Earth Day Special
Photo: pexels-allan-mas
If you find yourself with no plans for observing this special day, no worries! Here are 10 things you can readily do by yourself, with family, or with a friend or two.
Immerse yourself in nature’s beauty. Take a walk wherever you can and look for wildflowers and other signs of returning life. Quiet your life long enough to watch God paint a sunset. Get back in touch with nature.
Plant a plant and an idea. Plant something outside or inside for food for people (body or soul) or for pollinators (birds, bees, butterflies). Share what you are doing with a child, help them help nature too. Talk about tending God’s beautiful garden and all the Creator has given us to care for.
Creation Justice ident
Capture a moment of beauty. Use your camera to preserve a flower, a sunrise, a bird—any encounter of wonder or awe. Pull out the paints, watercolors, crayons, or colored pencils from their put-away place and put them to creating again.
Gift some natural beauty. Clip some flowers from your garden or pick up a bouquet from a grocery or other store. Place the blooms in anything that will hold water (reuse glass bottles, for example) or simply wrap the stems in a dampened paper towel. Take them to a neighbor, especially to those you don’t know or don’t see very often. Brighten their day—and yours!
Send something beautiful. Find among your photos or from a free online source a picture that brings forth your appreciation for God’ beautiful creation. Send it to family and friends you love with a word about sharing your love of nature with them. Wish them a beautiful earth and Earth Day.
Care for the wildlife you care about. Sea turtles, dolphins, polar bears, pangolins, elephants, pandas, snow leopards—from every habitat, from every continent, wildlife needs humans to stand up for them so that they too can flourish. Browse for and support the work of organizations dedicated to their protection, including your local zoo or aquarium.
Care for forests you can’t plant. Place an order for bamboo toilet paper. Tell your friends they should too. Complain to companies that make TP by cutting down forests, which left standing would be sequestering carbon dioxide for the benefit of the planet. Donate to organizations that are planting and conserving trees around the world.
Pick up litter. Choose a place that needs tending. Wear gloves and bag the trash. Weigh it, photograph it, and spread the story (without condemnation, but with encouragement) to challenge all of us to do better about caring for our home.
Pick up the phone. For the world to thrive, systems must change. Identify an issue you care about. Contact (via phone, email, or letter) the people who have power to bring about transformation through government or corporation. Identify yourself as a person of faith and a constituent or customer. Speak up for what needs to be done.
Pray with thanksgiving for God’s good gifts. Pray for the injustices done to all of God’s creation to stop. Pray with persistence, trusting God to be at work. Pray for guidance. Work prayerfully as you are called and led.
Videos: ‘A Minute for Mother Earth’
A series very short videos to help your congregation recognize God's call in the midst of climate-related issues. Each "Minute" is based on the curriculum, Wake Up World, A Curriculum on the Climate Crisis for Faith and Community Groups (available free on the website and in print form from Cokesbury). Access the complete series of "Minutes" free at www.wakeupworld.earth.