Earthday Celebration: Creating Kinship

by Kellie Pardi

On April 22nd we celebrate Earth Day, when communities across the globe come together to celebrate the beauty of our planet and the urgent need to protect it. This year, a vibrant event at our local Seven Lakes State Park offered a space for connection, reflection, and action, reminding us of the critical role we all play in nurturing the Earth.

Many people don’t take much notice of Earth Day. It’s just another day on the calendar which doesn’t really register. It’s a day for tree huggers and hippies. People don’t really care about the earth until it burns down their house, or smashes it into smithereens in a tornado, or a river floods their basement, and an ice storm results in radio silence while the battery drains from our cell phones. We’re all guilty, even us tree-hugging hippies.

But in the quiet moments… sitting on the porch with a Saturday morning coffee, the trees blossoming, the grass greening… when we take in a slow, deep breath and allow our eyes to lazily close. We lean our head back, waiting in anticipation of the sun, as it creeps across the garden to settle warmly on our face. The kids aren’t out of bed yet and only a few cars have ventured by. The birds sing. The muscles in our forehead and shoulders relax and our heart rate settles. The outside world fades into a blur of passing thoughts and noises somewhere in the distance. There it is - in the stillness. For an untouchable, fraction of a second we can feel it... how divinely perfect this world really is.

It's in those moments, as nature is buzzing around us and we feel Mother Earth’s desire for life bubbling to the surface, causing the sap to rise in the trees and the kiss of the sun to awaken you from the rabbit hole your brain just wandered down. Earth Day harkens the beginning of summer, and it is for good reason that weddings are plentiful this time of year! It begins the season of love, passion, union and connection. Just as the flowers unfurl their first petals, and the birds and the bees are flirting relentlessly, the call to gather around the globe in celebration of the Earth is our love song, our call to union – and we too must answer.

So when a small group of women decided to put on an Earth Day event this year, they decided the theme of this inaugural event needed to be Kinship. “Kinship seemed like the perfect fit for our first Earth Day gathering,” said event organizer Randie Bowler, owner of Ethos Yoga, “Our intention was to create relationships, laying out the tools for our community to begin engaging with the living world as "kin", rather than something separate from self. It's my deepest belief that cultivating a sense of belonging to the non-human world is the foundation for protecting it. When we have an embodied sense of the interconnectedness of all life, stewardship comes naturally.”

The organizers had no idea how many people would come or how their message would be received but there was an intense need to do something, so they started making phone calls and sending emails, and in a matter of days they had speakers, vendors, donors, and volunteers. It came together with an ease that made them certain they were on the right track!

From herbalism to mushrooms, hunting to headwaters, they brought together people doing interesting and inspirational things! The event culminated in a community meditation, led by Darcel Hawkins, and a drum circle facilitated by StrongHeart DrumMedicine. It was a free event, so there was no official head count, but the group estimated between 200-300 people attended! They gave away 360 tree saplings, and other seedlings, and collected $1200 in donations for 3 local non-profits doing great things in nature!

“There was an unmistakable sacredness to the day—like the earth herself was part of the gathering, listening, responding, holding us,” said Jamie McNeill, “To volunteer at this Earth Day event, surrounded by some of my dearest friends, was more than an act of service—it felt like a homecoming. The unity was palpable; a weaving together of hearts, hands, and hopes. I was continually moved by the joy on people’s faces as we offered them free plants—tiny, rooted blessings that carried so much more than soil. The gratitude that poured from the community was humbling, as though we were all remembering something ancient and essential together. Each speaker carried a voice of truth, offering stories, wisdom, and medicine that lingered long after the words had been spoken. The entire day felt like a living prayer—beautiful, powerful, and deeply needed.”

The group is determined to keep it a free, annual event. “It is not scientific statistics, protesting, or pointing the finger that is going to shift the scale when it comes to the degradation of our biosphere,” said Bowler, “Rather it is remembering our rightful place as human beings on this earth and creating kinship with all life.”

In a world facing unprecedented environmental challenges, events like this serve as vital reminders that our actions matter. Each of us has the power to make a difference, whether through advocacy, sustainable choices, or community engagement. When we gather to celebrate Earth Day, let us leave with a renewed sense of purpose and a commitment to protect the natural world we all cherish. Together, we can inspire a wave of change that honors the beauty of our planet and secures its future for generations to come.

Kellie has a BA in Journalism with a focus in Marketing. She has been a freelance writer and designer since 2011. With seven years experience in marketing in the non-profit sector. Her passion lies in the transformative power of storytelling, art, sound and nature. She also curates immersive mediation experiences.