To be quite honest, I woke up and didn’t know that today was Earth Day. Of course my Instagram timeline was saturated with Earth Day appreciation, so I’m hopping on that train too. Check out my best Earth Day Recommendations below!
Listen to Earth Crisis
One of my forever favorite hardcore bands and a true legend in the scene. This group has been together since 1989, minus a six-year separation from 2001-2007, and have released eight studio albums in that time. My personal favorite is their first full-length album from 1995, Destroy the Machines. This album, a torrential downpour of rage and revolution, focuses on calls to direct action against environmental destruction and animal consumption. The band both supports and embodies the vegan straight edge mentality and has inspired future generations of hardcore fans for the last two decades. So give this record a spin and read the lyrics if you’re not pre-disposed to metal music. See if anything resonates with you on this beloved Earth Day.
I recommend tracks 1(Forced March), 5 (The Discipline) and 7 (Inherit the Wasteland).
Other good nature-based songs (but perhaps not environmentally focused) are below:
- Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris by Hayley Williams
- Houseplants by Squid
- Leaf by Title Fight
- honestly the entire album A Healthy Earth by Peaer
- Cities Under Water by Short Fictions
Repot Your Plants
We’ve all done it. After winter’s depressive spiral everyone flocks to Home Depot and other gardening stores to buy bucketfuls of succulents, ivies and other plant babies. For the first month or two you’ll love those things like your own children and feel really good about it but as the semester ramps up, the plants wither (much like your desire to look after them). If they haven’t completely shriveled, give those plants some TLC. You’re stuck at home with them so give those big leafy babies the space and nutrients they deserve. ProFlowers has some guidance.
Respect the Bees!
This is been common knowledge for several years now, but bees are dying at an alarming rate. We need these bees. This semester I took Horticulture Science 201: The World of Horticulture and was truly amazed by the vast impact that horticultural practices have on a long list of industries and daily functions. What you eat, the clothes on your back, the landscape you live in, the fields our athletes play on and even the materials we use to build our world all come back to horticulture. Do you know what comes before all of that? BEES! Pollination is a key component of plant propagation and without pollinators, that can’t happen naturally! Respect the bees today. If you see one fly by, blow it a kiss and thank it for its service.
Here is a bee-autiful fun fact for you.
As reported by LiveScience.com, “The honeybees’ stingers can’t penetrate a hornet’s thick outer skin, so the bees swarm around an attacker instead, forming a spherical bee ball, and use their vibrating flight muscles to create heat. The mass of bees will heat the area up to 116 degrees Fahrenheit (47 degrees Celsius), enough to kill the hornet.”
Bees are amazzzzzzing.
Support a Local Farmer
My roommates and I have recently reoriented our shopping cycles to match those of the NC Farmers’ Market. We happen to source meat, eggs, and dairy from a local farmer outside of that list of vendors, but are currently trying to get produce from the Farmers’ Market. Supporting a local farmer is not only more ethical, as it is likely that you could speak directly to the farmer and inquire about their environmental practices– but you may even be able to tour the farm with their permission! Eating local also contributes funds directly to the surrounding community, instead of grocery corporations. This practice makes my roommates and I feel better about our consumption, and I encourage others to explore this resource themselves.
How are you celebrating Earth Day? Reach out to WKNC on twitter (@wknc881) to tell us about your day.
Much love and healthy greens,
– Laura Mooney