It’s April 22nd today, and since 1970, this has officially been deemed Earth Day. One of the most powerful and responsive grassroots campaigns in history, Earth Day actually started as Earth Week which culminated in a big celebration on April 22nd. The event was started as a way “to raise public awareness of environmental problems and their potential solutions.”
Every year, millions of people around the world still get together to discuss issues and take action. As they should. But you don’t need a special holiday in order to start being more self-reliant or to live a more sustainable life. Every step you take towards your goal, no matter how large or small, is what’s important.
After the recent chaos here in Europe that has seriously disrupted air travel, we’ve become even more aware of the fact that people need to take growing back into their own hands. If every piece of fruit you eat doesn’t get flown in from South America and your meat doesn’t come from China, you’ll already be saving the Earth from a lot of pollution, not to mention preserving tons of fossil fuels.
You may not be able to grow all of your own food, but what’s important is simply that you start somewhere. Grow a few herbs in your kitchen like basil and parsley. Plant a few tomato plants in pots on your patio. And if you’re really adventurous, get a couple rabbits, fish, chickens or other small livestock.
Still convinced you can’t do it on your own? Then go to LocalHarvest.org and look for CSA’s in your area. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and they are essentially a membership for one growing year which allows you to receive a box of fresh produce (and sometimes other things) once a week. The farmers win because they know what they are growing will be used and you win because you’re getting fabulous local produce delivered right to your doorstep.
In celebration of Earth Day, BlogHer has also syndicated my blog post about building our first aquaponics system. I hope you’ll go check out the article and show it a little love. Is 2010 an incredible year or what?
Are you doing something special for Earth Day? If you haven’t made any resolutions about your own sustainability, now is a the perfect time to do it. It’s never to late to start gardening!
