A day to promote clean and sustainable living, to call for political and societal changes to protect our environment and to bring awareness to the masses of the importance of the health of our planet. But how did it all begin?

In the decades leading up to the first Earth Day, Americans were consuming large amounts of leaded gas, industry was producing vast quantities of smoke and sludge with little fear of the consequences, and air pollution was considered the smell of progress. Worst of all, mainstream America remained largely oblivious to these environmental concerns. However, in 1970, groups that had been fighting individually against oil spills, polluting factories, toxic dumps, and the loss of wilderness (causing the extinction of many species), united on April 22^nd to create the very first Earth Day. 20 million American’s mobilised to call for greater protections for our planet, giving a voice to an emerging public consciousness about the state of our planet. Now Earth Day is celebrated every year, engaging over 190 countries around the world, and calls for transformational change to make the Earth a better place. 

Earth Day is also an amazing opportunity to celebrate the beautiful planet we live on, while also acknowledging how important it is to us. We should all do a part in caring for and protecting our Earth, and, if we all make a conscious effort, we can make our Earth a better place for all.

For Earth Day 2021, we at Panamuna have put together 10 reasons why we should take care of our beautiful Earth.

1 It is our home
The Earth is our home, and the only one we have. As you have probably heard before, there is no ‘Planet B.’ So just like we take care of the house we live in, we must also do this to our Earth home. We wouldn’t trash our own homes, so why would we do that to our planet home? The better care we take of our home, the better our lives will be.

2 It connects us to nature

The Earth grounds us and connects us to nature. After all, we are a part of nature, not apart from nature. Connecting to the natural world, where we belong, can benefit our mood, our heath and our minds. We are so lucky to live on this beautiful planet, full of a range of different and unique ecosystems that we can explore and enjoy.

3 It provides for us
It is no secret and yet sometimes it’s easy to forget, but we literally could not live without our Earth. Our Earth provides us with everything we want, but also everything we need to survive! Earth provides the food we need for fuel, water we need for hydration, air and the oxygen we breath, raw materials, literally everything we need comes from this one planet. Have you heard the expression, ‘you don’t bite the hand that feeds you?’ Well, why harm the planet that provides for you?

4 Our health
Our health also is hugely dependent on the state of the Earth. The Earth’s health plays a huge role in our overall health, to the point where if the Earth is unhealthy, this can cause humans (and all other animals and plants) to become unhealthy as well. As we stated before, the Earth provides air for us to breath, so by keeping the air free from harmful toxins it keeps the air clean, which is better for our bodies, especially our lungs. If the air becomes toxic, these toxins will enter our bodies as well, causing major health concerns. This is the same with our food and water – if the Earth is healthy, it will provide clean water and fuel that nourishes our body, rather than harming it with polluted water and contaminated food. The cleaner the Earth is, the healthier we will be.

5 Protect ecosystems
If we decide to take care of the Earth, this will in turn have a direct impact on the many different ecosystems that are home to a range of important species. Our choice to care and protect the Earth, will have positive impacts where these ecosystems and species can thrive in their natural environment.

6 Combat climate change
When we care, we act, and when we act, we as individuals, have real power and can be extremely influential as a consumer. We have all heard the facts behind human induced global warming, and we all know that these rising temperatures are a threat to our Earth, but as the state of our planet also affects us, climate change is also a threat to humankind. We need to make better choices in our day-to-day living to combat climate change.

7 Foster economic growth
Choosing to protect the Earth, also has positive benefits on the economy. By caring for the Earth and maintaining its health, this boosts nature-based tourism, which contributes to many economies around the world. This can both fund important conservation projects and provide jobs.

8 Our moral obligation
As the Earth is the source of all livelihoods, it isn’t just good for us to take care of it, it is our responsibility. Every single living thing on Earth as an obligation to take care of our planet so we can continue existing, and yet humans often forget this. Every human has a moral obligation to take care of the Earth, not just because she provides for us, but because it is the right thing to do.

9 Future generations
We shouldn’t just care for the Earth for us, we should also care about the Earth for future generations. How we treat the Earth today will create an Earth for the next generations to come, so if we care and protect the Earth, we will be creating a healthy Earth for our children and our children’s children to live in. If we don’t take care of the Earth now, who knows what kind of Earth we will be creating for the next generation? Certainly, one that many of us would not want to live in. Passing on a healthy Earth, will allow the next generation to live their best lives.

10 We are all connected
Arguably the most important point, and one that has been a theme for this blog, is that we should care of the Earth because we are all connected. The Earth is a living entity that connects us all. Caring for the Earth means we are caring for ourselves, we are caring for others and we are caring for future generations. By caring for the Earth today we can make it a beautiful home now and for the future.