Honoring Mother Nature Beyond Earth Day

Did you know that Earth Day occurs annually on April 22? It also happens during Taurus season, which is no coincidence since Taurus is an earth sign. Mother Nature consistently provides us with basic needs such as food, water, and land. To honor her, it is important to celebrate Earth Day every day. Here are some mindful practices you can implement during Earth Day and the days beyond.

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Your carbon footprint indicates how much individual greenhouse gases you release into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases such as carbon emissions have harmful consequences on the planet due to trapping heat, which contributes to global warming. Did you know the U.S. population has one of the highest carbon footprints globally- which categorizes the country amongst the leading contributors to the climate change crisis due to a culture of individualism and mass consumerism. While big corporations play a major role in our high carbon footprint, it is still important to work towards reducing your carbon emissions this Earth Day.

@shakingsheets

Take back your attention span, relearn patience and you’ll see your hope and optimism return in bounties. #fypシ #politics #leftist #blacktiktok #fypシ #philosophy #foryou

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Your daily routines are a great indicator of ways to be more mindful of your carbon footprint. For example, how often do you get takeout and throw away plastic containers and cutlery? It is more sustainable to cook and reuse your dishes than to waste a lot of food packaging. In addition, does your water consumption consist of throwing away plastic water bottles daily instead of getting a reusable bottle and a water filter?

In terms of clothing, are you a shopaholic who buys new shoes, clothes, and jewelry often? Fast fashion has absolutely devastating consequences on the earth, especially for people in developing countries. Fast fashion contributes 10% of the global carbon emissions, utilizes a lot of water to produce products, and contributes an average of 35% of microplastics dumped in the oceans. Not only should you avoid fast fashion and consider thrifting used clothing, but you should also wear out your shoes and clothing.

@guardian

Do you ever wonder where all our fast fashion cast-offs end up? In Ghana, Joseph Ayesu has seen the beaches in the capital city where he grew up become increasingly choked by the weight of fast fashion waste disproportionately ending up on its shores from countries like the UK, US and China. “Instead of fishes, [fishermen] are catching clothes,” Ayesu says. The west African country is one of the world’s largest importers of secondhand clothing from the global north, which is known locally as “obroni wawu” – meaning “dead white man’s clothes”. Ayesu and his team at The Or Foundation, an Accra-based non-profit trying to tackle textile waste in Ghana, have headed to the city’s beach every week for the last year to try and shift the “mountains of clothing”. They collect an average of 25 tonnes of waste clothing each time. But their progress comes in the face of increasing amounts of fast fashion ending up on their shores. By 2030, global clothing consumption is projected to rise by 63% to 102 million tons from 62 million tonnes in 2019 – equivalent to more than 500 billion additional T-shirts – according to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee published in 2019. To tackle what they call “waste colonialism”, The Or Foundation is calling for the top 20 brands found in Ghana’s waste stream to publish how many garments they produce each year, with a deadline of Black Friday in November. To find out more about what needs to change – and how these clothes end up here in the first place – head to the link in bio as reporter Fleur Britten and her teenage daughter joined The Or foundation for one of the group’s cleanups. Thumbnail image credit: The Or Foundation.

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Reflecting on your transportation practices is also an important way to celebrate Earth Day. Cars are big contributors to carbon emissions so is it possible to carpool, bike, or use public transit once in a while?

Lastly, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a big part of our daily lives, but most people don’t know just how detrimental it is to Mother Nature. Operating AI requires extensive electricity and water usage to cool down the operating systems. A study by the University of Massachusetts discovered that training large AI models can produce 626,000 pounds of carbon emissions. This is equivalent to five times the carbon emission of an average car or 300 round–trip flights between San Franciso and New York. As a result, do you really have to ask Chat GPT that question or can you look it up on a search engine that doesn’t incorporate AI?

-AI's projected water usage could hit 6.6 billion m³ by 2027
-it relies on Black slave labor to be trained
-it’s already been used to further the surveillance police state (Clearview)
-it produces so much carbon emissions that Google rescinded its promise of carbon neutrality https://t.co/dP50YWoTml

— eric adams hate page (@crablegluver) December 18, 2024

Connect With Mother Nature

Intentionally connecting with Mother Nature is an essential aspect of honoring Earth Day. Since it falls during Taurus season, incorporating Taurean energy will help you feel more grounded by the earth. Taurus is a fixed earth sign that deals with material resources and highlighting experiences through the 5 senses. Incorporating the senses is an intentional way to be fully present when communing with Mother Nature.

Touching grass is a simple practice to exercise on Earth Day, especially if you are not an outdoors person. Plants are also alive, so detoxing from social media and going outside to hug a tree is a powerful reminder that we are all connected. Talking to plants can also be a therapeutic practice and help you form a more intentional relationship with the earth.

Taste can be experienced through cooking a meal using your favorite ingredients. If you have a garden, it can be even more rewarding to incorporate ingredients you grew from scratch. Preparing something as simple as a smoothie or a salad is a great way to honor how much produce Mother Nature provides for us. On this Earth Day, reflect on how much work is required to produce each ingredient you use in your kitchen.

Since it is spring, go outside and smell the flowers if there are any within your immediate surroundings. You may have some herbs like thyme or basil in your pantry that can be incorporated and add aroma to your cooking. You can also use natural fragrances such as essential oils in your humidifier or during a bath. Seek out your favorite scents produced by Mother Nature to appreciate the beauty she has to offer.

This Earth Day, take some scenic photos of your surroundings and awaken to the beauty of this planet. Nature itself serves as a beautiful backdrop for pictures, but you should also take the time to honor the beauty of the trees, oceans, mountains, and overall ecosystem. You could also get some flowers or decorative plants and bring the beauty of nature to your home.

What are some of your favorite nature sounds? Whether it is the sounds of birds chirping, the calming waves of the ocean, or the crackling sound of firewood burning– go outside and experience that in honor of Earth Day. Alternatively, you could find existing nature sound playlists online that cater to your preferences and enjoy them in your home.

Connecting intentionally to Mother Nature through the senses will allow you to experience gratitude for the beautiful scents, sights, sounds, and tastes we take for granted daily. While the five senses are important, incorporating the soul aspect of the earth is equally necessary.

The earth is alive, which means she feels the devastating consequences of our carbon footprint. Therefore, we must live in harmony with the land to truly have a fighting chance against climate change. Keeping up with the astrological calendar, and returning to ancestral practices that honored the land, will allow us to be more aligned with the earth.