Earth Day Reflections
- Martha Viglietta
- Mar 6
- 2 min read
Earth Day is coming in April. We know what it is: Earth Day was established in 1970 under President Richard Nixon, who also created the Environmental Protection Agency, and signed the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.
But what does Earth Day mean to you? For me, Earth Day is a moment to reflect on how I live in the world. If you have read our neighbor Robin Kimmerer's best selling book, Braiding Sweetgrass, you will recognize this idea: the idea that we are one species sharing the world with all other species, and relying on the natural world for all the resources we use to live.
But unlike every other species, we have the immense brainpower to defy nature: we created airplanes to defy gravity, HVAC to defy unbearable temperatures, and farm technology to defy food scarcity. Unfortunately, our genius also allows us to distance ourselves from nature and insulate ourselves from the consequences of our endlessly inventive industrialization and development.
Earth Day is a moment to celebrate and reconnect with the natural world.
Early humans were completely embedded in the natural world; our nervous systems evolved to be at home in those surroundings. Our modern world is starkly different from the world we evolved in; our frayed nerves and frequent struggles with stress often reflect this mismatch. In Japan, there is a popular business of escorting city-dwellers into nature for a day with a facilitator to help people engage with their surroundings. It's sometimes called forest bathing. The inner calming and rebalancing effect of being in nature is something we all recognize.
When we remember and reconnect with the natural world, we automatically want to nurture and protect it. That's what Earth Day is. April has become an unofficial Earth Month, with worldwide celebrations of Mother Earth. Caring for our common home is not a partisan issue; polls reliably show that solid majorities of Americans want more action to protect our livable world for future generations. In Pompey, we mark Earth Day with family fun, recycling, education, and free Norway Spruce seedlings. Remember, the best time to plant a tree is 10 years ago, but the second best time is today.
Pompey Earth Day, sponsored by the Environmental Conservation Commission and the Pompey Highway Department, is Saturday, April 25, from 9 to noon. Mark your calendars.
Please note we are accepting NEW items in the "WHAT TO BRING" category:
items for the Scouts' fundraising bottle drive
old bicycles
used motor and fuel oil
As always, the centerpiece of the event is free evergreen seedlings, but there is also the popular free raffle, rock painting for the kids, and many engaging displays from local environmental organizations. This year the Fabius-Pompey High School National Honor Society will be selling coffee and donuts as a fundraiser for their group. And we can always hope for a baby animal to show up! (Looking at you, Springside Farm 😉!)
Martha Viglietta
Member
Environmental Conservation Commission
