The devastating COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all of us greatly. At such a somber time, it can be really hard to navigate our new (temporary) normal, let alone remember special days. But, today is important; today is Earth Day.

While most of us are missing friends and family and much of our regular daily life, some have found a new friend in nature. Others have always remained aware and in love with Mother Nature. This current isolation has allowed many of us time to reflect on things that might have otherwise been taken for granted and gone unnoticed: a squirrel nesting in a tree (isn’t it strange how most people hate rats, but think squirrels are adorable?!), a ray of sunshine between snowflakes (we live in Michigan, after all), or an early spring flower blossoming. Earth has always been a source of wonder and joy for humans. Now we have the time to really pay attention to it.

This Earth Day, we celebrate the planet that we’re fortunate to call home. Even through the turmoil of a pandemic, the Earth is what unites us and grounds us. It’s the ultimate, and literal, common ground.

Through the work of the Detroit Zoological Society (DZS), we encourage people to be mindful of their impact on others, human and non-human alike. At our core, we believe that we have both a responsibility and a great opportunity to be helpful, bringing both awareness and solutions to environmental issues. Many of these issues, human and non-human generated, inevitably result in consequences that harm both the natural world and the human experience.

At DZS, we love the natural world. We study it, we save it and we celebrate it. While the pandemic is everyone’s number one fight right now, as it should be, once we are through this battle, we must not lose sight of the need to fight for our planet. Since the beginning, we humans have pushed forward, sometimes pursuing our desires and needs without always fully considering the consequences and problems that could follow. We have dramatically changed — and in some places destroyed — landscapes, released chemicals into our air and water, left plastic to wrap the planet and too often treated animals and nature as disposable. It’s as if we think Earth is bestowed with infinitely replenishable “assets.”

We have the chance to correct the course if we act. With less of us driving cars and with the recent dramatic reduction in factory emissions, we have seen significantly cleaner air over many cities. What a difference. This is a vivid illustration of how important renewable energy is to our health and to the planet’s health.

So when you’re outside, find time to connect with nature. Look and listen; soak it in. And when the world moves out of this public health crisis, I hope we will all remember that our safe place is nature. We should do everything possible to make it healthy.

With gratitude,

Ron Kagan
Executive Director and CEO
Detroit Zoological Society