"Every day is Earth Day to a Pagan," quipped our recent podcast guest, Amanda Marie Parker, aka Belle Be Damned. The latter moniker is her burlesque stage name in the Houston-based troupe, Bewitched Burlesque. A creative brainchild of Parker and Jessica Anderson of the Thorn and Moon Magical Market, they are now performing socially safe, in-person shows after launching virtually a year ago* in the wake of the pandemic. Parker also performs in Houston with Strange Bird Immersive, which recently a shout-out from The New York Times. Strange Bird Immersive includes Bradley Winkler, who acts with them and also handles some sound design, PR, and marketing. A longtime actor and friend of mine, Bradley and I met in the Boulevard Theatre community here in Milwaukee. He was the one who had the foresight to introduce Amanda and I for a podcast chat.

 What Can We Do?

Amanda has a point about Earth Day that is easy to forget. We should be mindfully living with reverence for Mother Earth each day with gentle and kind intent. If it weren't for her, we wouldn't be here after all! Whether it's keeping up with our recycling, using non-toxic products in our food purchases and lawn care, carpooling, biking, and hoofing it whenever possible, or making a point to clean up trash in our local waterways and parks, there are so many ways we can help. Make no mistake, it's never too late to make a difference and if enough of us do, it can still make enough of an impact to heal some of what we've wreaked over time. We owe it to the young people in our lives that we cherish, as well as the animals, trees, and all of earth's living creatures dependent on her intricate ecosystem.

How to Give Back

In addition to all that, you can donate! Founded on the first Earth Day back in 1970, Environmental Action is holding a special fundraiser ending today to meet their $25,0000 goal. Give what you can, and help put at-risk animals like gray wolves back on the endangered species list to restore their protections that were stripped away by the last administration. If you're able to gather safely outside with a few of your friends, consider having an "Earth Day Birthday" picnic.

Nothing But Flowers

Amanda loves to appreciate and give back to the earth in her daily life and has a special penchant for flowers. To learn more about Amanda's story, listen to our latest episode of "Women Who Howl at the Moon" on SoundCloud here. Her Instagram handle is @pamandabelle. Show some love to our Facebook page and at Patreon, too. Don't forget, it's not too late to be entered in our wolfie mousepad giveaway this month (see both pages for details)!

How will you spend all of your Earth Days?