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Celebrate Earth Day 2023 by Investing in Our Planet
As we approach Earth Day 2023 on April 22nd, I am struck by the theme for this year’s celebration: “Invest in Our Planet.” It is a timely reminder that we all have a role to play in protecting the environment, and that we must act now to both honor the innumerable contributions made by our ancestors and to ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.
What does it mean to invest in our planet? It means recognizing that the health of our planet is directly linked to our own well-being, and that we need to prioritize it in all aspects of our lives. This requires us to do what we can to support local food systems, to seek out farmers who practice regenerative organic agriculture, and to honor and preserve the wisdom of indigenous cultures that have lived in harmony with the land for millennia.
This year, there’s an additional opportunity. Earth Day 2023 inspires me, and hopefully many of you who care about our planet, to act on the Farm Bill, legislation that governs the U.S. food and farming industry. And, while Congress, who updates the bill, seems stymied on virtually everything, the investment of a small amount of our time to influence their decisions could have an immense payoff. Reach out to your elected officials (use this link to get the contact info for your representative) and ask for three simple things:
- Financially support small, local farmers
Hear about the importance of small farmers in Why Eat Locally Grown Food? - Restrict the use of glyphosate (aka Roundup) which poisons farm workers and our planet
Protect yourself and your community by reading The Glyphosate Plague: Disrupting Our Soil and Endangering Our Health - Subsidize farmers who practice regenerative organic agriculture
Learn why regenerative is human and planet friendly in Nature as a Model: The Benefits of Pastured Cattle Farming
The Farm Bill may not sound sexy, but it is exciting to think that if we all act, and encourage our friends to act as well, that we could achieve a significant win toward shifting agriculture from degenerative to regenerative. Further, the Farm Bill affects more than just farmers and us consumers. It mandates everything from agricultural conservation and SNAP funding to nutrition programs; its potential to increase access to nutrient dense foods (what Dr. Price found that all ancestral communities benefited from) and support the health of our planet is enormous.
Our work at Price-Pottenger was founded on the wisdom of Indigenous peoples, and it is what propels our mission to build community, advance ancestral nutrition knowledge, and empower healthful living. For millennia, Indigenous peoples have practiced ways of living that are in harmony with the natural world and are inherently regenerative. By listening to their voices and respecting their traditions, we can gain a deeper understanding of how to live sustainably on planet earth.
It’s a privilege to be leading an organization, founded in 1952, that has been grounded in these wisdoms since its beginnings, and it is an honor to be part of a community that understands how ancestral knowledge and traditions offer valuable tools to create a more sustainable future.
Just as agriculture, nutrition, and human and planet health are interconnected, the future of Price-Pottenger is interconnected with the wellbeing and support of our community. Membership alone doesn’t provide the funding for the in-depth reporting in our Journal of Health and Healing, our curated weekly News for Now social media and email updates, and our new initiative to unite diet communities, Interdependence. If you find value in our work, please contribute today.
I am inspired by all the things that we are doing together to create a better world, on Earth Day and every day. Let us continue to invest in our planet, and in doing so, let us invest in ourselves and our future.
In good health,
Steven J. Schindler,
Executive Director
