{"id":2984,"date":"2020-04-22T06:15:37","date_gmt":"2020-04-22T14:15:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thesimplehouse.com\/?p=2984"},"modified":"2020-04-22T06:34:00","modified_gmt":"2020-04-22T14:34:00","slug":"april-22-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thesimplehouse.com\/?p=2984","title":{"rendered":"April 22, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Greek later Theta, the symbol of the environmental movement. It is also combination of O for organism and E for environment. I had a key ring in this shape for years.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fifty years ago today, I was finishing my eighth grade year at Madison Junior High in Eugene, Oregon. My social studies and language arts teachers, Gary Folkker and Tony Mohr had our class participate in this event called \u201cEarth Day.\u201d We walked around the neighborhood on Wilkes Drive, where our school was located, and picked up litter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s pretty much all I remember about that day, but it had a profound impact on my 13 year old life. I did a simple thing: I committed to never litter again. But that pivotal event changed the direction of my life and how I would respond to and live in this Earth we call Home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were many other moments and directional shifts in the following years. Enough, I think, to write a book. Maybe someday, but I want to focus on today and moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today marks the 50th anniversary of that very first Earth Day. I\u2019m now 63 years old, and I still haven\u2019t littered. And, for those of you who know me, you know simply not littering was just scratching the surface of who I would become. Those of you who don\u2019t know me, read some of my past blog posts here at thesimpleHOUSE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I want to briefly talk about today is the opportunity we have during this pandemic that has shut most of the world down. Industry, vehicle travel, air travel, and many other segments of our economy have ground mostly to a halt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in that, people in India can see the Himalayas for the first time in 30 years because the air is cleaner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The water in the canals in Venice are becoming clearer because of less pollution from the gas-powered boats. (The dolphin story circulating is actually false, by the way).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Largely due to the reduction in travel via internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, the air in Los Angeles is much clearer, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have an opportunity during this crisis to adjust our way of thinking.<\/strong> Will we have the fortitude to actually do that, or will we, when the pandemic has passed, simply return to \u201clife as normal?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We don\u2019t have to; and we shouldn\u2019t return to normal. We have an opportunity here to truly and significantly shift to electric cars, renewable energy, reusable over disposable and many other choices we can (and should) make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need to be much better stewards of this planet we have been entrusted to care for. Again, those of you who know me, know my environmental focus is also a spiritual focus. And those of you who don\u2019t know me, again, read some of my past blog posts here at thesimpleHOUSE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today marks 50 years of focus on caring for this planet on which we live. We have an opportunity at this turning point in global history. Let\u2019s seize it.
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fifty years ago today, I was finishing my eighth grade year at Madison Junior High in Eugene, Oregon. My social studies and language arts teachers, Gary Folkker and Tony Mohr had our class participate in this event called \u201cEarth Day.\u201d We walked around the neighborhood on Wilkes Drive, where our school was located, and picked … <\/p>\n

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