Transforming Gratitude into Action for Earth Day
In celebration of Earth Day, we want to take a moment of gratitude. Gratitude for the diversity and beauty of ecosystems that nourish us, and gratitude for the people who work tirelessly to protect our planet for future generations to come, through their passion, ingenuity, and dedication.
If we have learned anything over the past couple of years, it is that we have the ability to come together in times of crisis and overcome immense and complex challenges. We must maintain that frame of mind as we face one of the greatest challenges we will experience in our lifetime.
The climate crisis can often be overwhelming, and climate anxiety is higher than ever. Whether this is a result of continual news stories and reports reminding us of this threat to our planet, or if you have directly been impacted by events in your life, we are all influenced in one way or another.
We invite you today to take some time and be present with your connection to earth. It doesn’t matter where you live, what your job is, or what you believe (or not). We all have a connection to this earth, whether that’s what you ate for breakfast today, your daily mode of transportation, or the music that you listen to. Everything we use in our daily lives comes from the earth, from food to technology, and this is too often forgotten in our modernizing world.
That is why today, and everyday, we are sharing the message of gratitude.
Many organizations and individuals are gathering today and this weekend to find ways to reconnect with the earth, through garbage clean ups, workshops or webinars, or guided conversations that are solutions-oriented. Find out what is happening in your community and join in! It’s a great way to connect with like-minded individuals who are working to build a more sustainable future.
Transforming Gratitude Into Action:
GreenStep would not exist without the individuals and organizations who are taking action within their respective industries to advance their sustainability efforts. So today, we direct our gratitude towards everyone we have worked with, and our continued partnerships, where collective action and collaboration are at the heart of every conversation.
It has been exactly one year since GreenStep launched the Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge together with the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, where we encouraged the global tourism industry to measure and make a commitment to improving their sustainability performance, by using a free online assessment that will score your performance in management, social, economic, natural, cultural, and environmental sustainability.
If you are ready to transform your gratitude for the earth into action, this is a place to start. By taking the pledge, you are taking the first steps, by looking inwards to identify areas where you are doing well; areas where you can improve; and committing to do better. We have developed free tools and resources to help you along the way, regardless of where you are on your journey. You might be surprised after going through this process, you are often doing more than you think!
Take the Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge
We also wanted to share some other resources and good news stories to celebrate, spark ideas, and learn more about ways to engage in the conversation:
- Tires, wires, and a whole lot of plastic: Spirit of the West Adventures concludes Marine Debris Clean-Up Project
- All the taste, without the waste: Planet Bee Honey Farm’s zero waste success
- Carbon prices on the rise: How and why to measure the carbon footprint of your hotel or tourism business
- Let every day be earth day
- Can therapy treat climate anxiety?
- Exploring Climate Change and Mental Health
- Call in Sick for Earth Day
As always, we’re here to help. Let’s have a conversation and work together for a more sustainable future.
