Earth Day is a global event each year on April 22nd with more than 1 billion people in 192 countries taking part in what is the largest civic-focused day of action in the world. It is a time to collectively look at our behaviours and make positive shifts that nurture and protect the earth. It is a day to consciously think about our impact on the earth and each other and question what is considered the norm. Even if it is just one thing we each do on Earth Day, it plants the seed to do these things everyday. The potential for huge positive impact is incredible.
“Because we all share this planet earth, we have to learn to live in harmony and peace with each other and with nature. This is not just a dream, but a necessity.” ~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Earth Day 2018 will focus on fundamentally changing human attitude and behaviour about plastics and catalysing a significant reduction in plastic pollution. From poisoning and injuring marine life to disrupting human hormones, from littering beaches and landscapes to clogging waste streams and landfills, the exponential growth of plastics is now threatening the survival of our planet. Go to the official Earth Day page to find out more ways you can proactively take steps to help our Earth https://www.earthday.org/
"Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean." - Ryunosuke Satoro
Our Top 10 Tips to get us thinking about our current habits are:
- Compost food scraps
- Reduce your energy consumption
- Don't use plastic straws
- Drink fair trade organic coffee
- Plant trees or vegetables in the garden
- Green your daily commute
- Eat local and organic foods
- Reduce daily plastic usage / consumption
- Say no to disposable coffee cups
- Use reusable bags when shopping
Our Earth is a truly beautiful and sacred place the one we all call home. May we love and nurture Her, care for and protect Her, heal and restore Her.
Below is an incredible moving excerpt from Thich Nhat Hanh's book Love Letter to the Earth; a tribute to Mother Earth this Mother's Day.
Dear Mother Earth,
Every time I step upon the Earth, I will train myself to see that I am walking on you, my Mother. Every time I place my feet on the Earth I have a chance to be in touch with you and with all your wonders.
With every step I can touch the fact that you aren’t just beneath me, dear Mother, but you are also within me. Each mindful and gentle step can nourish me, heal me, and bring me into contact with myself and with you in the present moment.
Walking in mindfulness I can express my love, respect, and care for you, our precious Earth. I will touch the truth that mind and body are not two separate entities. I will train myself to look deeply to see your true nature: you are my loving mother, a living being, a great being—an immense, beautiful, and precious wonder.
You are not only matter, you are also mind, you are also consciousness. Just as the beautiful pine or tender grain of corn possess an innate sense of knowing, so, too, do you. Within you, dear Mother Earth, there are the elements of Earth, water, air and fire; and there is also time, space, and consciousness. Our nature is your nature, which is also the nature of the cosmos.
I want to walk gently, with steps of love and with great respect. I shall walk with my own body and mind united in oneness. I know I can walk in such a way that every step is a pleasure, every step is nourishing, and every step is healing—not only for my body and mind, but also for you, dear Mother Earth.
You are the most beautiful planet in our entire solar system. I do not want to run away from you, dear Mother, nor to hurry. I know I can find happiness right here with you. I do not need to rush to find more conditions for happiness in the future. At every step I can take refuge in you. At every step I can enjoy your beauties, your delicate veil of atmosphere and the miracle of gravity. I can stop my thinking.
I can walk relaxingly and effortlessly. Walking in this spirit I can experience awakening. I can awaken to the fact that I am alive, and that life is a precious miracle. I can awaken to the fact that I am never alone and can never die. You are always there within me and around me at every step, nourishing me, embracing me, and carrying me far into the future.
Dear Mother, you wish that we live with more awareness and gratitude, and we can do this by generating the energies of mindfulness, peace, stability, and compassion in our daily lives. Therefore I make the promise today to return your love and fulfill this wish by investing every step I take on you with love and tenderness. I am walking not merely on matter, but on spirit.
About the Author: Vinita is the Founder of Bhumi Organic Cotton and passionate about an Earth Life Balance.
