The great debt owed to Mother Nature, and how to repay it
Digital Writer, theweathernetwork.com
Thursday, March 29, 2018, 11:00 PM - Earth Hour, Earth Month, Earth Day - these annual reminders have Canadians kick-starting or restarting some planet-friendly actions to bring year-round benefits to Mother Earth.
And we owe her. According to studies, today’s humans consume the equivalent of 1.5 planets' worth of resources every year and if nothing changes, we’re on our way to using two planets worth in less than 50 years.
So this Sunday, April 22, 2017, everyone is rallying to do some green for Earth Day.
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“Right now Earth Day is used for every imaginable thing across the country," says Deb Doncaster, President of Earth Day Canada. "From municipal cleanups through to rallies around tar sands. People are always capitalizing on some cause related to the environment around Earth Day.”
Doncaster shares three ways Canadians can revive their connection to the Earth – and why they should.
Plant a tree: Trees combat climate change by absorbing excess and harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. In a single year, an acre of mature trees absorbs the same amount of CO2 produced by driving the average car 26,000 miles.
Play Outside: Doncaster points specifically at getting more children outside. "All the programming that we put our kids in has really hampered what I consider 'childlife' (to mimic the 'wildlife') language," she explains. Look out for Earth Day’s initiative Earth Play that aspires to encourage schools, communities, recreation centres and municipal parks to facilitate outdoor free play for children.
Being out in nature for anyone is good. Have you heard of Nature Rx? Here’s a spoof of a prescription drug commercial:
Walk or bike: This isn’t just about removing cars from roads. “Get on a bike and pass by your neighbours to say hello,” says Doncaster. It’s getting people to connect again and that idea of “rebuilding community through nature.”
Good things happen when people gather. Check out the video when Canadians across the country connected to create the original Earth Day Canada flag in 1992.
