Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Happy Earth Day

Today, I wanted to take a minute to celebrate an often overlooked holiday... Earth Day.

Every April 22nd, we celebrate planet Earth.  It's also a day to raise awareness on the negative impact mankind's actions have on our environment and planet.  It's a day to go out and do something to help make the world we live in a better place.


This is perhaps one of the most memorable Earth Days that we'll encounter during our lifetime.  Many people are currently stuck inside all over the world.  The desire to go out and enjoy nature and our natural surroundings has never been more desirable.

On top of that, Mother Earth hasn't been this "clean" in a long time.  The effect of all of us humans staying inside for a prolonged period has had a great impact on the levels of pollution across the planet.  The Venice canals appear to be clear again.  Cities that are always covered in smog suddenly have blue skies.  Animals have been spotted wandering around deserted city streets.  After the coronavirus crisis is over, we need to find ways to make some of these changes more sustainable for the long haul.

The first Disney movie that Eliot and I ever saw together in the movie theaters was Pixar's WALL-E.  The movie and it's message always stuck with me.  We need to do something to help our planet now.  Otherwise, someday humans and the Earth could end up with the same fate as the movie.  (That would be beyond devastating.)


Both Eliot and I try our best to do our part and one of the biggest things we always do is recycling.  Our town doesn't have a limit on the amount of trash bins you can have, so we have one trash bin that rarely has anything in it, and conversely, we have two large recycling bins that are almost always full.  I've been known to bring small things home from vacations just so I can recycle them.  Eliot and I also use recycled boxes and bubble wrap from his work to package all of our Happily Ever Hatter orders.

We also have reusable straws that Eliot's sister Elissa introduced us to.  (We use Final Straw, but there are many different types available.)  I leave my straw on my keychain so it's easy to bring with me.  When I need it, I take it out of it's container, unfold it and use it.  Then, I can wash it, let it dry and fold it right back up for next time.  To be totally honest, I don't always remember to use it, but I'm really trying to get into the habit.  The more we try to make a difference, the better the environment will be!

Finally, not only is it Earth Day, but today is also the 22nd birthday of Disney's Animal Kingdom.  The park first opened on Earth Day of 1998 and the entire theme park is based off of the natural environment and animal conservation.  I've always loved this about the Animal Kingdom.  I hope it makes more people aware of the effect we have on our environment and on all of the animals in it.  But for now, most of us will have to enjoy the Earth and all of nature's beauty from afar.


I hope someday soon we will be able to go back out into the world and enjoy all of the things Mother Nature has to offer us.  Hopefully, we will never again take any of it for granted.  I also hope it's not too longer before we can be back at Animal Kingdom enjoying all of the animal exhibits and walking around the beautiful park.

Our planet Earth is truly a gift, and one I hope everyone will do their part to preserve and protect it.  Happy Earth Day and Happy Birthday Animal Kingdom!!!  °o°

1 comment:

  1. I love the whole idea of Earth Day, many years we have been at WDW for Earth Day. In fact, we were supposed to be there this week, and today had Animal Kingdom as our scheduled park...we were going to WDW to celebrate my daughter's 40th birthday, which is tomorrow! Hope everybody STAYS SAFE! jv

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