How We Can Celebrate Mother Earth Day During a Pandemic
This 50th Earth Day will feel slightly different than the other 49 preceding it. With everyone sequestered in their homes, you may be feeling somewhat helpless to make a real impact this Earth Day 2020. So, I want you to repeat after me, I AM NOT HELPLESS! You will never be helpless, after all, you are reading this article which indicates you are active and not passive in your love of the earth.
As we approached this Earth Day I was starting to feel as if this milestone anniversary would come and go without being able to participate in any Earth Day activities. My family, along with all of us at Fry’s, will certainly miss gathering with like-minded earth warriors to help clean up the planet but that doesn’t mean you should simply sit out earth’s biggest day of the year. Again, you are active and not helpless, right?!
This Earth Day will require us all to be a bit more industrious and below we’ve listed a few easy and rewarding ways you can participate. Doing something, however small, will give you peace of mind by making you feel more empowered and yes, there are thousands of real-world examples of how small steps now effect massive shifts later. One of my favorite quotes is from the author Robert Louis Stevenson who once wrote, “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.”
Here are 7 ideas:
- EarthDay.org has a wonderful list of virtual Earth Day events for which you can register. The organisation makes it easy to support Earth Day, even from your sofa
- If you’re like our family you’ve probably spent a large amount of time watching Netflix, Amazon and the plethora of on-demand streaming channels that are available with just a few clicks. Next time someone asks you for movie ideas—and isn’t everyone at the point now where they’re ticked everything off their want-to-see list—why not rattle off any of these films which all take an intriguing look at how we are reacting to the world around us?
- Social media has been our lifeline since the pandemic hit so why not make a commitment to focus all of your social media activity for April 22on spreading the message of the importance of getting serious about our planet and the fellow (and we might add amazing) sentient beings that inhabit it
- Celebrate Earth Day with your wallet—buy products from brands who have made a commitment to leave a positive imprint on the planet. This is a vital part of our ethos here at Fry’s and we applaud and support other companies whose mission is the same. Remember, as consumers we have the power
- It’s true that we can’t congregate for a mass cleanup this Earth Day but that doesn’t mean our families can’t beautify our own neighbourhoods. Go to a lake or park and clean up one small section, or pick up trash from empty parking lots or sidewalks
- Commit to eating less animal meat and dairy. Reducing your impact, however small, is a big win for the planet (and your health). Check out TheReducetarian.org’s pledge page here
- One benefit to garden centres remaining open during the pandemic is that we are seeing a resurgence in interest in gardening. Why not plant one new tree (or shrub or small herbs if you live in the city or lack space) in your backyard for each member of your family or circle of close friends? Our Mother-in-law Mint we planted last year comes in so handy when we want to make tabbouleh!
- Choose plant-based foods over animal-based foods to lighten your impact on the environment. Join Meat Free Mondays to get your journey started or I will send you a free Seed plant-based Starter Guide when you subscribe to Seed!
Put on your best pair of leggings or sweatpants and participate. Do it for humanity, for the insanely cool animals, for the picture perfect mountains, for the crystal clear running streams, and for the spectacular blue oceans. We’ve got this.