Dear Earth
If Earth had an email or postal address, what kind of messages would it receive? In 2013, a program was launched that assigned trees in Melbourne, Australia, with an individual email address. The program, which was originally intended for residents to report vandalism and safety hazards, saw an unexpected wave of love letters and fan mail sent to the inboxes. It goes to show that sometimes all we need is a creative outlet to express our yearning to connect with nature.
With Earth Day just around the corner, we asked Nature Conservancy of Canada’s staff and their families and friends for messages of appreciation for nature. Here are some of their responses.
Some took time to write a letter…
Matea Tam, Age 9
Matea Tam (Photo by Tessa Chan)
Dear Earth,
Thank you for providing us food and shelter for our survival. I promise that we will keep you healthy and clean and not litter. We will tell other people that you need to be kept clean and free of pollution and help clean up our neighbourhood and other countries when we travel to different places. I’ll give everyone a tip: We can walk more, take more public transportation and leave no traces behind wherever we go.
Nathan Tam, Age 7
Nathan Tam (Photo by Tessa Chan)
Dear Earth,
You have been so cold these days and I have to stay home a lot. I wish I could go outside and play a little. I like playing in the grass. Would you warm up more and rain please? The rain and heat will make me, my mom and the flowers happy. I promise to keep you healthy and will not litter.
While others were short and sweet...
Maya (Photo by Jill Murray-Dimic/NCC staff)
Maya, Age 6
I love nature because it helps people and looks beautiful when it is only trees, plants, wildflowers, snakes, bears and crocodiles.
Alex (Photo by Jill Murray-Dimic/NCC staff)
Alex, Age 6
I love nature because it gives us [clean] air, healthy people and trees to climb.
Conally, Age 20
Facebook message from Conally (Photo courtesy of Christine Chilton/NCC staff)
There was even one from a four-legged nature lover!
Molly (Photo by Raechel Bonomo/NCC staff)
Molly, Age 8
Dear Earth,
The view from down here is pretty great. Since I’m less than a foot tall on all fours and about a foot-and- a-half on my hind legs, I get a real dog’s eye view of what’s going on. I love to explore the world around me by smelling things. I have what my human calls a very squishy nose, and to get a good whiff of something, I have to get really up close and personal with it. One time, I smelled what my human identified as goldenrod in a field during one of our walks and sneezed from the pollen. I had yellow dust on my nose and my human laughed before brushing it off with her sleeve.
Other than treats, being outside is my favourite. I love going for walks in the forest with my human, where I get to meet other dogs and their humans and smell new things. We’re lucky because the forest is right by our home, which is good because I get winded easily — again, I have a “very squishy nose” — and can’t walk too far. Sometimes my human carries me on our way home after I lay down and refuse to budge. From up here in her arms, I can see even more of the world and I get to rest while smelling the fresh air.
How will you appreciate planet Earth?
As we head into spring and summer, seasons when people typically find more opportunities to enjoy the outdoors, think about the things you love about planet Earth and the things you can do to keep the environment a beautiful place for all to enjoy.
