Was It A Waste?

Thank God men cannot fly, and lay waste the sky as well as the earth. - Henry David Thoreau

Walking along a beach or on a wooded trail, I try to notice the parts of the landscape that did not naturally evolve from that landscape. Rocks? From the landscape. Plastic bags? Not from the landscape. Parts of dead trees? From the landscape. Bottle caps? Not from the landscape. I don't want to become immune to seeing the waste of humans in places that it doesn't belong, or to accept that the evidence of our presence in nature is simply collateral damage. So how do I, a single person, do anything about such a global issue as pollution, litter, and the diminishing quality of natural spaces? Maybe I should write a blog about it. ; )

Today is Earth Day. Really, every day is Earth Day. Each day the Earth provides something for every single person who calls her home, whether it be food, a livelihood, or simply the air we breath. So let's do a better job of taking care of her. Leave the places you go better than the way you found them. Clean up the remains of others who did not clean up after themselves. (I had a boss when I was younger, a great boss really, who used to say "It might not your fault, but it's your problem." I think that applies here.) Keep talking about and encouraging others to do the same. In a few words? Pay attention. Earth needs us to be good to her. 365 days a year.

Happy Earth Day. Get outside.