Happy 51st Earth Day!
Happy 51st Earth Day!!
I wrote the following post for a nonprofit I volunteer with: Camp Kum-Ba-Yah in central Virginia. Camp KBY has been around for over 70 years and serves children and families all around our city and surrounding counties. The board of directors is currently working on a future vision for the organization, one that will take us into the next several decades, creating a space where children, families and people of all ages can find themselves in community with nature and each other.
This year’s Earth Day theme is Restore Our Earth™. The earth needs restoring. Our community needs restoring as well. At Camp Kum-Ba-Yah, we believe that being outdoors in nature is key to the restoration of our children, families, and community after a year in isolation.
One thing coronavirus made crystal clear to me is the interconnectedness of humans and nature. This is not something I denied before; it’s just something that I didn’t think about as much as I should have. I understand the connection between humans and climate change. I understand the importance of systems, food chains, and biodiversity. Camp Kum-Ba-Yah provides programs for schools and summer campers to help them understand this importance as well. The interconnectedness I feel now is almost primal. We NEED to be outdoors, in nature. We NEED it for our wellbeing, for our mental health, to restore ourselves.
The United Nations understood this interconnectedness well when it established the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. According to the UN, the SDGs “recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.”
I want to believe that when coronavirus subsides and we re-emerge from our spaces, we will move slowly and be thoughtful. We will not be as wasteful as before, not as annoyed by the insects or weeds in our yard. That we will not seek cheap gas but will advocate for cleaner means of transportation and fuel. We will help restore our earth. Let’s also restore ourselves.
We welcome everyone to KBY to enjoy our woods from dawn until dusk. Come visit Kinderwoods, our outdoor play space for young children. Walk the trails along the creek, sit under the tree canopy. Adopt a garden plot and cultivate with our Give and Grow Garden program. Visit our website for information about visiting and how you can get involved. Come to our woods and restore yourself!
5 ways to Restore Ourselves Outdoors
1. Walk, don’t drive, to your friend’s house/the store/post office and calculate the greenhouse gases you didn’t put into the environment using this calculator.
2. Plant one vegetable in your garden or windowsill or front stoop or join our Grow and Give Garden program.
3. Get at least 20 minutes of fresh air each day for a week (and beyond!).
4. Take a ‘play’ break and play a game outside [Playing helps the brain, as does movement, as does being in nature. The more we play outside, the more we appreciate nature and its role in our lives.]
5. Go for a walk with a friend instead of going out for dinner or drinks.