Spring is such a lovely reminder of the miracles that abound on this beautiful planet. Earth Day is a reminder that we can definitely be better partners with Mother Earth. If you are already making every day Earth Day, then make today Earth Gratitude Day. Take an hour today in nature to celebrate and honor our common home, in an hour of net-zero Earth Gratitude. Let’s enjoy nature, so that we have a stronger connection and a greater incentive to be her partner.
Some examples of an Earth Gratitude celebration might include:
- Riding a bike to the park with your family
- Test-driving an electric car
- Kirtan or an unplugged drum circle
- Hiking in nature (and getting there on public transportation)
- Planting fruit trees
Whatever you do, may today be the first of many epic Earth Gratitude celebrations with family and friends. Please include the hashtag #EarthGratitude when you share your photos and videos, so that we can easily find your celebration and like and reshare it.
If you are already riding a bike to work, powering your home
with solar, eating your home-grown food, enjoying a xeriscaped landscape and
never using a single-use anything, then bravo! You are contributing to a
cleaner, greener world. Check out an inspiring 4-minute film at EarthGratitude.org
of a family that made a bold and life-shifting choice to an off-grid experience
in British Columbia. Even if we don’t go to the extreme that the Tam family
did, most of us can be better informed and take stronger action to green our
lives.
Toward that end, the Earth Gratitude Project (a nonprofit collective of global sustainability leaders, including H.R.H. The Prince of Wales, H.H. The Dalai Lama, Elon Musk, the Earth Day Network, WildLifeDirect, Global Green and many more) has published 2 free picturesque ebooks, filled with easy strategies that can transform your own life, your community and our world. Go to EarthGratitude.org to download your free copies.
There is a great deal of power that each one of us has, individually, to promote change. Here are some of the features of the Earth Gratitude ebook. Did you know that…
- Up to 40% of food is wasted and thrown away. Does your community compost yet?
- 64% of the U.S. grid is powered with fossil fuels. Each time we take an elevator, flip the light switch or heat/cool our home, we are firing up coal and gas. There are technologies, such as insulating better and switching to LED lighting, that can slash our electrical usage by half or more, while increasing our comfort and lives. Biking and taking the stairs promote cleaner air, health for us individually and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.
- Children would rather have a learning garden than a carpet of grass. Parents can be the solution with schools to save beaucoup dough on water costs, which can instead fund books, field trips, the arts and outdoor classrooms.
- Whether you are into conservation, micro mobility, health, organic food, clean water, recycling or eliminating plastic, chances are there are some inspiring projects for you to learn more about in the Future Earth and Clean Living ebooks at EarthGratitude.org.
There is a great need for collective change, such as to have community composting, bike lanes and to green our grid. However, if we wait for the politicians to take action, as has happened in the past, there is just too much arguing and wrangling. Decades can pass, while the crisis point escalates. If you want bike lanes and safer micro mobility, learn how communities like Santa Monica, California have made that shift by looking through my other Thrive Global blogs. If you want renewables in the grid, read how Poundbury, England powers their heat with farm waste. Learn how Damers First School children (4-9 year-olds) have become the most powerful green lobby in England. Listen to my interview with Governor Bill Ritter, the director of the Center for a New Energy Economy, at BlogTalkRadio.com/NataliePace. This conversation is full of information on how to fire up your local politicians to make change now and to see how your state fares with regard to energy. (Please start at the 2:00 minute mark to access the interview.)
Enjoy our common home today! When we appreciate and experience something, we are more likely to value it. (If you ride a bike behind a gas guzzler, you’ll get a lot more fired up about promoting clean air.) I am looking forward to seeing your creative Earth Gratitude celebrations.
