Editor,
Earth Day was Apr. 22, which is followed by Mother’s Day on May 10. Just as we honor, respect and love our mothers every day of the year, so too should we make sure to love and care for Mother Earth daily. It is nice to have a special day of recognition, but every day should be Earth Day. We may not physically be able to be with our mothers on Mothers’ Day 2020, but we never are apart from our other Mother – she is always beneath our feet, outside our window, above our heads. We must not take her nurturing for granted.
The global pandemic has us focusing on what is truly important. Human health is foremost. We speak about flattening the curve, getting “back to normal.” But “normal” has been the extinction of species, the deadly amount of carbon dioxide warming the planet. The curves representing the extinction of species and the warming of the planet look a lot like the Coronavirus curve. Let’s flatten all these curves. We can. We must. Our survival depends on it.
The health of the planet is intrinsically connected to our health. As Bill McKibben recently wrote in The New Yorker on Apr.16, “It turns out, not surprisingly, that if you’ve got diabetes or hypertension, or have a suppressed immune system, you’re far more likely to be felled by covid-19….” Many health problems are linked to environmental degradation. Let’s get healthy and stay healthy by keeping Mother Earth healthy.
GAIL BUCKLAND
