For professional landscapers, every day is Earth Day! We understand that we are stewards of the environment. The flourishing landscape you enjoy is the result of ongoing and often unseen work to make it happen. Professional landscapers continuously work with nature, so Earth Day offers a moment to pause and reflect on the importance to all of us. While some may think of landscaping as merely mowing grass and raking leaves, there are many different and eco-friendly aspects to the work we do. Ultimately, all of the actions we take and decisions we make have a direct impact on our environment.

Today, more than 1 billion people participate in Earth Day activities, making it the largest civic observance in the world. A day where communities gather together to create awareness on how we can protect and restore the planet. However, celebrating Earth Day in the era of COVID-19 has a special meaning this year and we take our role as essential service providers very seriously.

In our increasingly interconnected world, one of the most important indicators of sustainable development is health. We rely on healthy ecosystems to support healthy communities. While landscape professionals focus on maintaining and protecting the living environment, healthcare providers globally stand on the frontlines of optimizing the health of our communities. As we are currently faced with the negative health impacts of COVID-19, the heroism of our frontline healthcare soldiers and first responders fighting a deadly war deserves special recognition.

As Earth Day marks 50 years, the message we share to ‘think globally and act locally’ has never been more timely or important. As a small token of gratitude, Columbia Landcare provided meals from local restaurants Addisons and Sophias to essential workers at Boone Hospital Clinics and MU Health systems. We are thankful to these heroes, who are risking their own health and safety to serve our community.

This Earth Day, we stand united as one community, one planet, fighting one common enemy.