Woo hoo! It’s Earth Day! It’s hard to explain to a 3 year old that one day it’s her birthday and the next day it’s Earth Day. It makes it even more confusing because she shares her birthday with the Queen. lol
For Earth Day this year I think we’ll be picking up garbage for a while. I really want to teach her the importance of doing your part in working towards a greener future. Every piece of litter contributes to an overall problem of lack of respect for the planet that we live on. If we teach our children at a young age to respect and love nature then I think that they’re more likely to carry this morals into adulthood. To me, it’s just as important as teaching them not to smoke or do drugs.
I’m ecstatic that more and more people are recognizing the importance of raising green kids. Organically grown cotton is now used to make more and more kids products. Bamboo and soy ink toys are gaining in popularity. People are learning to buy less, even if it’s only the recession that is making them do so. Plastic bags are becoming a thing of the past. Heck, even my redneck, way behind the times, Western Canadian city (Calgary) is finally getting curbside recycling! There’s so much to be happy about.
In our joy though, let’s not forget all the work that still remains to be done. Even little things like picking up litter and random dog poo at your local park can help. Not only does it get rid of that garbage, it also makes anyone who sees you doing it (or better yet, works at it with you!) think twice about doing their part.
So get out there and enjoy the day. I’ve got to get at it if I want to get any litter picked up before the snow hits today. Oh, why oh why do I still live here? Winter is a beautiful season but I wish that it wasn’t so long here.
