Every year in April, I look forward with anticipation to the festivities surrounding Earth Day. I like to take the time to reflect on what we as a family are doing in terms of living our lives with purpose and with respect for nature’s generosity and beauty. I like to contemplate the present and to be proactive about the future. While this kind of sustainability-oriented reflection is more of a year-round project, April is the month which gives my introspection renewed impetus, with the advent of Earth Day (April 22) and Week.
The history of Earth Day goes back to 1970, when the first Earth Day was held in the US, inspiring 20 million Americans — at the time, 10% of the total population of the United States — “to take to the streets, parks and auditoriums to demonstrate against the impacts of 150 years of industrial development which had left a growing legacy of serious human health impacts (…) Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, urban dwellers and farmers, business and labor leaders.”
Fast forward to 1990, and Earth Day went global, “mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage.” Today, Earth Day “is widely recognized as the largest secular observance in the world, marked by more than a billion people every year as a day of action to change human behavior and create global, national and local policy changes.”
I have hosted Earth Day week-long celebrations before (you can read about it here). This year, I am happy to share that I am joining fellow foodies over at ForkYeahFoodies on Instagram for a week-long collaboration inspired by a need for sustainability-driven change for individuals and communities. I look forward to sharing stories about eco-friendly companies (most of them small businesses), to engaging in amazing dialogues on Earth Day-related topics, and to highlighting relevant moments and personal experiences, to the best of my abilities.
You are welcome to check out @forkyeahfoodies for daily Earth Day related posts, featuring information on sustainable living, local eats, regenerative agriculture, composting, and more, as well as delicious dishes made by foodies from all around the world. We also host daily giveaways 🙂
“Sitting at our back doorsteps, all we need to live a good life lies about us. Sun, wind, people, buildings, stones, sea, birds and plants surround us. Cooperation with all these things brings harmony, opposition to them brings disaster and chaos.”
― Bill Mollison, Introduction to Permaculture
This April and beyond, let’s cultivate change within ourselves, starting small, at our back doorsteps, and then spreading it through the world. Join us as we discuss ways to honor and to celebrate our planet by being consumption-aware, Earth-friendly, and sustainability-oriented.
Are you celebrating Earth Day this year? Let me know in the comments 🙂
Happy Earth Day!
Happy Earth Day, Marina 🙂