In 1970, environmental advocate, Denis Hays founded Earth World Day.  Every year on April 22, Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement. The initiative, in its inception, provided a voice for an emerging environmental consciousness and put environmental concerns on the front page. These issues are more important now than ever.

In 1990, Earth Day went international, reaching 200 million people in 141 countries. Now, according to its website, more than a billion people participate, with celebrations, seminars and demonstrations around the world.

The current global situation is making us all reflect more on the importance of respecting the Earth we inhabit, so we wanted to share our thoughts through one of our team members, Andrea Palou.

If the Earth was asking something …  what do you think Earth would ask of us?

The Earth might ask us to stop, breathe and look around. We have to learn to observe more our surroundings, get back to the basics!

What does Earth Day mean to you?

For me EARTH DAY means thinking about NATURE, and nature means a great Intelligence. Research shows that intelligence is not unique to humanity alone. A higher intelligence within nature is what is different to human intelligence, it does not have or need mental properties or thoughts. The Earth is a perfect living organism!

Humans we have jeopardized the planet, our hustle and bustle, our innovation and consumption, our fuel use, our shopping, our relentless drive … Tourism has also an important impact on Earth. What do you think are the first steps for us to improve? 

I think a more local and respectful approach is one of the paths to follow, among many others. We need to balance mass consumption and our real needs. Think and act more locally.

We need to understand the cycles of natural resources and human activity in order to work with nature and not against it.

Do you think more sustainable tourism is a possibility?

Totally! We have seen in recent years a change in mentality and a recognition of how we have taken natural, social and economic resources to the limit.

 We need to be wise in how we use the local resources and technology for common benefit.  Sustainable tourism is now often considered a key part of  serious development strategy.

How do you see the Earth in 20 years?

Maybe George Orwell was right all the time! (haha). I just hope this confinement we are in at the moment will make us realise we need to make some changes for the health of the Earth we live on

For me it would be fantastic if we could give more value to science and education with a fresh approach to politics.

I think, we need more empathy and respect between people and towards nature.

Finally, we would like you to show a meaningful picture from your past, maybe a trip, where you felt the greatness of nature.

Picture of Cocora Valley – December 2019

Natural Park located in the Central Cordillera of the Andean mountains in Colombia where I am from. “Cocora” was the name of a Quimbayan princess, and means “star of water”. Located at an altitude between 1800 and 2400 meters. It is the main location where the national tree of Colombia, the Quindío wax palm grows.