It’s April 22… the 39th celebration of Earth Day! While I am rarely at a loss for words, today I’m going to say less than normal. I think Earth Day speaks for itself.
I am reminded, however, that this misuse of the planet has been going on for a long time… is anyone old enough to remember the 70’s commercial with the “Crying Indian?” I remember being very little and seeing this on TV… and feeling a sadness every time I saw the Indian cry. It may be 30+ years old, but it still gets to me.
Today, we have the Blue Man Group to remind us that, while the vehicle for the message is modernized, the message has not changed.
So, I’ll leave you with two more thoughts:
“The earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth. This we know. Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.” ~ Chief Seattle, Divamish Indian, 1855
“The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all, our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope.” ~ Wendell Berry
Happy Earth Day… celebrate!
Doreen…well said…or not said that is! Love the videos as they say so much. I love how the smoke stacks “poof” out nastiness as the drum beats on the blue guys video! This is sooo cute but the other night, I discussed Earth Day to our kids and we talked about what happens when cleaners go down the drain, and why mommy uses baking soda etc. So, then today as we were driving by a factory in town our 4 yr old says “mommy, look at that smoke. It is bad for our planet.” My 6 yr old then said (so seriously) “Wow, I just wish they would use baking soda too!” I about lost it! So, we are trying to be as natural as we can, one “footprint-less” at a time. Caroline *mama of 2 (one little snagel-tooth who the tooth fairy keeps having to fork over money to, the other onrnery one healing from Eczema w/ Vidazorb…and BOTH little greenies in the making)
I remember Iron Eyes Cody and that commercial very well. I cried every time I saw it. No wonder I’m a green mommy blogger too.
islander mom – how sweet are you kids!?! That IS too cute, but you know, they are all so perceptive and what we teach them now WILL last a lifetime… I always remember this quote: “we don’t raise children, we raise adults.”
Deborah – It obviously had an impact for both of us, at an early age… so magine what our children will know, do and CHANGE in their lifetimes!!!
I hope everyone had a great Earth Day! We sure did! Spent some time outside (although it was unseasonably chilly!), went to see “Earth” (great job “Disneynature”!), planted four trees as a result(!) and had some “dirt” (dessert!) after dinner! I will chaperone our daughter’s Girl Scout Brownies troop on a camping trip this weekend so the festivities will continue and we will plant some seeds! Go Earth!
I have to say though, that the biggest disappointment with “Earth” was that there wasn’t a conclusive message at the end, like “THIS is why we need to protect our environment. THIS is why we need to do our part to prevent global warming. I wish they would have taken a more vocal stance, but at least I hope parents (and all moviegoers, for that matter) used it as an opportunity to have their eyes opened and start a discussion. I hope you participated in the day and I hope it was a great one!
Yesterday I saw a quote that said it all…something like, “we did not inherit this Earth from our grandparents; we are borrowing it from our children.”
http://www.ecolabelfundraising.com
Green Fundraising – yes, I’ve written that quote before in http://www.momgoesgreen.com/take-this-trash-and-ship-it/ “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.“ — Native American Proverb
That’s what I’m talking about Girl …”It’s Earth Day and I’m Gonna Party like it’s 1888! I just heard San Francisco has a new mandatory 15% decrease in water useage for all citizens who get a water bill or else!
I like it! I’m looking at all my waste issues thinking of ways to reduce it 15% voluntarily.
Will – SF also just banned plastic bags in large chain stores! I hear some complaints via Twitter (re: “government control” issues) but I personally think SF is great and wonderfully progressive! Plastic bags are a HUGE problem and they should be banned everywhere!
Check out this article about the Crying Indian commercial
http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/3642/