Earth Day, April 22, 2006

Honoring our Home, Planet Earth

Resources for Children, Youth, Families and Religious Educators
By Dr. Tracey L. Hurd and Barbara Gifford
UUA Lifespan Faith Development Staff Group

We are a family living together, sharing our home, Planet Earth. We depend on each other to care for this home. Sometimes we do this well, and sometimes we do not. In the spring as new life emerges from winter's frosts, we turn our attention to the shared trust that we hold in each other to care for our home, the Earth. We join together to raise awareness of the need to tend our home, to honor the fragility of its resources and celebrate the abundance of life it supports. As Unitarian Universalists we bring our belief in the interdependent web of life, as spiritual grounding for this work. We observe and celebrate Earth Day .

Earth Day originates in the hearts and minds of all those who care about tending this environment. Any day that we intentionally care for our Earth is an earth day. And any moment we nurture our shared home, by recycling or picking up litter, or choosing to bicycle instead of using a car, we are honoring our Earth. There is more than one story about the origins of the official holiday: the United Nations tolled bells to honor the work of environmentalist John McConnell  who started an earth day observance on the spring equinox. The Earth Day held annually on April 22 nd is the more well-known observance. It memorializes the work of former Senator Gaylord Nelson , who is often called "the father of Earth Day." Thirty-five years ago, Nelson combined his commitment to peace with his care for the earth and held an environmental teach-in with millions of people from around the world. This marked the start of international Earth Day.

This year the 2006 Earth Day will focus on world climate change —global warming—and our need to take steps together to shelter our planet from toxins and protect it from unhealthy change. The threat of global warming is also the Unitarian Universalist Study Action Issue for 2004-2006. That means that we, as an association of congregations, are studying what we need to do to care for this earth together. We know we can make a difference. When we as individuals consciously reduce energy consumption, reduce waste, or practice voluntary simplicity we make a difference. If we join together, we can do even more.

This Earth Day, take time to learn more about what is happening to our natural home. Choose a small step to take on your own, with children, as a family, or as a congregation. This is part of our responsibility to each other and part of building a beloved community. These woods, these waters, this earth is ours to hold. Together we can care for this home, our sacred planet Earth.

For further information:

• Congregational Story
• Earth Day & Global Warming: Frequently Asked Questions and Resources for All

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