April means rain showers, morel mushroom hunting, spring cleaning, early season flowers blooming, goslings hatching, prescribed burns on the prairie, and celebrations of Earth Day and Arbor Day. To me, all of these things are signs of spring. Signs that the winter months have passed and the warmer weather and longer days are upon us. Windows are open letting in fresh air and sunshine, work is being done in our lawns and gardens, and our porches and patios are filled with friends and family, spring has arrived.
Is there something that you look forward to each spring, something that tells you, spring is here?
From gardens to goslings, all things spring has got me thinking. If this season brings so much newness and we are celebrating Earth Day, why not have springtime be a time of year to evaluate our sustainable goals? Our homes and gardens get spruced up, maybe our goals should too.
Let’s make an Earth Day Resolution! You know, like a New Year’s resolution but one that is good for the earth. Start with something you’ve been wanting to do, such as adding a rain barrel to your home, or planting native plants that attract pollinators to your garden and use less water. Start small if that works best for you, and make it your sustainable goal for this spring, make it your Earth Day Resolution.
So as you see more and more signs of spring, let that be a reminder to look at what you can do, what is that one thing you will do in your life to help move towards achieving a more sustainable lifestyle. Share your Earth Day Resolution with your friends and family, and together, let’s make our lives more sustainable this spring!
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Jamie Kelley is a Naturalist at Pioneers Park Nature Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, which includes 668 acres of tallgrass prairie, woodlands, wetlands and a stream. Since 1963 the Nature Center has served the Lincoln area as an environmental education center and wildlife sanctuary. Eight miles of hiking trails wind through various habitats and take visitors past non-releasable raptor exhibits, as well as bison, elk, and white-tailed deer.
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