Welcome to April everyone! What a time to be alive! This month holds a date that is on the calendars of every environmental organization, Earth Day! This years theme is environment and climate literacy, focusing on the educating humanity so that we are informed and inspired to take action. This theme is important because our understanding of the issues we are dealing with are the foundations of our efforts, but what has happened for far too long is continual focus on literacy. We see this in the reports published and the climate conferences attended, the literacy is impressively defined – yet, action fails to follow. What are words if their intentions and meaning are not followed? They are hollow. Unfortunately, this has continued to happen for many decades, we even see this with the first anniversary of the signing of the Paris Climate Conference on Earth Day 2016. The truth is, education, reflection and action must be united in order to create change. All of this means that there has never been a more critical time than now to jump in and find out what’s happening on the earth, reflect on what we love about our planet, and to get involved in the protection and healing of our surroundings!

There is a constant push and pull that we experience on earth, an ebb and flow, like the ocean that is continually inhaling and exhaling with the course of its tide. Balancing this push and pull in life is always one of our greatest endeavours, and I believe one these balancing acts is represented in the way we understand, relate to and operate in our environment. On the one hand, it is essential we learn the hardships our planet faces, the extinction of species, loss of coral, landscapes excavated, coasts eroded. In dealing with these circumstances, it is healthy to grieve, as poet and ecologist Robin Kimmerer states,

“until we can grieve for our planet we cannot love it—grieving is a sign of spiritual health. But it is not enough to weep for our lost landscapes; we have to put our hands in the earth to make ourselves whole again. Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair.”

As Kimmerer points out, this balancing act means enjoying our sacred time on the earth, doing what we love, and getting active in making a positive difference. When we are proactive we are coming from an inspired place; a perspective that is both optimistic and productive. There are ingenious solutions constantly being developed all over the world that are a testament to this reality. We can be a part of this by taking part in solutions that resonate with the area we live in and the interests that we have.

Humanity’s relationship with the environment varies widely and is reflective of our diverse nature. As you read this, someone paints a cityscape in Central Park, at the same time children play in the Ganges River in India. In the United Kingdom, people line up to visit Eden, the world’s largest human created indoor rainforest. Meanwhile, on our foggy coast we play amongst our temperate rainforest that still freely stands, and we continue to stand for. In the Pacific Rim we may drink an ancient elixir brewed with local kelp while singing songs by a beach fire, or prepare the plentiful amounts of kale growing in our backyards. We might discover a hidden cove in the forest to snap photos with our friends for social media, attend a course to learn the insights of the Nuu-chah-nulth language, and find a rocky crevice to reflect upon while the ocean crashes its symphony of waves along the jagged shoreline. These are all ways we interact with our environment, and we are as much a part of our habitats as the black bear that journeys down to the ocean at low tide to turn over stones carved by time.

IMAGE SOURCE: MARCUS PALADINO

These diverse experiences that wrap around the earth create a mixed palette of inspiration that colours our lives and the way we deal with our environmental issues at hand. Again, like us and our locales, the solutions we develop to deal with our environmental issues are as multifaceted as we are. Being part of the unique solutions in our communities also facilitates us growing into our best selves and beneficial members in the wonderful web of life. From this, we learn from each others solutions, and through greater unity, we go forward with more knowledge and wisdom. At Surfrider, we practice this through a powerful activist network – we have 84 chapters around the world. We have the collective mission to protect and enjoy the beaches, coastlines and waves, but the different chapters have autonomy in deciding what issues are relevant to their location. We are also independent in choosing and creating solutions that fit in with our distinctive communities. We embrace our difference, but our goals remain the same! The fact that there is a spectrum of positive solutions being developed and practiced is something to celebrate this Earth Day!

We are more aware of the unfortunate news. So, let’s not get into that. Instead, consider these initiatives happening: in urban areas, Toronto has become a leader for living green roofs. Every new residential, institutional and commercial project of 2,000 square metres or more is now required under bylaw to contain a green roof. In Indonesia, the youth led organization Bye Bye Plastic Bag organized this country’s largest beach clean up this past February, covering all of Bali’s coastline in just one day, picking up 40 tonnes of waste that is now being properly managed. This organization has been putting pressure on Indonesia to reduce and eliminate plastic bags for the last three years. Now, the Government of Indonesia has pledged up to a billion dollars a year to reduce the amount of plastics and waste that are polluting the waters. In Scotland, Kite Power Solutions is using what most people consider a toy of recreation for harnessing renewable energy, using kites to capture wind energy on the ocean! Next time you are out on the water kitesurfing, remember the power of the kite!

Now, let’s look at some cool rural initiatives. In Paraguay, the Recycled Orchestra was started to provide music opportunities to youth from an underprivileged community called Cateura, which is practically built on top of one of the country’s largest landfills. This social initiative addresses the environmental issue of extreme waste by turning materials from the landfill into musical instruments! This has brought global attention to the issue of consumption and waste management, as well as the environmental racism occurring through disadvantaged communities living next to, and on top of, hazardous landfills. In the Bocas Islands there is an intentional eco-community that is built entirely out of plastic bottles that have washed onto the shores. This has saved millions of plastic bottles from being incinerated or sent to landfill, teaching locals and tourists about the importance of recycling and reducing plastics. In Tofino, Surfrider Pacific Rim is going forward with the Rise Above Plastics Program to reduce and eliminate single use plastics. This past March, Surfrider organized Stitch ‘n’ Beach reusable bag making project, a fun community project that has created 1000 reusable bags! These bags are now being given out at the Co-op Grocery Store, making it easier to reduce our plastic footprints, thanks to all the incredible volunteers that made this challenge a success! The examples of amazing solutions happening across every culture, continent, and discipline go on and on. Find them, create them, get involved, and get ready for Surfrider’s upcoming beach clean ups, campaigns, entertaining projects and sweet events to get us involved in protecting what we love! Together, we can accomplish anything!