Earth Day: 2018 Goals for Conservation

As a mother, as an American citizen, and as a person sharing space on this planet, I hope to do the best I can each year to become better and better at conservation. Not only do I try and be as mindful as possible about what I can do, to reduce consumerism, but I also want to learn how to live IN HARMONY WITH Nature. What the heck does this even mean?

I think that Earth Day needs to be more about facts, hopes, dreams and a yearly effort to plant a seed and instead should be a planted seed for good habits daily.  I know that the more my little ones learn about the Earth, space, animals and our limited time on this Earth - the more they can understand how important it is to apply 'cleaner than when we found it' to their entire living space, not just their room.

At Halloween time, we practice consumption. The pumpkin seeds become snacks (salted and baked). The pulp becomes pie, the skin goes to the hedgehog, the body is carved, the rotten body is reburied for next year's crop.

In 2018, we made sure to sit down as a family and make a list of some of the things we want to do more of in our lives to activate the love we have for Mother Earth:

1. Plant more seeds.  Easier said than done but also much easier to do than to talk about!  Go to the local seed store (we try not to support genetically altered seeds with build in pesticides) and plant some seeds. Maybe a new tree, a home garden, a succulent for your bedside - anything will do.  My boys love to watch seeds grow into sprouts and then to learn how to harvest and re-grow food with each new species! 
   
   
   
   
   
2. Start a Compost.  Not only can you use a ton of your 'trash' for something else, but the majority of your trash can be REUSED as priceless compost for the garden mentioned above!  When you learn to compost, you can have a use for those organic throw-away bits you'll have, and when you see how much your scraps motivate the plants, you'll feel like a big part of the CYCLE. 
3. Re-use our stuff.  I try to use scraps for lotions, dog food, bone broths, crafts, compost, or just so much as saving plastic bags in the cupboard for something I might need down the road. Keeping paper bags around the house for HOMEMADE Casts or even egg shells for protection powders! 
4. Lights off, heat off, air off, cut the cord.  We try and let the kids know, and remind ourselves, that we don't NEED the air on or the heat on. We don't need the lights on and we don't need to hold the fridge on or over-use the resources we have. I often will say THANK YOU for flushing toilets, running water, a safe-warm bed at night to remind myself and others how BLESSED we are. 

   

   We've been blessed to know a bee-keeper down the way from my father who helps to show the boys how to cultivate bees and use their honey. Propolis, comb, even the bees and the surrounding gardens - it's been an amazing journey and I hope to have our own bees soon... 

5. Support a creature.  Get a pet, adopt a dog, grow a mushroom, start a garden or even go out rock hunting. When you find that you can connect with nature, especially children, an appreciation and connection grows on its own.  I've loved seeing how pets, gardens, even growing a shamrock and aloe in the living room - helps to provide meaning for my family, as thy are needed to water and care for the plants!