Earth Day for Outdoors People

(Also Posted on Doing Stuff Outdoors.)

Earth Day has come and gone. In this part of the world it was a beautiful spring day, probably one of the nicest days we’ve seen so far. Winter has had a tendency to hang in longer than normal this year.

People celebrated Earth Day here in much the same way as in other places around the world. Children planted trees. Both kids and adults participated in beach cleanups and park cleanups. There were musical concerts and hotdogs and burgers. In Rockwood Park in the middle of the city of Saint John people could go for a hike and even try out rock climbing. It was a festive day and I’m sure everyone participating enjoyed it.

The message to help the environment and take care of the earth is the same as it has always been since the very first Earth Day in 1970. Picking up garbage on beaches and trails is a good thing to do. Encouraging people to recycle, use energy efficient light bulbs and turn the thermostat down are all good ideas. It’s what we all should be doing every day. And given all the media attention about global warming and the sorry state of the environment, none of this is new or surprising, especially for those of us who love the outdoors.

For outdoor people every day we spend outside hiking or skiing, riding our mountain bike or just going for a walk is a celebration of Earth Day. We know how special it is following a trail through a forest and discovering a waterfall we didn’t know was there. We know how breathtakingly beautiful it can be climbing a mountain on skis and standing on the summit breathing in the view before jumping into knee deep powder for that floating descent to the valley below. We know how awe inspiring it is to see a whale breach or stare at a summer night’s sky so full of stars it almost hurts our eyes. We all have our own special outdoor moments. Adventures and experiences that we always remember, that help make us who we are. If we are true outdoor people we always treat the forest and water and air with respect and love. We don’t need to celebrate Earth Day once a year because we do it every time we go into the outdoors.