What If We Celebrated Earth Day Like a Real Holiday?

Growing up, I didn’t care much about Earth Day. Not that I didn’t like it, but it just sort of slipped by, in and out of notice. No one made a big fuss out of it. It was like President’s Day: forgettable, easy to lose the significance of. I thought about trees a little extra. And then I moved on. 

But what would it look like if we actually treated Earth Day as a holiday? 

When I think of the other holidays I love, they usually involve food, loved ones, cultural significance, and joy. 

What if we treated Earth Day as an opportunity to live hopefully, if even for a day? To live, and eat, and commune in ways that honor our planet and each other?

Will you indulge in imagination with me for a moment? 

What if once a year, on earth day, we rejected all single-use plastic? 

Plastic has now been found just about everywhere, including remote pristine lakes and inside the human body. Not to mention our oceans and our landfills. While of course we know that ditching single use plastics everyday would be nice, what if for one day we celebrated the earth by practicing that reality?

What if on Earth Day we refrained from buying drinks and food that required us to carry them away in plastic or styrofoam? Or bagging up groceries in any bags but our own?

What if coffee shops and restaurants wouldn’t sell you food in a container that wasn’t yours, or enjoyed in person on a plate or in a cup? (Or like some of the genius shops in Australia, what if it were normal to let people borrow a reusable cup for a deposit?)

What if once a year, on Earth Day, no one ate meat or dairy?

I’m not personally opposed to all meat, although I do avoid beef for its water footprint. But from a planetary perspective, meat (as it is conventionally grown) is a huge contributor to greenhouse gases, water usage, pollution and fossil fuel use. 

What if for just one day, we savored the flavors of beans, lentils, vegetables, grains, and fruits instead? And discovered how delicious they can be? 

Bonus: If you’re feeling extra hopeful and rebellious on Earth Day, also limit yourself from eating ultra-processed foods, the production, packaging and distribution of which only benefits the people who profit from them, and harms the planet and the people who consume them (which is all of us).

What if once a year, on Earth Day, we all commuted to work by bike or public transit, or worked from home? 

I recognize this won’t work for everyone, but I’d offer that this is part of why we are in such a bind right now. Our reliance on cars is problematic to say the least. What if we took one day to get some extra exercise and bike to work, or find the nearest bus stop, or work from home? I’ve recently started taking the bus to work and – no joke – I love it. I get 30 minutes of peaceful reading time and the commute (in my case) takes just minutes longer than driving. During the summer, I bike, and have also very much enjoyed this. Ironically, biking is fastest of all because it avoids traffic and takes me right to my door. 

Electric vehicles? Maybe. Living in a city that’s constantly in the eye of rich mining investors to drill more of our mountains away, I’m honestly fairly concerned about what a massive, global-scale transition to electric vehicles is going to mean for the demand for more lithium mines. Switching all of our consumption from fossil fuels to lithium batteries offsets the fossil fuel problem, but doesn’t solve our overconsumption problem, not to mention that much of the electric grid currently runs on…coal. There is good potential there, but until we have reliable ways to recycle ALL or MOST of the resources used in car batteries (or cars themselves), and the infrastructure to actually do so on a regular basis, I still think the most environmentally friendly thing to do is minimize our reliance on cars.

What if, once a year, on Earth Day, we didn’t buy anything? 

Consumerism is unmistakably part of our planetary struggle, but it is so common in the West that we barely recognize it. It’s the air we breathe. Amazon is one click away. But our landfills are filled with fast fashion, cheaply made things that broke, and trinkets we thought were cute but didn’t actually want. 

What if one day a year, we resolved to buy nothing? To be content with what we have, and to enjoy the natural gifts of sunshine, play, movement, and each other? 

What if, once a year, on Earth Day, we planted a garden (however small)? 

When we garden, we become aware just how time consuming, resource intensive, and difficult food production is. Go ahead and plant trees too (please!) but I think gardens draw us in because they require our care, as the earth does. Even if it’s a single tomato plant, the act of planting food, looking after it, warding off pests, watering it and watching it produce fruit, is an experience most people in the West are completely disconnected from. I have zero doubts that this is part of why we are so willing to waste food. Connect to where your food comes from this year. Plant a vegetable, even if it’s the easiest one you can find. 

What if, once a year, on Earth Day, we spent time in nature? 

When I interact with nature, I am reminded both how beautiful it is, and how threatened. Visiting the Great Salt Lake makes our water usage poignant to me. Visiting the mountains provides joy and awe, but also awareness of the sprawling city below. Snow-capped mountains put me physically at ease, but also make me reflect on our climate patterns and snowpack. Seeing trash in outdoor spaces (apart from making me want to scream) makes me realize how far we are from respecting our home. 

Bonus: Leave your phone at home (or okay, turn it off and put it in the bottom of your bag). I admittedly love taking pictures of all the pretty places I go, but I do think that if we’re really making this a holiday, then for one day we can let nature speak to us undistracted. Or better yet, share this undistracted beauty with others. 

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Now, obviously this hypothetical Earth Day is getting to be quite action-packed, especially for the majority of us who don’t get Earth Day off from their full time jobs. But I hope this list makes you think of what you can do to celebrate, connect with and honor our connection to the planet this year, not just on Earth Day but every day. Earth merits and needs our respect. Not just for its own sake, but for ours. Justice is lived out in our restraint. 

Earth Day is the true Grandkid’s Day, because it recognizes that our stewardship of the planet is directly connected to the welfare of our grandchildren, and their grandchildren. It is the true Neighbor’s Day because it recognizes that our actions impact other people across the planet, whose own wells run dry for our whims, or across the street, who may bear the burden of pollution and industry in our area.

For my Christian readers, who have been so woefully silent on climate matters, I would argue that honoring the earth is honoring its Maker, and that stewardship is an instrumental part of both curtailing the gangrene of greed that is rampant in the West, and of cherishing people (sometimes an ocean away) that the Father loves.

My hope is that you celebrate today. Joyfully. Hopefully. Purposefully. Happy Earth Day. 

How would you celebrate?

Happy Earth Day, from my garden to yours!