The Earth says “Thanks!” to us today.

Unfortunately it doesn’t realize that all this clean air and water from the last couple of months is not intentional – we just had to stay inside our homes and not ruin stuff.

Factories are closed, little traffic on the highways, streets and, roads. Oil futures went below 0 this week. People were actually paying you to take it.

Airplanes are grounded, parks are closed, and asthma is down. Wild animals are enjoying their natural habitat without the hordes of humans traipsing about their territory. Mountains, rivers, lakes, and our oceans are experiencing less stress and our cities, in general, are calmer and cleaner. When people float conspiracy theories about Covid-19, we always like the one about the Earth creating it to get our attention and be better earth citizens.

50 years after the first Earth Day, we pause to recognize people like US Senator Gaylord Nelson, a Democrat from the state of Wisconsin who founded it. He probably had no idea that corporations would take over the Senate and House and White House and the media here in 2020.

Who did?

But the good work of those first environmentalists hasn’t been completely reversed, however they have tried to smear the name of people who love the Earth, eroding laws that protect it. “Teach-ins” from the Vietnam War era actually inspired Senator Nelson to envision a “national-teach-in-movement” where neighbors taught each other and empowered and encouraged one another to act positively and directly to protect natural resources. For all those who have fought for our environment and our fellow creatures, some at great personal cost, we salute you.

Street Artist and activist Shepard Fairey has been sounding the alarm on environmental issues and the climate for years now. His voice resonates because he’s informed and straight-forward with his graphic campaigns to elevate the discussion where we all can participate with the shared goal of leaving this planet in much better shape than it was when we were born. Here are a couple of posters he just released through his design studio Studio No 1.

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