This year, we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day! And how fitting that it falls on #wellnesswednesday?! This Earth Day will look a lot different than the previous 49 years. Usually, on this day, people and organizations around the globe come together to work on projects both big and small to help better our planet. Since we can’t do that this year, due to social distancing and safer at home or shelter in place orders in many states and countries, we need to get creative!

 I have always loved Earth Day. There’s something special about knowing that people from all corners of the world are coming together for a common goal, no matter their religion, political view, or any other “status”. We can put our differences aside for just one day; no matter the things that separate us and make us different, we have one very big thing in common. Earth. She is the only place we have to live, and she needs our help.

Focusing on the pandemic that is currently sweeping the world for a minute, one thing that I truly hope comes out of this is the realization that the way we are living needs to change. Not just for our sake, but for our children, their children, and their children’s children. What kind of life will they have? What will this planet be like in 10, 50, or 100 years? Have you seen the movie Wall-E? That movie hits way too close to home. (Not to mention I definitely cried my eyes out!!) Being home this last month (how long has it been? 4 weeks? 6 weeks? A year? I have no idea!) has made me realize how little “stuff” I actually need.

My husband and I (in full disclosure, it’s really my thing, he’s just a good sport!) have been working hard towards simplifying our lives over the last several years. We have drastically reduced our trash, we compost everything we can, and this year we are starting a massive garden (or mini-farm as I like to call it!). We try our best to buy only what we need and to buy from responsible companies that care for the Earth. We replace energy-sucking electronics, light bulbs, and appliances with energy-efficient ones as they die. We plant trees, flowers for pollinators, and wildflowers. We try to use and buy products and food without chemicals or excess packaging. We eat mostly whole plant foods, organic and/or local whenever possible. I’m sure there’s more, but those are the big ones.

We have made tons of progress over the years! The bonus is that by making these changes, we save money and get to feel much better about the consumer culture we find ourselves immersed in. As you can see, these are all things that can be done by real people, not just people on tv. Some are big things, some are small. But they all add up. I am sharing this as a source of inspiration! Anything is possible!

But what does this mean right now? In this climate of uncertainty, making changes to help the environment may seem silly or even trivial. After all, don’t we have much bigger problems to worry about? Yes, probably. But I would argue the answer to that question is a big fat NO! We need to worry about the environment now more than ever.

By reducing our reliance on plastics, toxic chemicals, and “food-like products” (Do you know that I don’t consider most food sold in grocery stores food at all? More on that another day), we can help the environment AND ourselves. I’m going to make a bold statement here so do what you want with it, anything that is bad for the environment is also bad for our health. Think about that.

Pesticides that are sprayed on our food kill wildlife, microorganisms in the soil, and beneficial insects. They also are showing up in the tissues and tumors in humans and animals. Plastic containers and trash floating in the waterways can kill wildlife and cause dangerous algae to grow. Plastic containers also leach chemicals into our food and beverages that enter our bodies and create major problems. Exhaust fumes from automobiles, buildings, and industry are not safe for anyone to breathe in.

So, what can you do? In short, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. But there are solutions no matter where you are at on your journey. The best source I have found for all things Earth Day-related is earthday.org. They are having tons of live digital events including discussions, performances, and calls to action. They also have tons of resources for things, large and small, that you can do. Here are a few of my ideas:

·      Plant native flowers, plants, and herbs to help pollinators, beneficial insects, and wildlife. You get bonus points if you plant things that you can harvest and use yourself!

·      Take an inventory of items in your house that need repair and do some research on either how to repair them yourself (YouTube is my best friend for this kind of stuff!) or where you can take them to be repaired once businesses start to open up.

·      Learn to cook or teach the kiddos to cook. The more we can eat at home, typically the less waste we will create. This may be a great time to create a family cookbook filled with some great recipes you can look forward to sharing with others soon.

·      Take a break from tv and other electronics and pick up a book. Or, try writing yourself! Other activities that engage the mind and create little waste include puzzles, coloring (you can do an Internet search for both adult and children’s coloring sheets to print) or other craft projects.

·      Get out in nature! Being in nature can reduce stress levels and help promote good health. Bonus points if you take a bag with you to pick up trash as you walk or hike (just wear gloves so you touch icky stuff!).

There is a lot that needs to be changed. And we will not solve the Earth’s problems overnight. But there are a lot of things that we can do right now, even from our living rooms! Let’s start small. A small action from each person on the planet would add up to big things! There is power in numbers and that power is what we need right now. Let’s turn the planet around so we can leave it in better shape than when we arrived! Happy Earth Day!