Celebrate Earth Day April 22
Thursday April 17, 2008
For a lot of Pagans and Wiccans, a significant part of our path involves respect for the earth and the gifts within it. It's no real surprise, then, that Earth Day is worth mentioning. First held in 1970, and sponsored by the Earth Day Network, the annual celebration is a time when people worldwide honor our planet and (hopefully) take a few minutes to try to make a difference in the world.
A while back, we talked about what makes a magical life, and reader Boyd MacLir shared his philosophy of "My Ten Feet." He said "I realized that while I may not be able to change things on any large local or global area I can imagine a square 10 feet on a side with me in the middle. I found that I am able to make changes in that square that does have an impact... I really feel empowered in ways I have never felt before and really believe that I am changing the world 10 feet at a time." This really resonated with me, and it's one of those things that anyone can take and apply to any situation. Don't know how you can make a global impact? Make a change within YOUR ten feet.
Some things you can do to make a difference in your own space? Try one of the following:
A while back, we talked about what makes a magical life, and reader Boyd MacLir shared his philosophy of "My Ten Feet." He said "I realized that while I may not be able to change things on any large local or global area I can imagine a square 10 feet on a side with me in the middle. I found that I am able to make changes in that square that does have an impact... I really feel empowered in ways I have never felt before and really believe that I am changing the world 10 feet at a time." This really resonated with me, and it's one of those things that anyone can take and apply to any situation. Don't know how you can make a global impact? Make a change within YOUR ten feet.
Some things you can do to make a difference in your own space? Try one of the following:
- Turn off the lights you're not using
- Pick up some garbage that isn't yours
- Ride a bike to work instead of driving
- Plant a tree
- Use cloth grocery bags instead of paper or plastic
- Recycle your stuff
- Plant a garden of your own, or buy from local growers
- Build a birdhouse
- Adopt a stream
- Shut off appliances that don't have to be on all the time
Comments
I’m a vegetarian. And being a vegetarian uses less land and water than being an omnivore. So I’m going to spend earth day convincing others to try a vegetarian diet.
My friend and I meet for lunch multiple times a week and we always end up asking for our drinks to go (they always bring a refill when they bring the check - I’ll never get that one LOL).
So… I plan to start bringing my own refillable stainless steel cup to use instead of the plastic or (yikes) styrofoam ones they give us.
I already do many other small things (cloth bags, eat veg, recycle) but this is one I have needed to address for awhile now - so Earth Day is a good time to implement my plan!!
I did make some decisions about Earth Day this year. First, I will stop buying beef–the production of which uses an inordinate amount of resources. I cannot be a vegetarian due to health/allergy issues; but we eat mostly chicken and fish and sustainable meats like bison. Second, the manly men of the family have instructions to build a dog-cart for my enormous Pyrennies, Jayne, so that twice a week on our walks, I can pick up trash and recyclables at roadside and he can haul them home for me!