Anaiyah Chamberlin wants you to do something beautiful on Earth Day.
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Earth Day. The least celebrated holiday on the calendar. Once in a while, you might come across a meme on your Facebook feed high-fiving this red-headed stepchild of a holiday (no offense to red-headed stepchild’s). But lets face it, Mother Earth just doesn’t get the love and attention that she deserves, and I’m not having it anymore. I want to talk about why it’s important to honor our Mother, and what we can do to celebrate in her basking glow of life that she gives us.
First things first, Earth Day was founded April 22, 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in. The idea was simply to focus the nation’s attention on the environment and how it’s effecting the Earth. This was all a by-products of a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California in 1969. On the very first Earth Day, over 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment. Then somewhere along the lines, it all seemed to disappear.
So today, I don’t want to focus on the past, I want to look at the present; which means how we can learn again how to honor the Earth that we live on. Each and every one of us living humans is privileged. We live on a planet that provides sustainability for each of us, as long as we learn how to work with the environment, and not against it. Say what you will about the millennial’s, but they are bringing sustainability back, and really are shaping our future generations to think outside of the proverbial box. Most organic farms here in Hawaii, or urban farming started on the mainland is now coming from the younger generations that for some reason are dispirited by the predecessors. Get over yourself people, and learn from what this brilliant generation has to teach us about ourselves. The love the Earth, and are more connected to it than even the generations before them.
Today is Earth Day, and I want to share with you that it’s also a full moon. Which means that working with Mother Nature during this time is going to be amplified with magic. Today is the time to set your intentions to what you are ready to ask the Universe to bring into your life. If you’re ready for new love, now is the time to do it. If you’re ready for a new or better job, now is the time to do it. This full moon on Earth Day also falls closely with Beltane, so you’re able to set your intentions twice this month.
Since it is Earth Day, let’s manifest some love for Mother Earth. Here are some tips that you can do to welcome her into your home, and heart:
❤ Take a walk in nature today. Breath in the fresh air, and listen to the birds.
❤ Watch a sunset, or if you’re an early riser, watch the sunrise. Feel the warmth of the sun beat down on your skin.
❤ Light a silver or white candle and ask the Universe for a Most Benevolent Outcome.
❤ Pick up some trash that you find lying on the street. It seems gross, so carry some gloves with you and a trash bag. Don’t forget the sanitizer!
❤ Volunteer with a beach clean-up or highway clean-up.
❤ Sign some petitions, or go join an advocacy group.
❤ Adopt an animal. I adopted a chicken on Maui last year. Richard. I haven’t met him yet, but I get updates, photos, and I only spend $10 a month to help pay for his medical and food supplies. You can adopt your own animal here.
❤ Buy local organic foods and products. I refuse to shop online. Keep the money local, and make sure that what you buy is pono (or the right thing to do).
❤ Show a little more compassion towards animals today (you should everyday), but make an extra exception today. Hug your pet a little longer.
❤ Consider going vegetarian or vegan. If that seems impossible, I triple dog dare you to try it for a day. Then a week. Then a month. Eventually, the taste of meat will gross you out.
❤ Pick some flowers from your garden (or the farmer’s market), and place them on your table in your house. Make sure if you have pets that they are not poisonous to your furry companions.
❤ Hug a tree. I do this all of the time. I love it. Exchange your energy with nature.
❤ Recycle. We should all be doing this by now. If you’re not, you deserve to be flogged.
❤ Switch to glass. Plastic containers are horrible for the environment, and for consumption. Switch to mason jars, or recycled glass jars to store your food in.
❤ Don’t use plastic bag. Just don’t. Hawaii is the first state to ban them, and it’s the best thing ever. Plastic goes into our lakes, oceans, and rivers. Animals get trapped in them, and they never, EVER biodegrade. Show Kokua (mutual respect for pitching in), and buy some recycled burlap bags to go shopping with. I even take my own when I go retail shopping.
❤ Make love under a tree in a forest. It’s romantic, and giving.
❤ Find a local venue that is celebrating Earth Day. Here’s a festival at University of Manoa.
Show the Earth today on how much you love her, and let’s pitch in and do something nice for her. After all, she supplies us with oxygen, water, wind, rain, and all provisions we need to live a sustainable life.
Blessed by❤
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Photo: Short Spork/Flickr
This post was originally featured on Anaiyah Writes