I can honestly say that as an adult, I have never given much of a thought to earth day, earth month, etc…In fact, Lexi’s Daisy troop met earlier in the month to plant some small trees that had been donated to them. I remember thinking, “Oh, I have more important things to do today…” That was only a few weeks ago, and I regret that I didn’t take Lexi to participate in that activity. My husband and I love taking her to the park and enjoying the outdoors, but we’ve led a pretty indifferent life around how we can impact our world.

For the past three weeks, the Hurst family has been participating in Scotts Naturals Four Week Test as a small step towards being “earth friendly.” I have to also admit that I was starting to pat myself on the back a bit because we’ve been doing so well in terms of transitioning to hybrid paper products. I’ve enjoyed teaching Lexi about the recycling process. Last week, my goal was to also reduce the amount of paper products we used, and I am pleased to report that we’re making progress that way, too! I even had some colleagues and friends tell me they made the pledge to join the four week test drive at www.scottbrand.com/fourweektestdrive. It was about making a pledge to help the earth, but I think the entry to win a Ford Fusion Hybrid had something to do with it!

Again, I was feeling pretty good about our efforts. Then I found myself in Colorado for the first time, and I was immediately humbled. Looking out of the plane and seeing mountains-real mountains-brought out such emotion in me that I truly wanted to stand up and sing “America the Beautiful.” The pure beauty and majesty of this planet of ours is too much for me to describe. And in that moment, I felt ashamed.

Why? Because I have not been a good steward of my resources. I was there for a few days and observed how conscious residents were to care for their environment. In so many ways, I saw the efforts to recycle, to use biodegradable products, to keep their streets clean. Our family is considering a move there. I don’t imagine I’ll have nearly as difficult a time keeping a present focus on this great earth of ours when it’s staring at me in every direction.

Scott’s Four Week Test Drive might be drawing to a close, but I assure you that my efforts to be more intentional about stewarding our earth’s resources well won’t stop.

How have others of you encouraged your children to care about the earth in a meaningful way?
This Earth Month, I’ve partnered with Scott Naturals™ in conjunction with their 4 Week Test Drive to help spread the word about how small steps can lead to big changes. I have been compensated for this partnership, however, all opinions are my own.