Happy Earth Day!

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

And what an Earth Day it has been! With most of the world under stay-at-home orders, the earth has become a bit cleaner and a bit wilder.

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. 

Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

Just one month of cars staying parked and pollution levels have dropped. Maybe the world should stay-at-home at least a month every year.

And then just think what might happen if we eliminated our dependency on oil. It’d be a start.

This year, because of the stay-at-home orders, I couldn’t participate in any tree plantings or trash clean-ups. But I celebrated virtually.

And because it’s also National Poetry Month, I did another book spine poem for Earth Day.

Through a window,
gorillas in the mist.
From ridgetops to riverbottoms,
downstream toward home.
The world without us,
Silent spring.

To also do my part, I made a commitment to reduce my use of plastic, particularly single-use.

I think after oil, we depend too much on plastics, which kill our wildlife and ruin our oceans and other wild areas. I mean when was the last time you went hiking and didn’t see some sort of trash? And I bet that trash was plastic.

So to do my part, I now carry a reusable water bottle and stainless steel straw with me. I also try to buy food stuffs and other products that don’t use plastic or use minimal plastic.

And I, of course, have been rereading some of my environment books, including Our National Parks and Silent Spring.

Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.

John Muir, Our National Parks

Based on what one month of reduced driving has accomplished, just think what else we could accomplish if we unite as the human race to clean-up and conserve the earth.

We only have one earth. We should do all in our power to save her.

How have you celebrated Earth Day this year?