I’m an older millennial—might as well be Gen X. When I was a kid, Earth Day was new. I remember learning about it in school like it was this revolutionary idea: we get a day to care about the planet. But like so many things in our culture, capitalism found it, dressed it up in packaging, and sold it back to us.

Now, Earth Day feels like another day to shop. A curated moment to buy guilt-free “sustainable” things, instead of an opportunity to reflect on our place in the world. Don’t get me wrong—I’m all for supporting small businesses. But on Earth Day? Let’s make a new pact. Let’s spend today not in consumption, but in reverence.

We are being called to support the Earth more than ever. Our public lands, our national parks, our open spaces—they’re all at risk. So what can we actually do?

Start simple. Plant a tree. Pick up trash. Turn off your lights. Take your kids outside. Talk about your impact. And yes, wash your hands after you touch the earth—but don’t be afraid of it. Your skin is built to be in relationship with the natural world.

I know it sounds corny, but Earth Day is every day. It’s part of our contract with our own humanity. We are animals. We are plants. We are ecosystems walking around on two legs. The gift of being human is consciousness. But with it comes this tendency to put ourselves at the center of everything and forget that we’re part of something bigger.

After 15 years of running a skincare company, I’ve become obsessed with ecosystems. I see them like overlapping circles in my mind—endless, infinite connections. Every cause has an effect.

Earth Day asks us to stop and consider the effect. What effect are we having on our most treasured ecosystem—our mother, our only home?

This isn’t just about the planet. It’s about our daughters’ world. Our sons’ world. The one they’re inheriting. I know people hesitate to touch dirty things. There’s this cultural fear of germs. But this fear separates us from the Earth. Soap and water exist. Touch the ground. Let it touch you back.

And this…this…is why I hate Earth Day. Because we talk about all this once a year. Because marketers convince us to buy our way out of guilt instead of inspiring us to connect. To act. To love the Earth, not consume it.

At Botnia, I’ve tried to build a company that thinks in ecosystems. That sees the full picture and not just the product. But I won’t go into all that today.

Instead, I’ll tell you this: sometimes when I’m in nature, I cry. I can’t help it. The beauty is too much. In the spring, when the buds are breaking through the soil, turning into wild, outrageous blooms…I am stunned. When I’m swimming in the ocean, or just staring at it, I feel like I’m looking at the beginning. At our shared origin story. The sea, the mother of all cells. We came from her.

The Earth is our mother and our home. So today, I plan to lie down and let her hold me.

Dear Mother Earth,
I love you with all my heart.
Thank you for being my caretaker.