Earth Day

South Pasadena's lush environment often makes me feel like I'm living in a version of Eden -- albeit, one with a lot of Craftsman houses. This area is so incredibly leafy and fertile. Flowers sprout from sidewalk cracks. Like these volunteer impatiens I spotted growing next to a curb near a neighbor's driveway. A flower bed probably contains the well-manicured relatives of this wandering youth. It's cool the way life is so tenacious and surprising, how it often chooses to bloom in unlikely places. Such is our wildhearted planet.

There is more to environmentalism than dour lectures about cow methane, trendy canvas grocery bags and rows of recycling bins. I believe at the heart of it is a profound respect for the delicate intricacy of mother earth's many organisms. In the seventies, it was called ecology -- a decidedly more respectable name than the current, more lackadaisical term "Green Movement." (Whenever I hear the term Green Movement, it makes me think of something gastrointestinal that surely needs medical attention... but I digress.)

On this Earth Day, why not take the time to reflect on the abundance of differing life forms that share our habitat -- and resolve to do our best to make sure they continue to grow and thrive. If nothing else, it's just good manners as fellow roommates sharing the planet.

Happy Earth Day, everybody!