Love the Earth and it will love you back!

The Earth could use a little love.

Earth Day is kind of like a birthday party for Planet Earth. Consider yourself invited. It’s April 22. Every year, it’s the same date, so you don’t forget.

You don’t have to bring a gift. You need to be the gift.

It’s the only planet we’ve got. It supplies the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink, the shelter we build, every single thing we need and want.

This week, reboot the 3 R’s in your life: Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

Reduce consumption of everything. Cut down your use of paper napkins, paper towels and tissues. Reuse what you can. Use a plate to cover a bowl of leftovers instead of a sheet of plastic wrap that will live on the Earth forever.

Become a waste warrior. Compost. Join Rust Belt Riders community composters. The Nature Center at Shaker Lakes in the Cleveland area has a partnership with it. You can keep your compost in the freezer where it doesn’t rot or smell, then drop it off at their Nature Center bins or another one of their more than 20 local drop-off locations.

Recycle every scrap of paper you can, including toilet-paper roll holders, newspapers, cans and bottles. I love that our recycle bin contains more than our trash bin.

Become a “Guerrilla Seed Warrior.” My daughter turned me onto making seed bombs. She flattens out special clay, gathers up seeds from native plants, like milk weed which hosts monarch caterpillars. She sprinkles seeds onto the clay in a little bed of soil and rolls them in small balls. Then we toss them around the edge of the closest lake.

Go plastic free. Carry your own tote bags. Bring your own to-go containers and flatware. Go straw free. If you need one that badly, carry a metal one with you.

If you do end up with a plastic bag, go to the nearest park and pick up the litter. I know, you didn’t toss it out, but the Earth will be grateful.

No more plastic water bottles. Always carry your own water bottle.

For one week, save every single-use plastic item you used that day. Every fork. Every slice of wrap. Every berry container. Every sandwich baggie. Every bottle of water or juice. Every plastic lid on your latte. Every plastic coffee stirrer. Then sit with them all for an hour. All that will be here long after you are gone. Don’t treat the Earth that way.

From here on out, tell every cashier and server, no plastic. Tell them you care too much for the Earth to use them. Urge them to provide cardboard options.

Go plastic-free by putting away your credit card, too. Consume less.

Become car conscious. Walk, bike, carpool or take the bus. Get more miles out of the car you already own before buying the next one.

Preserve water. Don’t run the faucet when brushing your teeth. Take shorter showers. Get a rain barrel for roof runoff. Run the dishwasher on the half-load setting.

Light up the Earth’s smile by going dark. Turn off the lights at night. Use LED light bulbs that last longer.

Unplug. Everything you’re not using is sucking up electricity.

Buy local. Buy organic. It costs a bit more but it’s chemical-free and safer for the farm workers, bees and birds.

Give away what you don’t use or need. Last year, I had too many daisies in the front yard. I dug them up and set them by the road with a sign, “Free to Good Home,” and watched happy people fill their trunks.

Go meat free. Eat a plant-based diet. Too much land is wasted to feed animals that will feed people. Skip the middleman, err, cow, and all that manure and all those gases.

Every single day, thank the sun, our nearest star, for lighting up your world. Stand barefoot on this grand, beautiful Earth and feel its amazing energy. Thank it for spinning. Plant a tree. Hug a tree. Get your hands dirty. Inhale the scent.

Star gaze. Study the clouds. Get muddy. Climb a tree. Read in the branches, “Silent Spring,” “Braiding Sweetgrass” or the best Mary Oliver poems.

Get outside every single day and walk. You’ll fall in love with the planet and want to take better care of it. Thich Nhat Hanh said, “Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.”

Take only photos, leave only footprints, and walk so lightly, even those fade away.