In sixth grade, I was told to come up with a four syllable word as part of a homework assignment. That evening,
I wandered into the living room at 160 Oak Ridge Avenue where my parents were having their nightly before dinner drink and conversation. Anxious to get this assignment over with, I asked Dad for a suggestion. He didn't hesitate.
"CONSERVATION" was his answer. He went on to define it and I decided it was a word worth knowing.
Conservation |ˌkänsərˈvā sh ən|
noun
the action of conserving something, in particular
• preservation, protection, or restoration of the natural environment, natural ecosystems, vegetation, and wildlife.
• prevention of excessive or wasteful use of a resource.
On this Earth Day, may you ponder this word and think what it means to you.
Conserving land from development, preventing deforestation, leaving coal and natural resources in the ground and exploring alternative forms of "clean" energy, conserving fuel, conserving electricity, the list goes on.
Earth Day was started in the 1970's when caring for the earth was kind of a hippie movement. Environmentalists were considered "tree huggers". Caring for the Earth has taken on a new level of urgency and complexity now, with global warning acknowledged as a serious threat to life as we know it.
As for today, celebrate this amazing blue planet we live on. Take a walk and notice the spender that is our home.
3 comments:
The splendor lives in the city. Each day I marvel and the timeless beauty of the Hudson River as I walk across the george washington Bridge.
April 22 in New York City....1970.
The first Earth Day. What a day!!
I had just been transferred from Seoul, Korea to NYC for six months. I walked out of work at noon and over to Fifth Ave....closed for lunch hour...and walked down Fifth Ave with thousands of others looking around and wondering at the event and the occasion. People holding their arms up in wonderment! Smiling.
And now...who knew? A generation later. How do we measure change?
Thank you, Barb.
I remember Earth Days in my classrooms...celebrations, research, writings, etc etc. But the push I remember most was to stop the throw away diapers movement! Those Curity cotton diapers made the best dust rags for years and years after the kids were out of them.
Wonderful picture, Barb, and good to be reminded about conservation!
Thank you.
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