Wow, are we living in crazy times!! Every day new cases of the Covid19 virus come out, continuing to spread throughout our entire world. We are encouraged and required to be more and more restricted in our daily lives to live as we once “normally” did. The majority of people all around the globe are forced to stay at home, not work, homeschool their children, stay away from other people, figure out how to eat and where to get food, wait for the government checks to come, and to wear masks and gloves. It is all a huge shift in order for us figure out a new way of living and reduce the cases of the virus. One of the positive things that has come out of this, is that the Earth gets a break from the impact humans have had on it. There is less pollution in the air, cities have clean air for the first time in years, the oceans get a break from cruise ships, the trash isn’t seeping into the ocean, forests, rivers, and mountains. So, Happy Earth Day, Mother Earth!
The one thing that does concern me is the amount of disposables people are currently using that might end up in the wrong places, like the gloves, masks, plastic water bottles and disinfectant wipes. This Earth Day there are many things we can do to continue to take care of Mother Earth during this time. Here are ways that my family and I stay connected to the Earth and ways we help create less trash, reuse what we have and try and help grow this new world into an earth loving place.
Raising Animals
Connecting with animals allows us to be reminded of the simple connection between species. It also helps remind us of how mysterious life and nature are, and how much we happily cooperate in nature to exist. Children learn responsibility and compassion from spending time with animals. They learn to respect living things by simply being in an animal’s presence. I realize it’s not possible for everyone to raise their own animals but if you can, it’s a gift. We have chickens and ducks who surprise us with eggs daily. We also have rabbits, sheep, edible fish, hamsters, dogs and cats. Our animals give us all a sense of purpose, responsibility and love and remind us of our intrinsic connection with nature.
Reuse Plastic Containers
I don’t know about you but getting produce in those hard plastic containers feels so wasteful to me. They aren’t recyclable and they are big and bulky. I came up with a way that we can reuse them and give them a second purpose. We made them into mini greenhouses to start all our seeds for the garden. They work so well.
Grow your own food
Growing your own food is an empowering and rewarding feeling. From a seed to a sprout to a plant that grows nutritious food for the body. There are many ways to grow food even if you don’t have a greenhouse or garden beds. You can grow them in pots in your windowsill or simply grow sprouts in a glass jar in your kitchen. Read more about how to grow sprouts in your kitchen HERE. Eating nutritious food has never been more important in order to keep our immune systems in top working order. There is no better way to get nutrients and enzymes then home grown fruits and veggies.
Picking up trash
There is never a shortage of trash to pick up. When we went to the river to take a nature break, we saw trash everywhere. We brought a bag back with us the next time and collected trash so it wouldn’t flow down our beautiful river. It really feels good to clean up the Earth. I can feel the Earth smiling at us when we do.
Collect cans for people
Do you have cans around your house? Every month we gather all of our cans up and we find someone that needs them for cash. Right now, whenever we put something out on social media about picking up our cans, because there are so many people in need, they go in minutes. While people are out of work and struggling to eat, put gas in their car and pay bills, giving someone a few bags of cans helps them out, frees you of trash that will get recycled at the local bottle drop.
Ground ourselves in the Earth
While we are going through this time in our lives, taking care of yourself is beyond important. Yes, exercising and eating healthy is helpful, but if nothing else just putting your feet on or in the Earth is known to have life altering results. The connection with our energy channels and the rhythms of the Earth produces calming effects and homeostasis within the body. Many people are living with an intense amount of fear and anxiety. I highly recommend taking your shoes off and grounding yourself with the energy of the Earth.
This Earth Day 2020 is a unique day and time in history. The majority of people all over the Earth are at home waiting to go back to “normal life.” What a great opportunity to make time today to do what we can to connect with the Earth and honor our Mother. I send gratitude to Mother Earth that we are blessed to live on her and I look forward to getting out again and exploring the magnificent beauty that is all around.
I am Earthie Mama after all 🙂 and today is my favorite day of the year!
WE ARE ALL CONNECTED!
Be well out there,
Alex
Comments are closed.