“Did you ever stop to notice
All the children dead from war
Did you ever stop to notice
This crying Earth, this weeping shore?”
– Michael Jackson, “Earth Song”
(Watch his music video HERE)!
HAPPY EARTH DAY EVERYONE! 🙂
It’s the 45th year!
(Image Credit)
Now normally I don’t think about days like this as much, but since I live in the city, I’ve become more aware of environmental issues and global warming etc.
Google is so awesome, because they provide a link to this little thing called an “Ecological Footprint” quiz. You are asked a series of questions based on your lifestyle, and at the end, it tells you how many planets we would need to provide enough resources for everyone.
Or, Earth Day Network explains it in fancier terms…
“How much of the biological capacity of the planet is demanded by a given human activity or population? The Ecological Footprint measures the amount of biologically productive land and water area an individual, a city, a country, a region, or all of humanity uses to produce the resources it consumes and to absorb the waste it generates with today’s technology and resource management practices. This demand on the biosphere can be compared to biocapacity, a measure of the amount of biologically productive land and water available for human use”.
According to my results, it would take FOUR planet Earths to provide enough resources. Yikes, we’ve only got one!
So, what can we do to help?
- Plant a tree – According to ForestNation, this is a Native American tradition that when you take something from Earth you must put something back.
- Meatless Monday – I know asking people to stop eating meat entirely is not an option, the Earth Day Network is hoping to get everyone to pledge going meatless, at least once a week. If the entire U.S. skipped meat or cheese for just one day a week, it would be the equivalent of taking 7.6 million cars off the road!
- Reduce energy consumption – Switch off any unnecessary lights, unplug devices that are not in use, and bike/walk to school once or twice a week if that is an option.
While all of this seems minor as an individual, cumulatively, it will make an enormous impact on helping reverse climate change.
We’ve only got one Earth, what will you do to help?
Have a beautiful day! XOXO