EARTH DAY & WA-KLO

Today is Earth Day. April 22nd has been the prominent date to celebrate Earth Day since 1970 with its founding by Gaylord Nelson, a USA senator from Wisconsin.  Nelson came up with the idea for his environmental “teach-in” following a trip he took to California right after a terrible oil spill off the coast in 1969.   Nelson was very upset with the devastation of the coast and Washington, DC’s lack of passion for the environment, so he proposed a national teach-in on the environment to be observed by every university campus in the U.S.  Teach-ins are meant to be practical, participatory, and move people to action.  In 1970, Earth Day had a participation of 20 million people in the USA;  today, Earth Day is thought to be observed by 500 million people in 175 countries.

Margaret Mead, a famous anthropologist (the academic study of humankind), said this about Earth Day:  “Earth Day is the first holy day which transcends all national borders, yet preserves all geographical integrities, spans mountains and oceans and time belts, and yet brings people all over the world into one resonating accord…”

Part of Wa-Klo’s mission is to “develop a girl’s connection to the environment;” we are blessed with natural beauty found in the trees, underbrush, water, mountains, and wildlife.  The most precious gift we can give to Wa-Klo is to preserve, protect, and tend to the earth and all living species that dwell on it.  Celebrate Earth Day and remember that the future of the world is in your hands. 

The symbol for Earth Day is the Greek letter “theta.”  The theta sign is a combination of the letters “E” and “O,” which stands for the words “environment” and “organism.”  Egyptians used a symbol for the universe in the form of theta with a fiery circle representing the world and a snake spanning the middle representing Agathos Daimon, which means “good spirit”.   Think of the “O” in Wa-Klo as representing the camp, which is filled with happy and caring women.  Wa-Klo girls are truly stewards of the environment.

The beauty of Wa-Klo depends on all working together in small and big ways to save our natural resources.  Give special attention to the earth on April 22nd, but celebrate Earth Day every day of your life.

The Mountain changes every day…

Susan Chenet