On Friday when I found out that our kids cannot physically go back to school for the remainder of the year, I thought, “It’s time to rebound.” I should clarify, that was not the first thought that came to mind. I did break down sobbing while driving home from picking up dinner that day. However, as I quietly ate dinner with my kids, I started to feel the “rebound” attitude rising up inside me. As one part of me grieved the loss of a school year, the other part of me wanted to take back some control over my life. I knew what I had to do. I decided to get the Earth Day thoughtful pinches ready for the teachers.

To most, little gifts are pretty insignificant during these days of uncertainty but I proceeded to get them together anyway. This is who I am. Not to mention, staying busy saved me from drinking another glass of wine that night.

Earth Day is on April 22nd every year. I have written many posts regarding Earth Day because it is the one holiday that is acknowledged and celebrated by many - regardless of sex, race, religion, location etc. The great thing is: gifts are not expected for Earth Day. To me, that makes shopping for this national day super easy because when there are no expectations, any gift is thoughtful!

This year we are giving the teachers 7”x 8” reusable towels. I know it’s basic but they are so useful. My cousin Jay-Jay gave me my first set (four reusable towels) circa 2009 and I still have three of them. I’ve been saving trees for years! Reusable towels make great gifts because people don’t usually buy them for themselves. It’s an item that when we have it, we’re happy to use it. Besides, we can never have too many towels. The brand of towels we are giving, Wettex, are 100% naturally made with 70% cellulose for absorption and 30% cotton for binding and strength. They are biodegradable and can be thrown in the the compost bin when we’re finished using them. Doesn’t it make you think, how can these towels do their job (absorb more than 15 times their weight) for so many years and yet they don’t start decomposing right away? Thank you scientists for figuring this out.

Before we mailed the towels, each was placed in a compostable bag for two reasons: 1. To protect the towel from dirt and/or germs and 2. To bring awareness that these bags exist. I’m sure some of the teachers already know about compostable bags and compost bins but they may not know that they come in a form with a zipper. Our hope is that the teachers will use the bag once more before they fill it with compostable waste and put it in the bin. Even if they don’t use a compost bin, it still helps the Earth by breaking down much easier than plastic.

On Friday night I went to bed feeling good because all twenty-seven Earth Day packages were ready to drop off at the post office the next day. I sensed a little bit of control back in my life; like a rebound. I also felt lucky that the gift idea came together easily. I had a few requirements when searching for something thoughtful this year for Earth Day gifts: 1. The item needed to be straightforward and easy to use. 2. It had to be inexpensive to mail. And 3. Since we have given so many different Earth Day pinches to the teachers, it had to be unique - not a repeat gift. For some of our teachers, this will be the sixth Earth Day gift in a row. In case you are searching for ideas, below are the posts that I’ve written over the years showing what we gave:

1. Is Earth Day a Holiday? (2015)

2. Stick and Stones (2015)

3. Earthly Trifecta (2016)

4. Bacon, Honey and Earth (2017)

5. Dirt (2018)

6. My 7 Earth Selfish Acts (2019)

When my cousin Jay-Jay gave me that set of reusable towels so long ago, it planted a seed (what an appropriate metaphor!). Maybe in giving items in the name of Earth Day, we too, will plant a seed for others. At the very least, I think these gifts confirm thoughtfulness for our planet and what better way to say thank you to our educators than to give them something to use in a thoughtful way to keep our Earth healthy.

Pinches,

Barb