Today is Earth Day, a day when all over the world, people are taking the time to appreciate this beautiful planet which we live on. Earth Day was first created n 1970 in response to an oil spill disaster off the West Coast of the USA. According to Earthday.org, the creation of Earth Day as an awareness-raising event led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency in the USA. 

But how exactly can we help to protect the Earth?

To me, it is important to look at the world and all the problems we face from a holistic perspective. Permaculture is a great tool to help with this. Using permaculture design, we can turn ‘problems into solutions’ by looking at what is needed and where we can get this from.

For example, the theme of this year’s Earth Day is ‘Planet vs. Plastics’. It is probably clear to all readers that there is a problem of overproduction of plastic and plastic waste n the world today. But in order to solve this problem, we need to look at it holistically. It is not enough to stop people from using plastic bags if we are still using a food system where food is produced far away from the consumers, and has to be transported and preserved. As Masanobu Fukuoka, author of ‘The One-Straw Revolution’, pointed out, “Until there is a reversal of the sense of values which cares more for size and appearance than for quality, there will be no solving the problem of food pollution.”

Appreciating the Earth has to begin on a personal level. We can look around us and find the beauty of the natural world, wherever we are. When we appreciate small, beautiful things, such as a cherry tree in full bloom, a dandelion peeking out of a crack in a pavement, or a sunset panting the sky rose and gold, we can begin to feel as though we are a part of nature. Then there is no ‘vs’ anything; we can look at solutions which recognise that we are a part of a magnificent web.

As Masanobu Fukuoka said, “Just to live here and now—this is the true basis of human life.”

If you are interested in learning more about holistic design and permaculture, please feel free to book a class with me.