Earth Day Guilt

Hawaii. I mean seriously. This is our world. Stop being so gorgeous.

When I was in High School, I had this hideous yellow t-shirt that I used to wear only on Earth Day. It said something like, "Save the Trees" or something equally statement-y but it was the only tradition I kept despite my peers mocking my "hippie" ways.

I went to college in Duluth where there is a loud voice for activism and because hindsight is 20/20, I know I could have been a bigger participant in standing up for things I believed in. Instead, I went to parties, took a lot of naps and whined about finals, giving little thought to other things that mattered to me or the grand scheme of the universe.

Earth Day comes each year and I have a pang of guilt for all the days I opted for Netflix instead of going out and volunteering or planting trees. I get really bummed out that part of me didn't embrace the "hippie" persona and do it any justice for that era of my life. I chose to otherwise fawn over Abercrombie and Victoria's Secret like all the other boring girls of my generation. *Hey! What's going' on?*-- A&F Tagline du jour.

Today I think about where I was and shake my head with a silly grin because this kind of self-deprication is unfair to myself. I am who I am. I did what I did, and nothing is truer than true. Just kidding. I won't get all Dr. Seuss-y but the reality is I can't change the past.

If I had my way, I would win the lottery and I would want to dedicate a lot of my energy to a charity like celebrities do. I would push for a clean water initiative, plant a lot of trees, try to slow deforestation and try to support sustainable farming. But since I'm not a millionaire, those plans will have to wait. Those are both past and future thoughts, right now, I will do what I can with what I've got:

• I donate to a foundation that plants a tree in your name every year. It's not a lot, but it's something. 
• I try to discourage my friends from burning plastic, saving the Ozone layer from another battle against the disposable water bottle.
• I utilize re-usable bags whenever possible, and always carry my items from the store instead of taking a bag (That's why I have a big purse, and if I carried it to the register, why can't I also carry it from?).
• I DIY when it makes sense, and buy when it uses more materials (including gas for traveling from store-to-store to gather materials) to DIY than it would just to purchase. Eventually I'll buy the expensive T-shirts that use recycled materials, but for now that isn't in my budget and going broke with an up-cycled v-neck benefits nobody.

Earth Day shouldn't be a battle between you and your conscience, it's a friendly reminder to do what you can, with what you've got. 

Happy Earth Day, friends!