This year’s Earth Day marked around thirteen months of intermittent lockdowns here in the UK, a time which for most of us has meant a lack of freedom and travel. Stuck in our four walls and limited to a few hours of outdoors activities, people have used nature as a means to escape more than ever. As such, Earth Day wasn’t merely the celebration of our world’s environment and natural wonders, but also a celebration of our survival and endurance during the Covid-19 pandemic. Personally, I have always enjoyed a walk, a hike or a ramble in which to immerse myself in the sheer beauty of a landscape, as well as escaping the hustle and bustle of the city centre where I reside. However, over the course of these uncertain times, my outings have become an even more meaningful experience. We have all gleaned a new love and appreciation for green spaces. Whether you’re lucky enough to have rolling hills outside your door or a small park around the corner, these have become places of solace and reconnection with nature. A stroll in the park became an opportunity to clear our lungs from the stuffy indoors, to move our legs after working on the sofa all day, to stare with childlike wonder at the range of wildlife and plant life rather than screens. Witnessing so many people flooding out into parks, woods and forests and taking the time to enjoy nature has been a true source of wonder. The boundaries set by the lockdowns have only made us rebel in the best of ways, making us reclaim spaces that for too long have been overlooked. For many, the pandemic has also provided the opportunity to bring the world outside indoors. Perhaps you’re nurturing an oxygen-giving spider plant or cultivating a miniature tropical paradise; one of the positives about the past year has been the phenomenon of plant keeping. Certainly in my case, the responsibility of keeping my many green friends alive has brought a sense of unity with the earth even when I wasn’t outdoors. As the conclusion to this crisis approaches, let’s not give up our plant companions who have kept us sane and healthy within our homes.
If you’re reading this and you’re able to, go outside and look at the beauty of nature, because really, each and every day is earth day. Stay tuned and stay wanderlust, Dael and Hannah
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