My Forever Promise to Planet Earth for Earth Day

Planet Earth is a complicated freak of physical nature. We can barely define life, though we are it, and Earth is teeming with it. Humanity depends of the complicated connections of life that exist on this planet; therefore, my Earth Day promise is to view Earth and its bounty as incredible gifts from God. Every resource we use, such as land, water, food, air, and life can be evenly distributed to end world hunger or to house every person on the planet; however, our general lack of appreciation for what we have been given lends us toward over-consumption without marvel. Furthermore, each gift of this planet is vital in a complicated chain of life.

I won't carelessly flush water down the drain, nor let the sink run while I'm brushing my teeth. I'll value water in full knowledge that some people do not have access to any clean water source. For my Earth Day promise, I'll recognize each container, paper, or wrapper I throw in the trash. How many piles of trash am I creating if I don't reuse things or recycle them? My Earth Day promise is that I will love the dirt I work in my yard. I will welcome insects that pollinate our vegetables, and I will itch with the planet with the idea of pouring chemicals into the skin of the Earth. I'll weed and fertilize my garden as organically as possible.

I won't do something only on Earth-Day, though doing something on that day certainly helps to raise awareness of the value of our environment. I aim to take a mental approach to Earth Day. I want to change my vision of our planet so that I can minimize the negative impact I might have on Planet Earth. If I have any impact, I hope it will be a good impact. I'll work the soil, reuse things, and be careful of my consumption. I promise to understand the impact of my consumption of any product that was inadvertently made from our planet, as I don't want to return a tainted product to the Earth.

More than anything, for my Earth Day promise, I will teach my children to look at the natural gifts of Earth with wonderment, curiosity, and a sense of stewardship.