Earth Day 2021’s theme is ….

Earth Day 2021’s theme is Restore Our Earth — focusing on ways to prevent and reverse the impacts of climate change.

Incorporating more products and materials made from renewable, plantbased inputs into our lives can help address our environmental challenges head on. Using more plant-based products — including everything from household cleaners, packaging, textiles, building materials and more — can decrease our reliance on fossil fuels, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and cut down on landfill waste. As the sustainable inputs used to create these products grow, they remove carbon dioxide pollution from the atmosphere. And many of these products are compostable, helping provide much-needed organic matter and nutrients to our depleted soil resources. The Plant Based Products Council is dedicated to promoting the adoption of more renewable products and materials. This Earth Day let’s commit to using more renewable resources to create the products we use every day as an important step towards restoring our earth. [ Editor’s Note: A quality message to be sure, but I just don’t see this taking off. I mean we do recycle around here but I don’t know if the whole plantbased thing is popular in this little corner of the world. I mean, remember that state legislator who wanted to ban the use of words like “ veggie burger” and such?]

*** After showing us how he really feels recently, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell decided he’d better rein in his emotions, poor thing. When Major League Baseball pulled its scheduled All-Star Game out of Atlanta, and Coca- Cola, and Delta Air Lines publicly objected to Georgia’s voting law changes, McConnell said it was “stupid” for companies to “jump in the middle of a highly controversial issue.” He also blurted out a warning for businesses to “stay out of politics.” According to the news, there have been more than 350 different voting bills in dozens of states, including here in Arkansas, intended to change election laws that include restrictions on outside polling places and on absentee ballots. Some say these restrictions won’t discourage eligible voters from voting, or prevent their votes from being counted, some say they will. Either way, get informed. And by all means, don’t “stay out of politics.” [ Editor’s Note: I agree 100 %… if you feel strongly about something, don’t just sit there. Get involved! Make it happen!]