How are you planning to celebrate Earth Day on 4.22.09?

[Ananda Kiamsha Madelyn Leeke]

Hi All,

Earth Day will be here in 12 days. How are you planning to celebrate it?

Earth Day's 2009 theme is "Green Generation Campaign." The Green Generation Campaign is a two-year initiative that will end with the 40th anniversary of Earth Day in 2010. Its core principles include:

-a carbon-free future based on renewable energy that will end our common dependency on fossil fuels, including coal.

-an individual’s commitment to responsible, sustainable consumption.

-creation of a new green economy that lifts people out of poverty by creating millions of quality green jobs and transforms the global education system into a green one.

To learn more about Earth Day, visit U.S. Government Earth Day - http://www.earthday.gov/ and Earth Day Network - http://www.earthday.net/earthday2009.

I am doing a few things to celebrate Earth Day early this year. Tomorrow I am attending OLD CITY green's Grand Opening and participating in the Peace Garden Ceremony - www.oldcitygreen.com. On Sunday, I am interviewing one of DC's Green Generation leaders Ken Yamaguchi-Clark on Go Green Sangha Radio at 7pm EST - www.talkshoe.com/tc/21325. Next Sunday I plan to attend my church All Souls Unitarian's Earth Day service - www.all-souls.org. On Earth Day I will dedicate the benefits of my yoga and meditation practice to healing our planet. I will also volunteer to teach a free community morning yoga class honoring Mother Earth on April 26 in Malcolm X-Meridian Hill Park in DC - http://yoga.meetup.com/584. In addition, I am trying to be more conscious of where I shop, what I eat, and how much energy and water I am using.

In honor of National Poetry Month and Earth Day, I decided to share a green poem with family and friends. See below. Do you have a favorite green poem to share? If yes, include it in the comment section.

Enjoy Earth Day every day!

Peace, Poetry, Jazz, and Green Living,

Ananda

Let America Be Green America Again by Ananda Kiamsha Madelyn Leeke
Copyright 2009 by Madelyn C. Leeke.

Excerpt from That Which Awakens Me (Spring/Summer 2009 - iUniverse, Inc.)

Written for Old City Green’s Grand Opening and Dedication of Peace Garden on April 11, 2009

Let America be Green America again.
Turtle Island.
Home.
A place where we can touch the earth.
Breathe fresh air.
Drink clean water.
Build and maintain community gardens.
Eat healthy food.
Honor our indigenous ancestors.
Bow our heads to our hearts without shame from misusing natural resources and disrespecting human beings and living things.

Let America be Green America again.
Turtle Island
Home.
A place where everyone has value.
A place where we understand, appreciate, and celebrate human differences.
A place where we resolve conflict, forgive, have compassion, and live in peace.

Let America be Green America again.
Turtle Island.
Home.
A place where people have access to 21st century education, training opportunities, affordable and comprehensive healthcare, social services, safe housing, stable employment, energy-efficient transportation, and sustainable homes in communities that support their well-being.
A place that offers opportunities to serve each other with our gifts.
A place we can all work together to make our country better.

Let America be Green America again.
Turtle Island.
Home.
A place that offers room to dream and grow.
A place that promotes the expression of creativity.
A place of innovation and endless possibility.

Let America be Green America again.
Turtle Island.
Home.
A place where people can plant seeds of healing and love, and nurture them until they are ready for harvest.
A place fertile enough to give birth to the Age of Aquarius.
A place we can finally embrace and call our own.