Every now and then, around this time of year, in the weeks leading up to the Global Earth Exchange, someone emails to tell me they’d like to participate in our annual event of giving beauty to hurt places, but they can’t, because “there aren’t any wounded places near me.”
Unfortunately, not once have I found that to be the case.
Generally, I’ll say to people, “How is the river, the lake, or the ocean doing in your area? Is it really absolutely clean? Are invasive plants or insects causing the native species to retreat? Where’s the nearest landfill?”
The organization Area Hub will even find a wounded place for you. Just type in your zip code, and the site will instantly show you environmental hazards and pollution in your vicinity.
Even if there is some place on the Earth that is absolutely pristine, a person could give attention and beauty to our entire beleaguered planet, for absolutely none of us is immune from climate change.
What place near you calls out for a visit? Throughout the years, people have done so many inspiring and creative acts for their Global Earth Exchange. A father and his small son walked around their New York City neighborhood and picked up trash. A group in France honored the geese who are force-fed, so their livers can be turned into foie gras. Four friends in Pennsylvania gave beauty to the Susquehanna River, polluted by gas fracking.
This year, people have already signed up, individually and in groups, in sixteen U.S. states and in Estonia, Finland, Australia, Canada, England, Spain, and Zambia.
The sad news—and the opportunity—is that there is a wounded place near all of us. The Global Earth Exchange is the day when people around the world go to these places to reflect on what the place means to them, get to know it as it is now, and make a gift of beauty for it. Sign up before June 14 and receive a lovely flag made by 11-year-old students in London.
Please join! There is a place near you that could really benefit from your attention!