I think we take our planet for granted. Earth offers us an abundance of food, fuel, habitat, etc. It provides us like a mother provides for her children. And yet we often don’t show our appreciation. In fact, we continue to take, take, take and give little in return. As new telescopes are shot into space that are able to look farther into the cosmos for inhabitable planets such as Earth, we have yet to find another such beautiful, abundant, life-creating world. Millions and millions of planets are out there and none have been found to rival the gift-giving planet we call Mother Earth. So, in fact, Earth is quite unique. You might consider our planet a big tank of water and we are drinking from it to stay alive. We are eating from its fields so we can wake up each morning and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. We are taking oil and gas from its rocks and soil so we can run our cars and machines that make our lives easier. We count on Mother Earth for almost everything in our lives. And yet we still take her for granted. Why else would some deny climate change and support the unfettered harvesting of depleting fossil fuels? We can regenerate biofuels, but we can’t put oil back in the ground. We claim to be working on new technologies for wind and solar power and yet renewable energy research seems to be growing at a snail’s pace due to lack of funding and continued government roadblocks. We have learned to rotate crops for better yields and healthier soil. We have taken a turn toward more organic sources for food and other products to help create a more sustainable lifestyle. But time is running out for Mother Earth as our oceans rise and our temperatures climb. Our planet thrives on balance. And when this balance is skewed, pain and suffering follow. We have been experiencing all sorts of devastating wild fires, hurricanes, droughts, floods, stronger storms and unseasonal temperatures. Some will point to this as the fickle fate of nature and cyclic weather patterns. It is easy to read what you want to read on the internet, from those who already think like you do. But if you do your research and study the science, our planet needs our help. Some great strides have come along like recycling, reusing, and reducing. Many people have taken up the mantra of sustainability and movements have begun to get our planet off life support. And yet, as politics often does, environmental issues have become political footballs and one team wants to progress while the other team wants to repeat. Time doesn’t stand still, and to my knowledge no time machine has been invented yet, so we must keep moving forward. We must innovate our way out of this mess. Mother Earth is counting on us. She has given and still gives so much to us. Now it is our turn to give back. When you celebrate Earth Day this year, make a pledge to do at least three things to make the planet more sustainable. I won’t list those things here. You have to do your own research, get involved and figure it out and take action. If you want Mother Earth to take care of you, your family, your community, you must first take care of the caregiver. Staunch conservative Senator Barry Goldwater (R-Arizona) said in 1970, “While I am a great believer in the free enterprise system and all that it entails, I am an even stronger believer in the right of our people to live in a clean and pollution-free environment.” We can all enjoy clean air, clean water, clean food and clean energy, no matter your politics. After all, we all have the same Mother Earth!