April 22nd is the official day around the world that we recognize “Earth Day.” Most people spend some extra time outside, pick up some trash to say they did, acknowledge the day on social media, and continue life as normal for the rest of the year. My goal in this post is to hopefully get you on board with the idea that the Earth should be celebrated every day, and that we should be doing our best to preserve it. Because even with everything going on in the world, I think there’s one thing that we can share in being grateful for, that being the nature around us.

I took a little hiatus from writing over the last little bit while I finished up exams and completed my second year of university. Halfway to my degree! Anyway, I’m choosing to resume now that Easter is over, and I can say that summer is officially on the horizon, even if the weather network begs to differ. I felt like Earth Day was a good day to come on here and just share some of my favourite pics while talking about how our actions impact the Earth and how we can reduce our eco-footprint. Enjoy!

There are a lot of easy ways that we can reduce our impact within our own homes, and most of us already know what those are. Turn off the lights when you leave a room, don’t leave the tap running, compost what you can, etc. A lot of these sound like actions that don’t make much difference, but in the long run, they do, and they usually save you money, too. Outside of our homes, I want to add in the “walk where you can, when you can.” I get it, you can’t really walk to and from the grocery store all that easily when you’ve got armfuls of grocery bags in both arms, but there are other instances. If you know you and multiple of your friends are going to the same place, catch a ride from someone else or offer to drive, if it makes logical sense. You each save some money on gas in the long run if you do this often, and you reduce your emissions into the atmosphere. Think and plan ahead!

I think when most people think of pollution, they think about the trash we throw away and the gas/fuel emitted from vehicles. I feel that a lot of people don’t think enough about how their everyday purchases can be impactful. We all know the dangers of single-use plastics, so I’m not going to throw that one at you. In response, people purchase reusable grocery bags, reusable water bottles, etc. However, those things are pointless when overconsumption comes in. I’ll admit I have more reusable water bottles than I need, but buying the latest style to add to your collection does far more harm than good when you have 2-3 in circulation and the rest collect dust. And donating them to a for-profit thrift store is not effective in reversing those impulse purchases.

On to the reusable bag debate, everyone who grocery shops knows that they often forget those 33-cent bags they have to buy because they forgot to bring a few of the hundred that are accumulating at home. They aren’t exactly reusable when they aren’t being reused… So, yes, you’re using that bag when you purchase it, but are you ever using it again? If you are, great, but if not, I suggest taking the time to collect your growing bag pile and keep some in the car, or buy some nice ones that will last you far more uses than the cheap ones (I’d recommend purchasing from somewhere like Baggu).

I fear that if we forget to take time to consider and appreciate how fortunate we are to have trees that provide us with air, clean water that sustains life, and everything else that nature provides, we’ll ruin what we have. There are so many people on this Earth facing unimaginable things and have hardships and problems bigger than most people in North America can even fathom. Wherever you may be reading this from, if you are able, take time to look around at what surrounds you and appreciate the life that it sustains, yourself included.

I’m not one to post a lot on my socials on days like today, sharing messages that will likely be forgotten in the next few minutes as people scroll on and continue about their day. However, one quote that I saw today really resonated with me and I did want to share it:

Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

– Cree Native American Proverb (Earth911)

I’ve talked about a similar topic before, that what good is all of the money in the world if there is no food to eat and no clean air to breathe? Money may not grow on trees, but our life does. I strongly urge you to research how your actions make an impact and how you can make more sustainable choices. We don’t need to be perfect, but we do need to be better. I also encourage us as a society to hold our government accountable to conduct sustainable practices that protect our Earth.

That’s all from me today, I hope something I’ve said resonates with you, and you take the time just to reflect on the environment around you. Go outside, take a deep breath, and remember that you’re a small part of this grand planet. Let’s think sustainably every day, not just one day. Thanks for reading!