Faith, my father and Earth Day

For me, it isn’t a coincidence that Earth Day fell on a Sunday. I think it always does.
At a young age, my wonderfully wise and quirky father – who, interestingly, was a research scientist by profession – taught me that faith and nature are deeply connected. And we have nothing short of a calling to care for this planet.

Crane Lake in Northern Ontario, where my father built our family cottage.

An immigrant who remains deeply passionate about Canada’s wide-open places, my father also taught me that our lands, fresh waters, forests and the creatures that inhabit these places are truly a sacred gift – one that we are trusted to protect for generations to come.

My father and youngest daughter, Sophie.

Since ancient times, various cultures (some faith-based, others pagan, and especially all First Nations people) have celebrated the bounty of the Earth, and regarded “Mother Nature” as a force greater than us all. We often seek out nature as a place to reflect, nourish and restore our spirits.
This lesson rang out to me yesterday morning while I was at a local community centre. A leader of the children and teens group told them: “When it comes to the Earth, you have an IOU from your parents and all adults. What do you want them to give you?”
The replies rang out:

• “A healthy planet that we can raise our own kids on some day.”
• “Fresh water.”
• “Clean air.”
• “Animals that our parents and grandparents got to see.”
• “Big parks to play in.”
• “The ability to grow up in a healthy environment.” (Which should be a right for all children.)

 
What I learnt on Sunday is that Earth Day needs to be every day.
We need to work for a living planet as if our lives depended on it – because they really do. And at the very least, we owe it to our kids to fight for their future.
Tell us: What lessons did you learn on Earth Day? And do you plan to make every day Earth Day?
Kathryn Dorell is the editor-in-chief with WWF Canada.