Care More, Do Better
"No one is too small to make a difference." ~ Greta Thunberg
To celebrate Earth Day, which is on Monday, April 22, today we’re sharing Ella’s thoughts on how you can care more and do better.
Ella
There are billions of animals, plants, and humans sharing this one Earth. By living, we are using resources that will no longer be available to those who come after us. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t do our best to take care of the planet for future generations. The whole world benefits if we each do our small part to care more and do better.
As a dog, I didn’t have a lot of control over my footprint, but I was glad to have parents who did their best to treat all beings and the Earth with care. We lived fairly simply. Mom tried not to accumulate too much “stuff.” She had a lot of hobbies, so she did own things that allowed her to do what she loved (like bikes, a kayak, and a paddle board), but she didn’t put a lot of value on material things. Her brother used to tease her that the television in our house was smaller than his computer monitor, but it didn’t bother her. We liked to have experiences more than possessions.
While Mom transitioned to eating mostly plant-based to protect her heart health, she also did it so that she wasn’t contributing to the harm to animals and the planet that occurs in animal agriculture. She was worried about the harm caused by growing feed for animals versus growing plants that people can eat directly. A lot of land and water is tied up in animal agriculture. There are also a lot of chemicals used in conventional farming that harm the soil, so she bought local and organic when possible.
Mom didn’t like having to use so many plastic bags to clean up my poop on walks and hikes, but there weren’t a lot of alternatives. She did manage to find some compostable bags so that she could clean up after me without using so much plastic. She also reused and recycled what she could. Mom avoided using single-use produce bags and grocery bags. She bought glass containers for leftover food.
Mom even tried her hand at growing some of her own food. Her garden didn’t do that great, but she did her best. I enjoyed the cherry tomatoes that she grew in pots in the backyard. I also thought the corn she grew was delicious, but she wasn’t amused that I ate most of it before she could pick the cobs. I thought it was all up for grabs since it was in the backyard, which, let’s be honest, is my territory. Mala liked the cucumbers. Mom got mad at her when she picked the first one of the season, so when Mala picked the second one, she took just one bite and then brought the rest of it to Mom for her to eat. Before another one could grow, Mala pulled the whole plant out of the ground, so that was the end of the cucumbers.
Some people don’t seem to care that they’re consuming at a rate that is using up precious resources and harming the planet. I think that if you can do better, you should try. We all need to care about the impact that our actions have on those around us. We only have this one Earth, and she needs to be treated with respect. We can’t just take, take, take, without pausing to think about how we can ensure there’s enough for everyone.