In the summer of 2008, I turned 13, and I went camping for the first time. It was a three-day backpacking trip in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. It also happened to be a complete train wreck. On the first night, our small group was caught in a large summer storm. In the middle of the night, the unrelenting rain had created a small canyon underneath my not warm enough sleeping bag. I spent the night damp and shivering, kept awake by the near-freezing temperatures, thunder, and lightning strikes so close I could smell them. It would not be the last time, on that same trail, that I’d encounter that kind of raw power. 

Despite my soggy boots and pruney feet, something changed in me during that trip. It was the first time in my life I felt the force of this planet, more than just a beautiful view; it was alive and completely indifferent to our plans. The rain, the lightning, the power. It was all shock and awe, but it worked on me. Ever since that trip, I have been an environmentalist. Nature became central to my values, my work, and my worldview. 

As I’ve matured, so have my tastes. I was not only impressed by the power of nature, but her subtleties as well. 

…A soft sunset on a summer night in Chicago,

…The rhythmic rattle of cicadas in the trees, 

…A breeze in late summer that carries the smell of fall

…An army of carpenter ants deconstructing a nearby bush and disappearing into the earth.

…The black silhouette of the Tucson mountains in golden hour. 

Lately, under an administration set on the exploitation of our natural world in the name of unrestrained economic growth. I have grown exhausted, sometimes out of answers for what the right thing to do is, how to move forward. But it’s on days like today, when we can get so bogged down in the progress taken, that I root myself firmly in what I am fighting for and why.

We have so much to be grateful for. This planet has provided us with everything we need to survive, thrive, and dream. We owe it care, not only for ourselves, but for the generations that come next. Our shared moments of appreciation for the world around us are powerful. 

On days like this, it’s essential to ground ourselves in the many reasons this work matters. Climate justice advocacy isn’t born from cold cost-benefit analyses in sterile conference rooms, it comes from our hearts, our communities, and our ancestors. Earth Day is a day to remember our deep connection to these lands. This planet was here before us and will remain long after us. It can survive without us, but we can't survive without it. Let's care for this earth the way it has always cared for us. 

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