Earth Day 2012

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

The tree which moves some to tears of joy

is in the Eyes of others only a Green thing

that stands in the way.

Some see Nature all ridicule and deformity,

and by these I shall not regulate my proportions;

and some scarce see Nature at all.

But to the eyes of the man of Imagination,

Nature is Imagination itself.

~William Blake

recent walk in Ojai ...

And peaking out from someone's yard ... a not so subtile reminder of what will happen to us if we don't take care of our beautiful home ...

Because the landscape has always been an integral part of my life,

I have developed a deep sense of belonging to nature

rather than feel apart from it or above it.

~Clyde Aspevig

Blessings and light to you all!

Let's carry Earth Day throughout the year

and take care of this beautiful planet,

that we are so blessed to live on!

Earth Day Lessons

Keep close to Nature's heart...

and break clear away,

once in awhile,

and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods.

Wash your spirit clean.

~John Muir

Earth Day lessons from my nephew Benjamin

and his Labradoodle Lucy.

Play outside!

Hang in a flower bed!

Help in the veggie garden ...

And get seriously dirty!

Talk to the animals ...

And teach everyone to appreciate even the tiny

ones with 6 legs!

Make wishes on Dandelions

And enjoy the beautiful little moments on this

extraordinary planet.

And I would add ... give back and find new ways to leave as little footprint as possible on our beautiful planet.

I learned from my sister that you can use cloth napkins everyday and if you forget the reusable grocery bags in the car leave the cart and go get them! I also got a reverse osmosis water filter and the water tastes so much better than from plastic water bottles! I fill up my cute red stainless water bottle and I'm good to go! I recycle, buy used clothes and earth friendly cleaning products, eat as much locally grown food as I can, and I print on both sides of my recycled paper. Little by little I am adding to the list!

One of my favorite lines was by my friend Royce. He walked into my apartment and on seeing I had lights on in 3 rooms said in a deadpan voice, "Um, Al Gore called. Wants me to tell you to shut your lights off." Then he laughed, and so did I but I am much better now about shutting off my lights!

Some of my favorite places to give back and help the planet are World Wildlife Fund, Defenders of Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation and Surfrider Foundation. And to find out where to buy locally in your area ... check out Local Harvest. My favorite eco blog that has tons of cool creative inventions and ideas is INHABITAT. Definitely worth checking out these sites!

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread,

places to play in and pray in,

where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike.

John Muir

Happy Earth Day!

What are your favorite earth day ideas and lessons?