Earth Day 2023: Reflections and Resolve
Countless experiences, memories, and beliefs inspire individuals to take action to protect the environment. And these unique perspectives enrich and strengthen our resolve as, together, we fight for our future.
For Earth Day, we asked OEC team members to reflect on their connections to the natural world and their commitment to protecting the environment.
What is one memory of a time when you felt most connected to the natural world?
Meagan Golec, Member Engagement Officer: I grew up in the woods around the Olympic National Forest and all my earliest memories are of exploring the outdoors. To this day I feel most balanced when I am spending time in the natural world. I believe it is our responsibility to preserve these spaces so future generations can feel the same sense of wonder and connection that the woods continue to bring me.
Guthrie Straw, Office Manager: I feel most connected to the natural world when I’m walking and cycling. One of my favorite recent memories is when I rode across the state to visit my family in Eastern Oregon. It took about twelve days and really allowed me to appreciate the multiple biomes, communities, and ways that everything interacts. Filtering water from cow ponds helps one appreciate the effects of drought in our state at a fundamental level, and seeing everything at about 7 MPH allows even the mundane to become fantastical (for example, counting tumbleweeds per day, watching forests slowly rise up upon the horizon after a long day’s pedaling, listening to elk calls bounce across moonlit valleys, and zooming—windswept, tears in eyes—down winding passes) It all becomes possible when one sets the intention of slowing down and being present to the environment around us – no matter where we’re at.
Kevin Kasowski, Director of Foundations & Corporate Relations: College field trips to UCLA preserves—I’d always thought nature was aesthetically beautiful, but these trips helped me understand the even more beautiful (but often invisible) network of connections within it and deepened my commitment to help protect it.
Jamie Pang, Program Director, Environmental Health: I feel most connected to the natural world when I connect with other species, and for me, that means my pets and the wildlife and birds that end up in my yard and around our neighborhood. Caring for the animals around me makes me feel like I am caring for the Earth and its other inhabitants.
Teke Dillender, Deputy Director for Philanthropy: When I am puttering in my garden, planting vegetables for the summer ahead, pruning shrubs and bushes whose will to survive (and thrive!) surprises me every year, or spreading compost over all my plants, marveling at the way that nature is always regenerative and alive.
What’s your favorite way to spend time in nature?
Jamie Pang, Program Director, Environmental Health: Water sports!! Kayaking, paddle boarding, surfing, being next to the ocean. Being in and around water reminds me why I chose to live in Oregon and advocate for its environment.
Kevin Kasowski, Director of Foundations & Corporate Relations: Almost any time but often hiking or birding.
Janne Sepp, Database & Membership Administrator: The first thing that comes to my mind is camping. Most spectacular are the occasions when trillions of star dots light up the night sky … and early morning misty sunrises with a cup of hot coffee.
What is one way you live out your environmental values–on Earth Day and every day?
Kevin Kasowski, Director of Foundations & Corporate Relations: Compassion for all living things – we even “catch and release” the spiders, stink bugs and flies that get trapped in the house!
Janne Sepp, Database & Membership Administrator: I try to follow my parents and role models’ approach to living your life by leaving as little waste as possible behind — buy less, use up as much as possible, and try to find other purposes or ways to use for things that get old. Leave no trash behind when moving around in nature or urban environments. And it is not easy!
When you think about Earth Day, what reflections or feelings come to mind?
Janne Sepp, Database & Membership Administrator: How small, fragile, and so unique is this blue planet in the eternal Universe? And worrying, how much more can it tolerate the lifestyle humans have lived and still live? What could be done through science and education to preserve the diversity of life and the livable environment for the future?
This Earth Day, please take a moment to consider:
What connects you to the natural world?
What treasured memories are tied to your connection to the Earth?
What drives you to protect and care for the planet?
How can you celebrate Earth Day every day?
Thank you for being part of OEC’s community.
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