April 22nd, 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day, celebrated in 1970 when 20 million Americans gathered across the country to raise awareness to the growing destruction of the planet. Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act.
This year we celebrate while ‘sheltering-in’ / ‘social distancing’ /‘staying-safe’ all over the world.
This is a great time to quietly reflect and S L O W down. A giant part of me is glad for this time to reflect on our mother Earth; on what we are DOING daily, what we are ultimately leaving behind some day for our youth (yes.. I’m getting very deep in this quick blog). Someone needs to – the Earth is healing right now. Just look at the waterways all over the world that are clearing up (thinking Italy, the Great Barrier Reef, almost all inlets everywhere). Our fast-paced society has finally slowed down to reconnect. The Earth is healing, and animals are reclaiming spaces. It’s really amazing to watch, to experience right now.
It has been wild recycling and seeing SO many less of us on the roads, racing around “Doing Things” daily. Twenty years ago, during 911, planes stopped flying and you’d look up and see just the sky. It’s wild to have that same experience again in my lifetime - it’s surreal and awesome and scary as well as a giant wake-up to what IS and IS NOT important in life right now.
Yup – it’s been hard. Not knowing or having a plan is unnerving, living day by day – praying not to contract a new scary virus. You know, the invisible Corona Virus that could get you at any time and worse you don’t know if you have it (and share it) for up to two weeks before detection= no bueno). This, all while recycling and worrying about making healthy business decisions daily – it’s overwhelming at times. Attempting to field ‘pause our service’ calls from offices and finding the safest ways to help customers who still need us… (who are all our customers still??) I’ve been calling this the ‘Covid-Coaster’ emotional roller-coaster. It has been something we could never prepare for or fully comprehend without personally experiencing.
This pandemic has made us all stronger and a little crazier; dare I mention the new home schooling with kids?? Not a picnic for us, but we are adapting, and my boys are starting to actually thrive, thank you BVSD teachers (You ALL ROCK!) and thank you internet fairies for keeping us connected in the mountains! We love our 8PM 'Howling in the Bar-K Ranch' and all over the USA right now. Friends sharing how to make home-made masks to do-it-yourself hacks and friends and family connecting through 'Zoom' to get by on lock-down. Due to all this, we are all way more aware of who and what we are right now in the world. We are more connected than ever.
Green Girl has been recycling through all of this. We have been helping residential and commercial customers recycle and keep ‘green going’… albeit-carefully! As our world still turns, we are all eating and producing recycling - living hasn’t stopped. Life has just shifted.
We have been so honored to not only remain ‘essential’ during these times but effective.
At a recent Ward, Colorado 2nd Saturday recycling event, everyone was wearing masks, staying more than 6’ apart, and taking turns emptying recycling. The Ward community was providing food for anyone in need and acting appropriately. It felt SO GOOD to be helping, to be doing something worth-while, to be recycling.
Our message this Earth Day is simple - it’s gratitude. Thank you for recycling. Thank you for choosing to vote with your dollars to make a difference even in crazy times. All your small decisions make a huge difference! From the Green Girl team: my family (Matt, Gavin and Turner), to my drivers (Alex, Julian, Israel and Ross as well as Jesus in the shop) plus everyone who supports us, we hope you and your families are well, and we thank you for continuing to support our mission to ‘do the right thing’ especially during hard times. We will get through this stronger than ever!!
Please stay safe.
Greenest,
~ Bridget