Celebrate Earth Day In Wausau With Us

For those who love and respect the natural world, Mother Earth, and for those who love the people we share this very special planet with, this has been a troubling year.  As never before, both our planet and her people have been under assault, in rhetoric and in executive order.  This has been a year of angry divisiveness, splintering the human family with hatred. It’s also been a year of “drill baby drill” for dirty fossil fuels and price increases, and a  rejection of clean, stably priced solar and wind energy.  When it comes to renewable energy and battery technology, the rest of the world is going forward into the future, while much of America remains anchored to the past.  Not an optimistic prognosis for the economy our children will make their way in.

Perhaps you are the kind of person who loves people in all their enriching diversity, someone who yearns for harmonious unity.  Perhaps a healthy, thriving natural world is important to you and is worth protecting and caring for.  In that case I urge you to join the folks from the Citizen’s Climate Lobby and NAOMI in celebration of Earth Day, and the whole family of Earth’s people.  In the words of Potawatomi botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer we will “plant baby plant”.  Fifteen trees in total, mostly fruiting trees for all to enjoy.  And, most importantly, we plant together as one family, regardless of racial heritage, gender identity, religious preference or political preference.  After the trees are planted we will speak from the heart in a Talking Circle.

The date for our Earth Day celebration is April 25th.  The time is 11AM.  The place is Schofield Park at 606 E. Randolph Street, on the west side of the river, and north of Bridge Street.

In today’s America we desperately need the principle of mutual respect to guide us.  The Ojibwe call it Gidinawendimin, meaning “We are all related.”    We long for a sense of deep community, not just among all people, but also with the rest of nature.  We could all use a lot more Gidinawendimin if the natural world – the Earth we share with all that is – is to heal and thrive.  We, just as desperately need that Gidinawendimin sense of deep community to properly celebrate and care for humanity, in all our marvelous complexity and diversity.  It is in the celebration of diversity, then, that we come together to honor our home, our Mother Earth – and one another.  We genuinely hope to welcome you on Earth Day.