Earth Day 2021 – 3 Ways We Can Restore our Earth

51 Years of Raising Awareness

The First Earth Day was celebrated on April 22 1970 when Gaylord Nelson, a Democratic senator from Wisconsin, founded Earth Day for Americans to speak out about the environmental crises we face, and a grassroots movement was born. Earth Day became recognized as an international event in 1990 and more than 1 billion people in 192 countries now participate in Earth Day each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world.

This year marks 51 years that people of all ages, all walks of life and all around the world gather to plant trees, clean up coral reefs, sign petitions, collect trash, ride bicycles to work and educate their communities to protect our planet. Earth Day’s theme for 2021 is Restore our Earth, encouraging us to think in terms of restoration and replenishment of our natural resources. So, let’s do this!

Every Day Choices for a Healthier Life and a Healthier Planet

Much of this blog focuses on ways we can limit waste and pollution and cause less environmental harm in our every day lives. But this year’s Earth Day focus to restore our earth is more targeted, and in the spirit of restoration these three choices do more than limit harm, they proactively improve our environment:

1. Shop and eat organic,
2. Purchase food produced on regenerative farms, and
3. Eat less meat

Choose Organic, Support Regenerative Farms and Eat Less Meat

Organic farming is widely considered more sustainable than conventional farming. The absence of pesticides and wider variety of plants enhances biodiversity and results in better soil quality and reduced pollution from fertilizer and pesticide run-off. Cleaner soil means cleaner water and air, and healthier food for us, since pesticides and herbicides like glyphosate, chlorpyrifos and atrazine aren’t used.

Shop Organic on a Budget outlines a variety of cost effective ways to switch to organic without breaking the bank:

Shop Organic on a Budget – Revamp Your Diet with Organic Food and Save Money!

But, Regenerative Farming is better! Even organic farming can deplete the soil, so scientists and farmers have developed regenerative farming techniques that proactively restore and improve the quality of soil through farming. Here are three tried and true regenerative techniques that we can support when we choose what food to purchase:

1. No-Till or Low-Till Farming
2. Regenerative Grazing
3. Agro-Forestry

If you are fortunate enough to shop through a CSA at a local farm, or shop at a farmer’s market, find out what regenerative techniques they’re using. Start looking on labels at the grocery store to see if regenerative production techniques are noted. This video What is Regenerative Agriculture? produced by Charles Eisenstein (just under 4 minutes long) offers an excellent explanation on these three regenerative techniques and how important they are for us to support:

Eating less meat will lower our environmental footprint. Greenhouse gas released by livestock, deforestation and water shortages are the primary reasons why conventional meat production harms our environment. While there is no easy fix to slow climate change, reducing our intake of meat is one solid way we can help. Five of my favorite recipes, meatless or using meat sparingly, are in 5 Flexitarian Recipes that are Good for Your Health and Good for the Planet!

5 Flexitarian Recipes that are Good for Your Health and Good for the Planet!

Choices to Save our Health and Save our Planet

I hope that these three choices make sense to you. Personally, I think that organic food tastes better, it makes me happy when I can buy food that actually improves the health of our planet, and I don’t feel like I’m missing out at all by limiting meat to once or twice a week.

What other choices can we make this year to restore our earth? Plant more wild flowers? Stop using herbicides on our lawns? Once we start thinking about it, there are many positive changes that we can make! Please share your ideas in the comments section, it would be wonderful if we all inspire each other on Earth Day with positive actions that we can practice throughout the year.

Thank you for following along with the blog, and please stay healthy and safe (get that vaccine and keep wearing a mask until we’re all vaccinated!).

Happy Earth Day!

Wanda