Happy Earth Day 2021!

 Hey Jammers! I still have work to do so this is just going to be a quick post today, but I thought it was needed because of what day it is today c:

Yes... today, April 22nd, is National Jelly Bean Day. 

Wait, no– 

Well, yeah, it is National Jelly Bean Day... but it's also Earth Day, and that's a lot more exciting :D (to me anyway!)

> photo credit to NASA <

I just love the Earth. Aside from the obvious reasons, isn't it so pretty? Isn't it such a miracle that our planet is so full of life when most planets have none at all?

That's part of why it's so important to protect it. Life is fragile, and we all have to do what we can to support each other– humans, plants, animals, everyone. 

While reducing pollution and waste is incredibly important, it's kind of a cliche at this point that it's usually the only thing that gets talked about during Earth Day. 

For today, what I wanted to use this short post to focus on is the idea of unity. You as an individual are part of the vast web of beautiful ecosystems that make up our precious planet– you're just as much a part of nature as a beetle, a flower, a crystal, or a cheetah. 

> photo credit to Gil Wizen <

A lot of destruction and terrible things have happened to our planet. There are many convoluted reasons that corporations use to justify tearing up the land and causing untold millions of animals and plants to loose their homes and go extinct... 

But ultimately, I think a lot of this destruction happens because we believe that humans are somehow separate from the rest of nature. Separate from the consequences of our actions, and separate from our dependence on the wellbeing of all other beings on Earth. Separate from the wellbeing of each other.

But the impacts of climate change are showing people that our actions do matter. The fact that human-caused pollution has caused devastating wildfires, storms, and heatwaves to become dramatically more frequent is only proof of our being a part of nature– and proof that we, as a member of nature, are aggressively not doing our part. 

...but also, remember when air quality became so much better early on during the pandemic because people weren't driving, flying, or operating factories as much? That's proof that if enough of us do our part, we can make things so much better. 

We might feel separated from the world within our four walls, but I want you to know that you're never alone. You're never isolated. There is life all around you, and every plant and animal has their own perspective– their own story to tell. You do too, and your feelings matter.

Humans are animals like any other– and that is not a derogatory thing. That's a beautiful thing, because it means we're not alone in this world. 

I hope you enjoyed this emotional post and I hope that you have a wonderful Earth Day today– or just a wonderful day in general, however you choose to spend it c:

If you would like some ideas for how you can help the environment on a day-to-day basis, or if you want to start making an environmental new year's resolution (ayyy I just came up with that), I made a few fun informational posts in 2018 that have some easy green ideas in them:

> Earth Week post #1 <

> Earth Week post #2 <

> Earth Week post #3 <

> Earth Week post #4 <

> Earth Week post #5 <

I'd completely forgotten that I'd made these, but I think you might like them! I used Animal Jam screenshots to act out the different ideas :)

Until next time...

Happy Earth Day, and see you in Jamaa!