If I’m honest, for the majority of my life, I never really paid much attention to all those “save the earth” messages that came my way from time to time. You see, growing up in the country, most people already seem to have a connection with the earth to some extent. People farm, they hunt, and they use other resources that nature provides to survive and live the way they want. I guess I felt like this part of the world was perfect as it was and didn’t need saving.
However, as I’ve gotten older and become more aware of the global world, I have come to believe that if each of us took a little more responsibility for the earth in our local area, our planet would probably be in a better state of health.
The way I see it, we are all stewards of the earth―a place given to us as a gift. It’s our home. It provides all we need to survive, and we are responsible for its care.
In one of my latest herbal lectures from The School of Evolutionary Herbalism, Sajah said something that struck me. He was referring to ancient Greek medicine, its focus on gut health (or at least Hippocrate’s primary focus), how this system so strongly impacted our modern medical system, and yet, how we’ve lost focus on many of the most fundamental parts of good health. He said, “tissues are formed based on the digestion of food… you are what you eat–literally… gut health is THE important thing.” Now, of course, all of this was part of a more extensive discussion on holistic health. Basically, he was referring to how the state of any given tissue in the body reflects one’s overall health. He was also speaking to the importance of not overly focusing on external symptoms, but instead, assessing a person based on the state of their tissue health―getting to the root cause of the symptoms so to speak.
Nonetheless, this correlation between our physical body and the food we eat made me think about how the same concept can apply to our earth―as in, the overall health of the planet can be seen and evaluated based on the state of the various ecosystems in our world.
The earth gives to us, and we give to it. One day, our children will reap the benefits of our efforts. It’s a beautiful cycle―a natural rhythm. If we all did our part to care for the earth right where we are at, then chances are, the earth would be in a better state of health for our children and us as time goes on. Instead of taking only, we can choose to give and take. Does that make sense?
Now, I don’t know about you, but I haven’t always done the best job in giving as much as I take, but as I’ve grown older and been drawn more towards seasonal living, the more I want to set an example to my boys of how to be a good steward of our planet and how to live sustainably here.
One way we do this is by talking about things as we do them. We talk about why we don’t harvest all of a particular plant from one area. We talk about why it’s important to use reusable materials over single-use materials. When we cut a tree down, we talk about why we selected that specific tree to cut, what the future effects of that will be, and how planting more trees will ensure a sustainable supply of wood on our land—things of that sort.
This year is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and I think that if each of us could choose to take a bit more responsibility for the world around us, not only would our earth be better because of it, but our example would also teach our children to be responsible as well. Again, a beautiful cycle.
If this sounds like a good idea to you too, here are some fun ways you can celebrate Earth Day and do your part to care for the world around you!
15 Ways You Can Show The Earth You Care
1. Plant a tree
2. Pick up trash on the roadside, in a wooded area, or near a waterway
3. Spend time appreciating nature (even if only 10 minutes) each day
4. Plant a vegetable or herb garden
5. Give plants as gifts
6. Go for a hike in the woods
7. Say a prayer of thanks for the earth
8. Support an environmental organization close to your heart
9. Think of one way you can reduce your use of paper or plastic and do it
10. Get creative and reuse products before tossing them
11. Buy a new houseplant (or better yet, get one from a friend)
12. Build a birdhouse and put it in your yard
13. Buy in bulk when possible to reduce packaging waste
14. Shop at second-hand stores for gently used clothes, furniture, and household goods
15. Join the Earth Day Challenge
No matter how you decide to celebrate Earth Day, I hope you know that this beautiful planet we live on is filled with good gifts for you, and because of that, I hope you will stand with me in being a good example to those who come behind us in caring for the gifts we’ve been given so they can go even further.
Love and light,
Meagan
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