Earth Day – April 22, 2021 – Restore Our Earth

If there was such thing as a winner in the last year’s shutdowns, it had to be Mother Earth. Air and waterways became cleaner while many wild animals reemerged from deep cover. Lowered levels of manufacturing and fewer cars on the road allowed the earth to literally take a breather.  NASA satellite and ground-based observations reported significant reductions in global air pollution over this time period.

This glimpse into just one year of human activity shows how much our actions contribute to air and water pollution. So on April 22nd Earth Day it’s fitting the theme is “Restore Our Earth.”  As we move back into our daily routines, it makes sense to reflect on this past year and continue to promote environmental protection. In fact, EarthDay.Org – the official Earth Day site – is scheduling three days of activities from April 20-22 to underscore its importance.

This Earth Day theme also builds upon the emerging concept of restoration. For example, instead of accepting climate change as inevitable, restoration offers pragmatism coupled with hope.

Governments are turning to natural processes such as reforestation and soil conservation.  Innovative thinking and green technologies are restoring the world’s ecosystem and forests – and creating renewable jobs.  Large corporations are vowing to be carbon neutral within the next decade. These are all significant developments that will help Restore Our Earth.

But waiting for institutions to act can take time. As individuals, we each play a critical role in the effort to Restore Our Earth. There are plenty of actions we can take today that, collectively, add up to major impacts:

• Reducing our consumption of plastic containers is a start.  Now that reusable shopping bags are allowed again, it will be a good habit to renew. Likewise, using our own containers instead of buying single-use water bottles is a big one.
• Thoughtful recycling still has a major impact on the Earth’s recovery. Making sure items are clean and properly sorted helps the whole process.  Composting kitchen scraps is fairly easy and can improve your garden (or container) soil. Overall, we can do a lot to reduce waste in landfills and the oceans.
• Reducing or eliminating the use of pesticides and inorganic fertilizer on lawns can help eliminate the toxic runoff that affects water quality.  Using safe, organic sprays helps protect pollinators so critical to healthy plant and food growth.
• Go to the interactive Earth Day Event Map to find a local event or activity you can support.

With just a few simple actions and habits on our part, every day can be Earth Day and we can help Restore Our Earth.

Want to learn how? Contact us.

Or start your search for a home in nature here.

Bernie Stea & Debb Janes

Columbian “& Outdoors” Feature Writers