Earth Day, Everyday, Environment, Life

Think of this as my prayer for saving the environment.

All the photos are of endangered species.

Nature

BY HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

"As a fond mother, when the day is o'er,

   Leads by the hand her little child to bed,

   Half willing, half reluctant to be led,

   And leave his broken playthings on the floor,

Still gazing at them through the open door,

   Nor wholly reassured and comforted

   By promises of others in their stead,

   Which, though more splendid, may not please him more;

So Nature deals with us, and takes away

   Our playthings one by one, and by the hand

   Leads us to rest so gently, that we go

Scarce knowing if we wish to go or stay,

   Being too full of sleep to understand

   How far the unknown transcends the what we know."

To a Marsh Hawk in Spring

BY HENRY DAVID THOREAU

"There is health in thy gray wing,

Health of nature’s furnishing.

Say, thou modern-winged antique,

Was thy mistress ever sick?

In each heaving of thy wing

Thou dost health and leisure bring,

Thou dost waive disease and pain

And resume new life again."

Wild Geese | Mary Oliver

"You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting–

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things."

Earth Day, celebrated on April 22nd, is a powerful reminder of the urgent need to protect and preserve our planet. As environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution intensify, Earth Day's significance grows, serving not only as a call to action but also as a unifying force across the globe.

"Earth Day" dates back to 1970. Millions of people in the United States took to the streets to protest environmental neglect. This massive movement led to the establishment of significant environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, the Water Quality Improvement Act, and the Endangered Species Act. Since then, Earth Day has developed into a global event that emphasizes the collective responsibility of individuals, corporations, and governments to maintain the planet's health.

What has become increasingly clear is the escalating effects of global warming. The increasing frequency and severity of weather events such as hurricanes, wildfires, and droughts are stark indicators of our changing climate. We are experiencing a growing number of species of animals and insects that are endangered. These disasters not only cause immediate harm to the environment but also pose serious risks to public health, safety, and economies, affecting millions of lives. Earth Day serves as a critical occasion for raising awareness about climate change and mobilizing efforts to combat it.

A poem to end this essay:

A Prayer in Spring

Robert Frost

1874 –1963

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;

And give us not to think so far away

As the uncertain harvest; keep us here

All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,

Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;

And make us happy in the happy bees,

The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird

That suddenly above the bees is heard,

The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,

And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,

The which it is reserved for God above

To sanctify to what far ends He will,

But which it only needs that we fulfil.