Celebrating Planet Earth
Planet Earth – home to 8B people and an infinite number of plants and animals.
Often, we call this planet by the feminine attribute, Mother Earth. Maybe we do that because she is beautiful, wondrous, and mysterious.
The first Earth Day was held in 1970 and drew 20 million participants. Today, approximately, 193 countries participate in Earth Day. The American Heritage Magazine called it “one of the most remarkable happenings in the history of democracy.” The intent was to set aside one day to look at the environment we live in, promote ecology, and bolster awareness of global air, water, and soil pollution. https://web-holidays.com/blog/2013/03/06/april-22-earth-day/ . Every day is Earth Day in my world. I wonder if we could get in the habit of conserving water, doing something to reduce our carbon footprint, recycle more every day.
I love this planet even though I haven’t seen or experienced 10% of its vastness. Some days I look at the clouds and think their shapes and white hues are surreal in a whimsical sort of way. This spring, here in Texas hill country, as I revel in the myriads of wildflowers overtaking roadways and the landscape, I am in awe of the abundance planet Earth provides for us in myriad forms.
Recently, I was privileged to participate in the LLANO Earth Art Festival (LEAF) https://www.llanoearthartfest.org/ where artists came from all around the world to create art alongside a river. The energy at that festival was electrifying. It was my first time observing people oohing and ahhing at rocks and sand and twigs. As a rock aficionado, I get great comfort from climbing, watching, and collecting rocks. Especially red rocks.
According to 2020 environmental giving data, there are approximately 65,181 environmental nonprofits that submit 990 forms to the IRS each year (those with $250,000 in revenue or more). https://carbonswitch.com/analysis-of-environmental-giving/#:~:text=2020%20Environmental%20Giving%20Data&text=Their%20database%20includes%20the%2065%2C181,%24250%2C000%20in%20revenue%20or%20more). Giving USA reported in 2021 of the $484.5B given by Americans to charity, the category called environment (coupled with animals) only received 3% of that amount in 2020. https://givingusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GivingUSA2022_Infographic.pdf That 3% reflects how we prioritize the efficient and effective stewardship of our planet - this place we call home. I wonder if religious organizations who always claim the lion’s share of philanthropic giving were to tithe toward better stewardship of Mother Earth if we could cause major positive tipping points.
2030 is right around the corner and the Millennial Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to our planet reads, We are determined to protect the planet from degradation, including through sustainable consumption and production, sustainably managing its natural resources and taking urgent action on climate change, so that it can support the needs of the present and future generations. In my opinion, even though goals 13, 14, and 15 are worded intentionally with our planet in mind, I can make a case that we cannot accomplish any of the 17 SDGs unless we take better care of our planet. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda
Join me please in making some adjustments to your lifestyle to ensure that we all do our utmost to steward our planet lovingly. Here are some links to some ideas https://cotap.org/reduce-carbon-footprint/?gclid=CjwKCAjwrdmhBhBBEiwA4Hx5g3DUmqc9VxtVg-_XwiIkl50YtYx8LzQK4J2HRZTDNXmnJ8izor4T3BoCvTsQAvD_BwE and another link to interesting events https://www.eventbrite.com/c/virtual-earth-day-activities-ccbfwgyd/?utm_campaign=newsletter_editorial&utm_content=loc.101724577.r2023_15&aff=ebemnseattnewseditorial&utm_source=eventbrite&utm_medium=email&ref=ebemnseattnewseditorial .
And lastly, taken from A Manifesto for the Social Sector, a challenge to everyone but specifically the more than 1.5M registered 501C organizations here in the United States: People leave no trace in all business activities. The use of products like disposable plastic cups/ bottles, plates, plastic bags, and other single-use plastic products are avoided at all costs. All paper used is recycled paper. If the organization is devoted to gardening or farming activities, no use of synthetic/ chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, and other similar products harmful to the environment are used. All organizations recycle as much as possible.
