Earth Day Reflections
A Birthday Tribute to John Muir & A Love Letter to Our Planet
Today is Earth Day — a moment to pause, breathe and look around at the only home we’ve ever known. It’s a day set aside not just for appreciation, but for action. A reminder that this planet needs our care more than ever.
Fittingly, yesterday marked the birthday of John Muir (April 21, 1838), one of the most influential voices in American environmental history. He didn’t just love nature — he lived it, championed it and fought fiercely for its protection.
"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world." - John Muir
In a time before climate change made headlines, before “sustainability” was a buzzword, Muir saw the interconnectedness of all things. He saw nature as teacher, healer and sacred space. His legacy is carved into various national parks in the USA and echoed in every movement that seeks to preserve wild spaces.
This Earth Day, we’re thinking about how breath-taking our planet is and how much danger it’s in. We’re facing rising seas, burning forests and mass extinction. But we’re also seeing a rise in voices — scientists, artists, activists and everyday people — demanding change and choosing hope.
So what can we do?
Take a walk. Let nature remind you why it’s worth saving.
Support rewilding, restoration and clean energy efforts.
Reduce, reuse, resist the throwaway culture.
Vote for leaders who care about the climate.
Listen to Indigenous voices who’ve been stewards of this Earth long before the word “environmentalist” existed.
And maybe, once in a while, just sit under a tree with a book of John Muir’s writings.
Let’s celebrate Earth Day not as a single date on the calendar, but as a continual commitment — to tread more lightly, speak more loudly and love this world more fiercely.
Here’s to the Earth. Here’s to Muir. Here’s to all of us who still believe in the wild.
Celebrating John Muir with Our First Young Natural Ambassador Hub
We marked a special milestone recently: the launch of our very first Young Natural Ambassador Hub—and what better way to celebrate than by honouring the legacy of John Muir himself?
Four of our brilliant Young Natural Ambassadors—Lucy, Flo, Jake, and Lieley—came together for the first time for a day of connection, creativity and conservation. From fire lighting to rolling up their sleeves and helping prune trees, these young change makers threw themselves into every moment.
They also helped shape a brand new educational teaching space at the Centre—an area that will inspire many more young naturalists in the future.
Each of these ambassadors has completed 18 one-to-one sessions with our expert tutors, earning their John Muir Conserver Award along the way. The Hub is the next chapter: a space to build new partnerships, explore fresh opportunities and think big about how we can share the John Muir message more widely in our communities.
A huge thank you to our inspiring ambassadors—and to their ever-supportive guardians. This is just the beginning. Watch this space.
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A man way ahead of his time who saw himself as a citizen of Earth Planet Universe without the divides we like to make, brilliant article and inspiring work.