  And, if I don’t eat one-third and it goes to waste, how does that affect the world and society?  If one-third of the food we produce goes to waste, put three people together and you have enough for that homeless person (or person in poverty).  

How will the improvement of my diet affect the earth on this Earth Day?  I suppose the more sugar and sweets I consume (and all of us collectively) may imply how many acres are devoted to sugar production that could be used for broccoli production. Is broccoli better for me than a cookie?  If more broccoli was produced and eaten instead of sugars and sweets, would the world (collectively) be healthier?  Do healthier people make better decisions about the environment?  

And, of course, you also go back into the whole packaging thing too.  About six weeks ago I went to the local farmer’s market.  I bought some kale.  (It was good).  Yes, I could have purchased kale at the local grocery store, but this helped a ‘neighbor’ out so he/she could plant more kale (and asparagus, beets, beans, etc.).  DOH!!  It just hit me that I wasn’t really ‘loving my neighbor as myself if  I don’t try to support their businesses.  Their children go to my schools - and buy cars (or pickup trucks), from other neighbors, who buy carpet and goods from other neighbors

   

And the last suggestion from the Old Farmer’s Almanac is to get kids involved in Earth Day, in thinking about our planet, in being good stewards of all that God has given us.

As I bring God into my thoughts about Earth Day, I think of the Old Testament farming practices - let the earth produce crops for six years, and on the seventh year, let it lay fallow - give the land a “sabbatical”.  Having lived in corn and soybean country for most of my life; we have the machinery and processes to grow bumper crops every year; if we plant closely; if we kill the bugs; if we kill the weeds; if we water our crops; if we fertilize the crops; and let the runoff going into our rivers and streams.

Farmers, might it be a good practice to let the land rest occasionally?  Consumers, might it be a good practice to buy locally and don’t insist on sweet corn when it is out of season?  

*****

So, here we are, Earth Day 2021.  One day out of the year that we think of our planet.  This is one day out of the year, when we consciously approach reuse, recycle, repurpose in a positive light.

Okay, I’m going to try to be more environmentally conscious this next year!!!  

LOVE WINS!!

HUGS!!!

Karen