For the Love of the Earth

Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970.  All through the 1960s, reform movements and campaigns sprang up to expose the lack of regulations on environmental toxins and chemical pollutants thoughtlessly being released into the atmosphere. This fight continues to this day. According to EarthDay.org, “Pollution isn’t just a messy litter problem. The impacts of our mishandled waste are monumental — from poisoning our water sources to choking wildlife to increasing carbon emissions.”

In the Divine Principle, True Father talks about the three great blessings, the third being dominion over creation. This means using, not abusing what the creation affords us: air, water and natural resources.

How can you do your part to protect creation? There are so many areas to focus on. All the resources need our help.

For the love of Water

According to Forbes’ website, a million plastic bottles are purchased every minute worldwide; and 91% of all plastics go un-recycled. Many of these plastics find their way into our rivers and oceans.

In honor of Earth Day, help clean up what plastic bottles and trash you find along the banks of your local river. In addition, instead of handing out water bottles, urge people to bring (or buy) their own containers to refill. Encourage the community to invest in water purifiers for their centers and their homes to make it easier on the environment.

For the love of Air

We all love the convenience of our cars, but how many times do we jump in the car just to go down the street or to an event by ourselves when we could easily carpool? On Earth Day, see if carpooling is an option. In general, notice if you can easily ride your bike or walk to any stores instead of driving. While out, make it a habit to explore the area around you. You might be surprised at what you usually miss.

For the love of Earth

Did you know 500 billion plastic bags are used and thrown away every year worldwide, according to Ocean Crusaders. How many times do we go to the grocery store and find that we were given more plastic bags than needed? A good sustainable option is to purchase and bring your own reusable shopping bags. There are so many fun, colorful ones out there with meaningful quotes or images that not only support your grocery stores but are a statement on their own.

There are so many single-use plastics we use and discard without a second thought. Just think about how many plastic straws or coffee cups you’ve gone through even in the last few weeks and multiply that by the entire population.

This Earth Day, make a point of educating yourself and others on all the ways you can conserve, reuse or recycle to minimize waste, like bringing your own thermos or to-go mug.

Human beings have the power to build up or destroy God’s creation. As consumers, we are powerful, and with our wallet we can make decisions for good or ill. Let’s work together to preserve the Earth so it can be enjoyed for generations to come. Earth Day Network is a worldwide organization devoted to educating about ways to protect and preserve our environment.

For information on finding a cleanup in your city, click here.