Greetings Sunny Optimists,
On this celebration of Earth Day, I feel my energy dancing within me as I look out my window. I see the blue sky above, the sun is shining, and many green buds are on the trees. I have such gratitude for the reassuring sense that the Earth continues to do what she does. I know we can always stop in the moment and celebrate our amazing life-giving and life-sustaining home planet. Yet, I appreciate having a day that calls our attention to celebrate the Earth and as a call to take action.
Syntropic Regeneration
As I was sitting in the sunshine this morning, I wondered what The Sunny Optimist could offer that honours this special day. It came to me to share a video that demonstrates how following the natural intelligence of Earth can support the regeneration of the land.
Ernst Götsch is a Brazilian farmer whose principles and techniques, known as Syntropic Farming, show how to reconcile agricultural production with landscape regeneration. In the video below, you can see how over 30 years, he led the healing of 410 hectares of degraded land on his farm in Bahia, Brazil. It is a truly outstanding achievement. I found it inspiring to see the difference he made and witness the natural wisdom he has and touches. I would like to thank my good friend Mark Henderson for sharing Ernst's work with us. Click here or on the photo below to view the video.
Here are a few highlights from the video that I find so inspirational.
He always begins with watching and waiting to let the Earth's intelligence guide his actions.
The healing originates from weaving his love of the natural world, being willing to co-operate with life, and then asking, 'what can I do to be useful?'
The greatest asset is the knowledge that comes from trusting nature. Plants know what to do if we give them freedom. Plants don't lie!
Humans are part of an intelligent system, not the intelligent ones, our actions will not completely destroy the planet, but they could well destroy us as a species. Take care!
A call to action today is to invite you to donate to EarthDay. A little from each of us can amount to a lot. Below is the link to Earth Day. No have to, just an invitation:).
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Wishing you a Happy Earth Day!
As always I would love to hear what you are celebrating today.
Ann
What a wonderful issue of the Sunny Optimist! Thank you for sharing, Ann. How funny that the methods considered radical are those that respect Nature's own. We're watching, testing and learning in our own back yard...and I hope someday to have a (small) area as lush and healthy as Ernst's!
Meanwhile, a fun Earth Day story from Mpls: Larry drove by a group of five people who were out picking up garbage along the streets. He stopped to thank them and then sent them all to our restaurant for free lunch. I found that so sweet! I agree that it's good to have a day where we all pay extra special attention to our Earth.
Thank you for this, Ann. This weekend, be are touching our gardens for the first time this year. It is time for Broccoli and Kale to step into this chilly, early spring. I love this questions "What can I do to be useful?" It is a perfect reminder of our partnership with nature as we begin to lean into warmer days. Happy Earth Day, indeed!