April 20 , 2023 /

EARTH DAY 2023

How will this Earth Day be different from last year’s Earth Day or the 52 Earth Days since they were instituted in 1970?  We know much more than we did in 1970 and there have been tremendous efforts on the part of those who care and who are committed to help make changes for a more healthy and more diverse environment.

 

Here was my conclusion in a post 5 years ago:

 

“Here are a few Earth Day lessons:

 

  • Eat what you need to sustain your vitality
  • Save resources for leaner times.
  • Add some color to your life.
  • Figure out what you don’t need and let it go.
  • Wait and don’t try to rush the process. Let it work.
  • Embrace and celebrate inevitable change.
  • Know that what is not seen is often more important than what is seen.

 

Make it a Happy Earth Day, maybe even a week, month or year.  Whatever works, and in any case, be grateful for the sounds, the beauty, the rhythms of Nature, the gifts of the Earth far beyond exploiting the natural resources to the point of depletion and our own detriment.  Help when and where you can.  Take a walk, look and listen, plant a tree, or a garden, pick up some trash, get connected.”

 

My awareness and concern for the earth have magnified in the past five years. This is because I have given more time and paid more attention to what’s happening on the planet. We have continued to learn about the effects of what we, the human species in this eco-system, are doing that upsets and, in some cases, destroys the natural world.  The list is long and I won’t try to be comprehensive but here are what many agree are among the top ten issues:

  • Water
  • Biodiversity and Land Use.
  • Chemicals, Toxics and Heavy Metals.
  • Air Pollution.
  • Waste Management.
  • Ozone Layer Depletion.
  • Oceans and Fisheries.
  • Deforestation

Some might add their own personal preference such as the extinction of certain species, endangering others, or what appears to be a lesser concern such as 50% of the land in the U.S. being used to grow food.  I assume that “food” is for both humans and animals.  I like to document statements when possible and most of those top ten have been documented frequently by ongoing research in the past 5-10 years.  The land use documentation can be found here: https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-economy/land-use-land-value-tenure/

 

My humble suggestion for Earth Day 2023 is to choose something that is near or dear to you and make a promise to learn more and to actively do something constructive for the next 12 months regarding Mother Earth and your relationship with her.  Do you have any idea how many trees would need to be planted to begin reforestation replacing deforestation?  8 billion is one seemingly legitimate number and there are other estimates as well.

https://8billiontrees.com/?campaignid=1634870583&adgroupid=63088305500&adid=416269919919

If we could let forests regenerate themselves, the short term is promising although there’s more to it than this:  https://news.mongabay.com/2021/10/beyond-tree-planting-when-to-let-forests-restore-themselves/

 

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.  The second best time is today.” Chinese proverb

These are just two examples from one of the top ten issues.

Thank you in advance for your celebration of Earth Day 2023 and your ongoing participation!

 

 

 

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