Professor Daniel Wildcat, a Yuchi member of Muscogee Creek Nation, states, “To me every day is Earth Day, every day is Thanksgiving Day, and every day is Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Many folks living in Indian Country recognize the inadequacy of setting aside one day a year—in our case the first Peoples of this land even get a month in U.S. schools and colleges—to honor and practice something everyone should do every day. These national events/celebrations remind our tribal nations of the great challenges they face in creating places in this carbon fueled industrially supported post-industrial consumer society, where our future generations can live in communities where folks participate in economic, political and cultural systems of life-enhancement. I think the great leaders of this century will be indigenous leaders who give thanks everyday for the gift of life we receive and the responsibilities we have to all our relations on this beautiful blue green planet.” (1)
At NICOA we agree with Professor Daniel Wildcat that everyday should be Earth Day, however, we still want to highlight April 22nd as Earth Day because it is important to have a reminder, especially since Earth Day’s usually have a specific focus. On this Earth Day, the focus is on changing human attitudes and behaviors about plastic to end plastic pollution. Plastics have been a very concerning issue for our earth, as the Earth Day Network states “From poisoning and injuring marine life to disrupting human hormones, from littering our beaches and landscapes to clogging our waste streams and landfills, the exponential growth of plastics is now threatening the survival of our planet.” (2)
To learn more about what you can do this Earth Day visit www.earthday.org, and for what you as an individual can do this Earth Day to help end plastic pollution visit www.earthday.org/yourjourney2018/. For more quotes from Natives about Earth Day visit Indian Country Today, a wonderful resource for Native news.
Sources
- Hansen, T. (2015, April 22). ‘Every Day Is Earth Day’: 5 Indigenous Insights on the Health of Our Mother. Retrieved April 18, 2018, from https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/news/environment/every-day-is-earth-day-5-indigenous-insights-on-the-health-of-our-mother/
- Earth Day Network. (n.d.). Earth Day 2018. Retrieved April 18, 2018, from https://www.earthday.org/
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