Today is Earth Day, a day many people get involved in Earth activities or it gets swept under the carpet. I have always loved the day. It's a day to celebrate annually, though we should be caring for Mother Earth daily It's a day to highlight environmental protection and promote sustainability. The day can feature many things to get involved with, or we can just change our ways to protect and serve, like neighborhood tree plantings, creating a bird or bee habitat, liter pickups, or just unplugging things not in use frequently or turning off lights and things when not in a room, using grocery reuseable bags or a market basket INSTEAD of those dreaded damn plastic bags! I never go to the farmers market without my trusty basket to put everything in. Or it could be as simple as donating to so many various animal and environmental charities and agencies. I got a small group of us at work to go today to a park in Mechanicsburg to do a litter pick up, and once home, it's a day to make an extra contribution to several of the charities I belong to. Since I was in Philly for the weekend, another great way to have a fun day and do something to make a difference is look into your local parks!!!
I'm amazed at the parks in Philadelphia, which has almost over 63 park spaces in and around the city...Fairmount Park being one of the largest urban landscaped park systems in the US. So, this year I decided my new charity to give to this year is Friends of Rittenhouse Square, since I can't be there in person. I saw a booth this weekend and signed up. Rittenhouse Square, which is the fourth oldest park in the US, is like many other parks in the county. They need care and help, maintaining and improving to keep them around for our respite. Friends of Rittenhouse work tirelessly to help transform the Square into a place of peace and inspiration like litter removal, cleaning graffiti, planting flowers, weeding, and tending to gardens, clearing leaves, mowing lawns...or just donating or volunteering time, to a fund or group if they have one, and some parks even have benches you can buy and have placed in memory of someone. Our parks are more important than ever, what with urban crawl and development, or funds being cut off completely to maintain them. All these photos are fine example of parks in Philly I have taken over the years. 
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So many ways to give, or donate money or time too this Earth Day. Time to protect the environments and our animal and insect world before it's too late. Here are my primary groups I usually give too on Earth Day.
And if interested in parks, check out your Parks and Recreations section of your local or city's website to see if they have a donations section or have a volunteer program.
And Happy Earth Day!
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The park system in Ohio is one of the best, referred to as The Emerald Necklace, it spans the entire state with many parks joining at some point. Here? it's pretty sad...they'd rather think of the gaming properties as parks.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that is very sad.
DeleteI always love a good Japanese Garden! We have one here at the University of Alberta Botanic Garden just outside of Edmonton.
ReplyDeleteFairmount Park is where this one is. Fairmount is so big and has so many different parts and looks of the park its insane.... and mind you ...not that you would probably care, but a lovely park to sit and look at all the shirtless male eye candy running...and bouncing.
DeleteOur nearest botanic garden doesn't boast a Japanese garden but it is the oldest botanic garden in the UK. When I was a child my favourite was the pond in one of the glass houses, featuring brilliantly coloured fish darting under the lily leaves. My daughter loved it too. Based on a small island in a tributary of the Thames the garden is an idylic place to visit on a beautiful spring day like today.
ReplyDeleteWere the fish koi fish? I love watching them swim. One of the greenhouses I go to, to get plants has a lovely koi pond. Some of them are large too.
DeleteLovely post!
ReplyDeleteEarth Day
ReplyDeleteTime to reflect and take action on ways to protect Earth from those that wish to destroy Earth.
Luv me some Japanese garden, we have a great one at the Huntington Gardens over in Pasadena, it’s magical.
CA jock
It can’t be a great city without great parks. Here’s hoping more attention is given to Mother Earth.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Maddie! Cumulative positive actions, however small, are important. And environmental awareness and protection begins with educating children. Happy Earth Day!
ReplyDeleteI have no wonder if they even teacher Earth Day in schools anymore. I know we had a few classes on Earth Day. If not, that is sad.
DeleteThat park , sublime x
ReplyDeletePhiladelphia is full of them squire.
DeleteHappy Earth Day to you! Thank you for all the beautiful pictures from Philadelphia. I want to show them to my older friend Paulette, who is a native of Philly and misses it. Everything is just gorgeous!
ReplyDeletePlease do! Everybody I know that used to live in Philly and move the way misses it terribly. It's such a beautiful cultural City and it's not overwhelming like say New York City.
DeleteAbsolutely!
ReplyDeleteWe need MORE green spaces, not less. Mother Earth is gonna come one day and slap us silly.
Happy Earth Day!
XOXO
You know that as an Old Hippie, every Day for me is Earth Day, but I'm glad they do designate at least one Awareness Day a Year that hopefully will instill good Habits in folks to do more. Philly does have some ahhhmazing Parks and Natural areas, all of Pennsylvania does, where our Oldest Daughter and Family live in Pittsburgh looks like a Norman Rockwell Painting it's so bucolic.
ReplyDeleteI hear you!!!! I was taught to really love the earth and give back from my late aunt and uncle. All their kids are pretty much hippies too! lol!!!!! My two cousins one in Cali and the other in Washington state, both run community farms. Happy Earth Day Dawn! 🌳🌼🍀🌞🌎
DeleteOur little town has done wonders keeping green spaces that were put in place in the 19th century--there are several park-like squares throughout Camden--and then adding more spaces now.
ReplyDeleteOur new mayor even helped pass legislation to curb growth and add more green spaces.
Kudos to Camden!!!!!
DeleteThis is a beautiful post and important message for the day! Happy Earth Day!
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice and creative way to bring the post together for Earth Day! And some very worthy charities to give to also. Any bit of what we can do only helps. A shame the US current administration doesn't see it that way. If up to him, he'd have all the parks and state lands ripped up for mining or development.
ReplyDeleteWilliam and I were friends of Rittenhouse when we lived on the main line. I miss Philly terribly.
Happy Earth Day Mistress!
I remember the first Earth Day and also recall Jimmy Carter as president being mocked for his environmentalism. If only more people would have paid attention to him . . .
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
It's funny - I was having a crapola day and then saw this post for earth day (baraka) and suddenly feel very just...I don't know, at peace. We are so blessed in this city. and our planet is very beautiful :)
ReplyDeleteNow I just need to remember that EVERY day. Happy Earth Day Maddie.
This is a beautiful post!! Also so very true. Thank you for sharing the perfect post for Earth Day and way to help. There are so many ways and things to do.
ReplyDeleteHappy Earth day!
ReplyDeleteThe parks are so very beautiful! We have two in our town. One is ok. No flowers but trees and sports facilities. The other was once very beautiful with a heated glasshouse containing ferns, orchids etc.
The council has "no money". The glass house is smashed up and decent folks are afraid to use the park. So many drug dealers. It's a terrible shame.
Oh that sounds like it would be so lovely what a shame. Now see that would be a good idea for your counsel to have a donation program. Once Parks go into decline they just get worse. And to have a glass house in the park would even be more special. I don't know what sense it makes people think it's fun to deface property.
DeleteI went for a walk through the park myself today. The weather was beautiful for Earth Day.
ReplyDeleteIt started out rainy here this morning but by noon it got down right beautiful.
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