“We need to build a global citizenry fluent in the concept of climate change and inspired by environmental education to act in defense of the planet.” — EARTHDAY.ORG President Kathleen Rogers
I can’t begin to count the times I’d open the fridge to take out the butter only to find frijoles negros stealthily lying in wait or when I’d hungrily open a Royal Dansk Danish Cookie tin deficient in cookies but full of thread and surplus buttons. At the time, I found this to be an annoyance commonly experienced in Latine households where reusing plastic and glass containers was an expectation largely in the name of economic efficiency. Now as climate change continues to warm our planet “at a rate not seen in the past 10,000 years,” I see that what my parents were doing was not only cost effective, it was also helping to save the planet by minimizing the amount of waste produced.
This notion of waste free living can be seen in many communities throughout South and Central America. For example, “the Aztecs were essentially a zero-waste society, growing food on floating artificial islands known as chinampas on the lakes in the valley of Mexico, where the capital is now located.” And in Peru, the Incas had a deep connection with Pachamama, also known as Mother Earth and went so far as “establishing laws on conservation and species protection.”
While I was musing on ways to help the environment, my mother was reading and marveling at our most recent Sol Book Box acquisition: Mi abuelo el luchador written by Antonio Ramos Revillas and illustrated by Rosana Mesa Zamudio. A previously out of print and still hard to find exciting book about an abuelo that fought against werewolves, robots, and vampires. After a quick lucha libre fight using our bed as the ring my kiddo loudly exclaimed he was missing something: a lucha libre like the abuelo in the story! As luck would have it, on the floor lay scattered the following: the Sol Book Box, the kaleidoscopically gorgeous confetti, and the gift wrapping paper (which my mama made sure was unwrapped carefully - in case we needed to reuse it.).
As we created our lucha libre mask we had a conversation about reusing, recycling, and the importance of taking care of our planet. What a fortuitous conversation to have as we ready ourselves for celebrating our Earth while raising awareness on climate change and protecting the natural world on April 22nd. Earth Day is a time for people around the world to come together and focus on environmental issues. This year's theme is "Invest In Our Planet, “which highlights the importance of dedicating our time, resources, and energy to solving climate change and other environmental issues.” At Sol Book Box, we believe that bilingual children have a unique role to play in promoting environmental awareness and sustainability. By learning about the environment in both their native language and a second language, children can develop a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of the natural world and the ways in which we can all work together to protect it.
At Sol Book Box, we know how important it is to instill love and respect for the environment in our young readers. That's why we're excited to celebrate Earth Day with a giveaway focusing on reusing book box shipping materials. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!
--
Karina Batchelor is a Latinx mama from the Magic City that runs on books and cafecito. Her haunts include her local leafy library, her homeschooling cooperative, the warm comfy nook near the window, and the theatre, where she works as a professional dramaturg.
Win a collection of our favorite books for celebrating Madre Tierra! We'll be picking three winners at random to receive a box of 6 awesome picture books including La selva de Zonia, El último árbol and more! Here's how to enter:
1. Recycle your latest Sol Book Box package (box, wrapping paper, crinkle paper, etc.) into an original piece of art! Anything goes here, so feel free to get creative. As long as your creation includes at least 2 components from a book box shipment, you're good to go. (See Karina's lucha libre mask above for one example!)
2. Post your creation to Instagram, include a short explanation, and be sure to tag @solbookbox when you do!
3. Give a "like" to our official contest announcement, and tag at least 1 friend in the comments to help us spread the word.
This giveaway is open to US residents only. The event closes at midnight, EST on May 8th 2023. Winners will be selected at random, notified Instagram DM, and announced on both Instagram and via an update to this blog post within 3 business days.
*Personal and non-transferable prize, no changes or refunds will be accepted. This giveaway is in no way sponsored or associated with Instagram.