Guest post from the Rebel Fairy

In celebration of Mother’s Day and all the love and generosity our mothers may give us, let’s send some acknowledgment to the Mother of all Mothers, Earth!

There isn’t anyone as patient, forgiving and generous as Mother Earth. It’s quite incredible to think about how literally everything we need and everything we create, comes from the Earth. Natural materials broken down and rearranged. From your favourite book, to your dinner, to your best friend’s body which is the water and proteins and minerals provided by plant life, to everything you can see in the room around you. All this matter comes from Earth. It’s something we don’t often stop to think about because, like a mothers love, sadly we can take it for granted.

“You are not Atlas carrying the world on your shoulder. It is good to remember that the planet is carrying you.”   –Vandana Shiva

Amidst the turbulence of this pandemic, climate change and environmental issues have been sidelined. Sadly this has very harmful effects on our Mother Earth.  We already know that parts of Sydney may be uninhabitable due to heatwaves within decades. We have 60 years of top soil left to grow our food if our industrial food system continues depleting it at the current rate. The rate of climate chaos is already speeding up. Despite the grimness, there is plenty we can do if we choose to face the reality bravely and act! So what are some positive actions we can take this Mother’s Day to give back to the one Mother that nurtures all life?

Consider supporting tree planting initiatives –  Why not plant a tree as a present to Mother Earth this Mother’s Day? Trees are an effective way to take responsibility for our carbon and pollution footprint. They store excess carbon from the atmosphere back in the soil and in their timber. They stabilise the water cycle and provide habitat for a diversity of creatures. They also provide sustainable livelihoods to the communities who grow and depend on them. Here are some organisations doing this good work –

https://trees.org

https://onetreeplanted.org/products/australia

https://a.plant-for-the-planet.org/#cta

If you have a mum who you can celebrate, consider buying mum ethical and sustainable gifts – the reason this is so important is not only because it helps our Mother Earth, but it also helps the people who most feel the brunt of air pollution and climate change as a result of Western consumption.

Here are some ideas –

• A gift voucher to an Australian Zero Waster store, Biome.
• Help mum out and set up Ecosia (a search engine like google that plants trees) for her on her computer.
• Visit your local op-shop, flea market or artisan shop and see what second hand goodies and unique gifts might suit mum.
• Make something! Write a poem, draw a picture, get creative in the ways you know how. This can be a fun activity for yourself too which results in something very special for mum.

Spend time together outside, or if you do not have someone to celebrate or Mother’s day is hard for you for other reasons – you can still enjoy the beautiful natural world and the gifts of Mother Earth.

Here are some ideas:

• Take yourself (or or go with your mum) for a picnic in a favourite spot, sourcing as much local and sustainable food as possible.
• Sunday is a great day to visit an open air farmers market! Supporting farmers and stocking up mum’s fridge with healthy produce – win, win! Check out what’s on in your area or go for a little family adventure.
• Bird watching is a simple and accessible family activity. A quick google (or ecosia!) will give you a list of birds native to your area. Then the family can visit their favourite nature spot and see if you can identify the birds. This is a fun way to get more ecologically literate and build up a relationship to your environment.

Even if Mother’s Day is not an enjoyable day for you the big blue planet, Mother Earth, is holding you through all the challenges. Mother Earth Has Got Your Back – https://thesource.co/mp3/mother-earth-has-got-your-back is a free resource for a yoga nidra guided meditation that can help during times of sadness or overwhelm.

Love to you in this Mothers Day!

Rebel Fairy

Feature image is by www.instagram.com/trophylife__/