On the 22nd of April, we observe and celebrate International Mother Earth Day. This day is also acknowledged by the United Nations.

The theme for this year’s celebration is “When Mother Earth sends us a message”.

The United Nations tells us that Mother Earth is sending us a sincere and clear warning; that it is time to act. The natural world is under strain: oceans are filling with plastic and becoming more acidic, while extreme heat, wildfires, and floods continue to impact millions.

Human-driven climate change and harmful activities like deforestation, land conversion, intensive farming, and illegal wildlife trade are speeding up environmental damage and biodiversity loss.

This is why restoring ecosystems is essential. They sustain all life on Earth, and their health directly affects both the planet and humanity. Repairing damaged ecosystems can help reduce poverty, fight climate change, and prevent widespread extinction, but success depends on collective effort.

In light of this day, we turn to the small island of Aruba, home to our Global Director, Hans Timpner, and a community of incredibly inspiring people.

Living Soil Aruba

You may recall reading a story about Living Soil Aruba, which we published a few months ago.

Living Soil Aruba is a community-driven initiative dedicated to restoring the island’s ecosystems through regenerative agriculture. Founded by Rose Barros, the project promotes methods like syntropic agroforestry to rebuild soil health, increase biodiversity, and grow food in harmony with nature – exactly that which Mother Nature is asking us to do!

By working with schools, volunteers, and local communities, Living Soil Aruba creates educational gardens and food forests that encourage sustainable living. Its mission goes beyond farming; it aims to strengthen resilience, support local food production, and inspire a deeper connection between people and the environment!

Rose tells us that “Every piece of land and person has a different story – and I’m here to listen first. I don’t offer packages. I offer support. Whether you’re planting your first tree, want to create your own food forest, or rethinking how to live more in tune with nature, I’m happy to think along with you.”

The Living Soil Projects in Aruba include and inspire young and old!

Recently, Hans Timpner shared an inspiring, heartfelt video clip with us. The video (as seen below) was captured in one of the many school-gardens maintained by Living Soil Aruba.

Hans tells us that the girls at the school heard that plants like it when you sing to them. So… the obvious thing to do was to sing for them!

“Happy Earth Day to you…”

If your heart is warmed by this, and if you are inspired by the little bit we just shared, you should definitely like and follow Living Soil Aruba’s Facebook and Instagram pages, to stay up to date with their latest work.

And, have a look at their website, to learn more about their incredible projects!

Rose, we are truly inspired by your work, and we wish you, your community, and Living Soil Aruba a lot of success! We look forward to learning more about your work, and thank you so much for everything that you are doing for Mother Earth.

After learning about your work, we can now understand why Aruba is called “One Happy Island”!

To our global community; if you are celebrating Mother Earth Day by singing for your plants and trees too, please remember to send us a video! We would love to see you celebrating!

______
References and Image Sources:

Living Soil Aruba Website: https://www.livingsoilaruba.com/home
Living Soil Aruba Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551429562020