Taking Care of a Friend, Earth Day Reflection
In honor of Earth Day on April 22nd, we asked our 2018-2019 Global UGRAD participants to reflect on what it means to be eco-friendly and to care for the Earth. Please continue reading to discover one student’s perspective on why we should be stewards of our planet.
Can you remember the best part of going to the beach? Or the best part of hiking on a mountain? It is almost impossible not to take our phones out to capture amazing pictures of our surroundings. Sometimes, we even forget to take photos because we are so amazed with the beauty of it. The paintings of the sunset, the old and full historical trees, the song of the birds or the therapeutic sound of the sea, all those experiences are part of the broad concept of the environment.
The environment is more than just our surroundings. The flora and fauna we were taught in the second grade are made up of experiences and that’s the reason why it is so important to protect them. Nowadays, as one can see on TV or in social media, there are many ads promoting the green life, giving reasons why it is so important to protect the earth; the way they are doing this is by making us face the consequences of a world without all the resources we are used to having. However, the importance of protecting the environment is more than avoiding all the devastating effects we are afraid of, such as global warming. It’s creating the kind of life we want to continue living and the legacy we want to leave once we are gone.
Everyday hundreds of studies are released as proof of how beneficial it is to spend time in nature. The simple act of giving 15 minutes of our time outdoors can serve as a trigger of a positive change in our day or even in our emotional and physical health. The earth is the house we live in and, like everyone, we want to live in the cleanest and best environment because here is where we spend most of our time. The same applies for the earth. If we don’t take care of it, all the happy moments she provides us will be gone when we least expect it.
Written by Lesly Vallecillo, 2018-2019 Global UGRAD student from Nicaragua at the University of North Carolina, Pembroke.