Mountain Dew, 7 Up, Sprite and at least one lemon juice bottle shed their labels to become “fireflies” during the second grade parent night this past Thursday in the Emerson Elementary School gym.
At the Keep Alliance Beautiful Recycling Center a few weeks back, Paula and Mary pulled a selection of the No.1 green plastic as they sorted. I chose 99 of the bottles to be part of the school’s April 21 Earth Day activities. Each teacher hosted a station for students and their families.
A shopping trip earlier in the week with my daughter brought the spring observance to mind too. She is creating a fairy garden for 4-H and needed supplies – building materials, a pot and plants. This whimsical project helps members learn about the environment, albeit on a tiny scale.
Earth Day has been promoting action and activism for more than 50 years. At earthday.org, for 2022, the message was: . . . act (boldly), innovate (broadly), and implement (equitably). It’s going to take all of us. All in. Businesses, governments, and citizens – everyone accounted for, and everyone accountable. A partnership for the planet.
April 22 was a fitting day to plant a tree, remove wind-strewn litter from a park or another constructive option. This year, my thoughts dwelled on “Why?” When did the Earth become important enough to influence your everyday choices and actions for a better community, nation and world?
Regard for the environment begins as toddlers experience the world beyond their home. Parents and teachers shape the “head” knowledge of climate change, pollution and other topics. Kari at KAB visits local schools often as our education coordinator. However, first-hand experiences in nature stay with youth more than anything.
Big as a kitchen table, the redwood stump seemed the ideal place to sit. Not four until winter, I remember my first camping trip and how sap bonded to brown corduroy when I sat where a giant had stood. Mom, my baby brother and I were staying with my grandparents at Big Basin State Park near their home in California. Trunks may as well have disappeared into infinity as I looked up then. Blue jays jockeying for a bite of our French bread sandwiches at the picnic table and deer wandering through camp also occupy that memory, yet the trees were my first real connection. My grandparents’ love for nature opened a door and I could not be more thankful.
Our children could tell you about some of their first hikes or weekends camping. Experiencing nature, though, happens anywhere. Foster kids’ curiosity as they ask about the butterflies flitting through the flowers. Introduce them to the environment whether that means robins nesting in the backyard, fish jumping at the lake or elk bugling in a national park. Maybe next Earth Day they will be the ones looking for a way to celebrate.