Celebrate Earth Day 2020 with Mindful Environmental Awareness ~ Extinction Ends Here

Apr 22

We gardeners are dreamers. We are also pragmatists.

Not Eco-pragmatists. Not Ecomodernistas.

Rather, we are dedicated to honoring the traditions of horticulture, science, and respect for all living things. Why wouldn’t we?

Today, we mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

For all intents and purposes, we could be forgiven for thinking this year that all is lost in terms of celebrating this day because we can’t get out to march in solidarity of Mother Earth; to experience our parks. Our beaches. Our sacred and preserved (I pray) 58 national conservation preserves -- due to the covid pandemic.

Yet, - and yet -- there is an extraordinary hope. And some corollary good news.

It’s almost as if…
Mother Nature has been begging. Pleading. Directing us to please take better care of our environment - our world. But we didn’t listen, exactly. Or some of us didn’t.

I can’t but think that Mother Nature lost her patience a bit ~ as all mothers tend to do with ever-increasingly irascible children who refuse to believe that actions have consequences.

The “paws” of yesterday's tornado and hail storms here in the NY~NJ area - (not to mention all the earthquakes I’ve seen posted from friends in the US West and crazy storms in the South and ...) suggest that we need to be more mindful.

The plus is that in the grips of this global coronavirus pandemic, the air is becoming cleaner. Nasa has noted a 30% drop in air pollutants
One can readily see the cleaner, clearer views around the world.
Citizens from India who can - with awe - now see the Himalayan peaks; or the Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles residents who can see and breathe. It’s not magic. It’s Mother Nature teaching us how to behave…
It’s been reported that those areas - particularly our beloved urban cities - are more affected by coronavirus due to air pollution. So to see the byproduct of the stay-at-home directives and the signs that the environment and the air are cleaner is nothing short of a blessed miracle.

My cousin, MaryAnn, shared this haunting pandemic video, "Extinction Ends Here" from the Global Wildlife Conservation. It made me cry. It's powerful. I dare you not to be profoundly moved... And how will you respond to the question, "Am I enough?" We are the cure....

What can we learn from this connection? I hope we can link this effort to making our world cleaner. Better.

Please grow more native plants. You can bring pollinators to nurture homegrown plants

Please grow more homegrown edibles - veggies and herbs.

Please reduce lawns where possible and especially the use of chemicals to acquire that wowsy green turf.

Please compost.

Our gardens, our food supply, our next generation deserves this. Mother Nature is not just whispering to us anymore. She’s shouting out. Heed her love…