50 Years of Celebrating Planet Earth
In 1968, astronaut Bill Anders snapped this photo, Earthrise, from the capsule of Apollo 8. Seen around the world, people paused and reflected on their relationship with our home planet.
Just two years later, Earth Day was launched. Raising awareness about environmental concerns, it spurred the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act. It provided common ground for Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, and urban and rural populations to advocate for the health of their communities.
It also inspired the creation of NatureBridge. In 1971 we opened our doors as Yosemite Institute. In fact, Bill Anders served on our founding Board of Directors. Today, his wife Valerie Anders serves as the Emeritus Chair of our NatureBridge Olympic Board and for 49 years we’ve connected young people to the natural world, deepening science learning and inspiring a lifetime of environmental stewardship. All because of a moment when humans set out to explore the moon, and instead discovered the Earth.
Today we celebrate our 50th Earth Day. With so much work still to be done, I find hope in the next generation, in the empathy exhibited daily by my two sons working alongside me in this pandemic, and in Earthrise:
It still reminds us that distance and borders and division are merely a matter of perspective. We are all linked in a joined human enterprise; we are bound to a planet we all must share. We are all, together, stewards of this fragile treasure.Bill Anders
This message rings truer than ever as we confront the crisis that has swept our globe. We are all connected. This planet is our only home. It is our greatest gift, and our greatest responsibility is to care for it and for each other.
Whether it is safely going for a walk or finding an activity from our Outside Still Open Guide for you and your family, we hope you find time today to celebrate our planet and reflect on your relationship with the natural world.
Happy Earth Day! And please, take care.
Stories
Fall Reflections from NatureBridge Yosemite
As an environmental science educator, I spend a lot of time teaching about nature, but this season I’ve been finding that as it turns out, nature has a lot to teach us, too. Sometimes I can let the trees, the meadow, and the lichen teach for me. They show us how to respect each other’s boundaries, how to celebrate differences, how to work together, and how to lean on each other’s strengths in order to exist in a new place. These lessons felt incredibly relevant to me heading into the first week of November, a notoriously busy time at NatureBridge Yosemite. I wanted to focus on messages of kindness and inclusivity with my students, I wanted them to feel a sense of belonging in this new space, and I also hoped that they would share those messages with others.
An Incredible 10th Anniversary of Evening on the Lake
On October 25, the Amazon Meeting Center in downtown Seattle buzzed with celebratory energy as over 300 NatureBridge guests and supporters gathered for the 10th anniversary of "Evening on the Lake," our signature Pacific Northwest fundraising event for our Olympic campus.
"Science became fun" at NatureBridge for Alum Laura Lomeli Russert
Laura Lomeli Russert is a NatureBridge alum who grew up in Groveland, CA and now calls Washington, D.C. home. Laura’s journey with NatureBridge began when she attended the Golden Gate campus as a young student with her class from Tenaya Elementary. Laura credits NatureBridge with shaping not only her love for nature but also her passion for education and science. "Science became fun,” she recalls. “You weren’t learning from a textbook anymore, and it became so much more real." Her hands-on, scientific experiences at NatureBridge laid the foundation for her eventual pursuit of a Ph.D. in psychology. “I feel like I owe a lot to NatureBridge."