Spring is upon us and it feels so good to both begin to see sunny days as well as be grateful for the rain and snow we were given this past winter. Mother Nature’s delivery system has become much more aggressive with atmospheric rivers, etc., I think we’d all agree that it’s better than the alternative drought scenario. With these last few years of wet winter weather, those days of California drought alerts seem like a distant past. I remember flying over California and seeing discarded croplands, our local reservoirs at their lowest levels, and even companies springing up that were offering to come to your house and use special paint to spray your brown yard fresh grass green since watering grass had become taboo. With that said, I’m still perplexed by the fact that it takes about 3 gallons of water to produce one almond and 18 gallons to produce an avocado (full disclosure, I love almonds and avocados) and big agriculture water rights seem untouchable.
There are some very interesting articles on this topic written by the California Water Impact Network should you be interested in learning more. Climate change and how each of us can make an individual impact can be confusing. What to eat, what not to eat, what kind of water to drink, packaging waste, how to travel, what type of garden to grow, the questions are different for all of us. But with all of this said, I remain optimistic that we will figure it out and in time regain honor as stewards of this beautiful planet. I have great hope in our next generation with their maturity and educated awareness of our times.
When talking to one of my daughters about Earth Day this past week, I was personally inspired by her excitement and what she and her friends were already planning to do in celebration. They’re having a plant sale, and each of the plants are going to have a name and bio to go along with it to try and create a different type of experience and connection to the plants, how fun it that! I think the inspiration I got from our discussion came from the fact that she (at her young age) still has hope. I too have hope, as should we all. April 22nd is Earth Day and as a parent I find myself thinking about the planet our kids will inherit and yes, I have hope. Solar power, wind turbines, electric cars, and new technologies continue to make their way onto the scene to help reduce energy use and waste. If each of us does what we can, we can make a difference.
Happy Earth Day, and Earth Month!