It’s Earth Day ~ A Family Celebration

– “Earth Day is Every Day,” said my daughter Elyssa recently. I fully agree, yet I still support having a “one-day celebration”. 

Like with any holiday (Thanksgiving for gratitude, Christmas for giving, Mother’s and Father’s Day for family, etc.), while it’s fun to celebrate and get on the trend-train, the real purpose is to carry on the “holiday spirit” throughout the year.

The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970. It was designed by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson to inspire awareness and appreciation for the wonderful delights we sometimes take for granted as citizens of this planet.

We are so richly blessed! We inherited a beautiful home. Our home planet is furnished with everything we need to be happy. We share our home with a community of amazing beings, all playing strategic parts on the complex yet simply beautiful design that is our planet Earth.

Let’s be every-day advocates of water and energy conservation, pollution prevention, and sustainability; maintaining the precious resources available to us here on this planet. The Earth is our home and our legacy to future generations. The example we set as parents today will have an impact in our planet’s tomorrow.

Here are some creative ideas to teach our children to celebrate Mother Earth:

• Go outside together as a family. Observe nests, trees, ponds…teach them to appreciate the beauty of nature.
• Practice activities such as walks, hikes, and bike rides to help you stay fit, healthy and improve your relationship with Earth by saving car miles and gasoline.
• Go shopping together for the perfect stainless steel bottle. The girls and I each got our favorite color. It was fun and they learned why plastic must be avoided whenever possible.
• Teach your kids that “one’s trash is another’s treasure”. Rather than throwing things away, donate them to a thrift store. My girls have developed compassion for others with less resources, great perspective, and a valuable lesson on reusable material.
• Set an example reducing your carbon footprint. Kids, tweens and teens love computers! Tell them how you stopped junk mail and paper statements, blog, use e-mail newsletters, e-cards,YouTube video, social networking, PDF presentations and virtual fliers, or at times using a Kindle, Nook or iPad iBooks to read your favorite magazines or books.

Lather, Rinse[Reuse, Reduce, Recycle, Restore, Replenish]…Repeat!

Just imagine organizing cleaning your house or apartment one day out of the whole year! By doing a little bit every day, you can make “our home” a more livable lovable place where happy energy continually flows.

Founder of the Positive MOM® and creator of the S.T.O.R.Y. System: a blueprint to craft and share powerful stories that will transform your results and help others do the same. Dr. Elayna Fernández is a single mom of 4, an award-winning Storyteller, Story Strategist, and Student of Pain. She’s a bestselling author, internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, and 5x TEDx speaker. She has spoken at the United Nations, received the President’s Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award, and was selected as one of the Top Impactful Leaders and a Woman of Influence by SUCCESS Magazine. Connect with Elayna at thepositivemom.com/ef and follow @thepositivemom. To receive a gift from Elayna, click HERE.

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