What Does a Burning Greenhouse Have to Do With Earth Day?

Earth Day Greenhouse Fire (click to view Google Photos) -  This afternoon, the greenhouse that my father has used for over 30 years, burned to the ground. Why it burned is a puzzle that can’t be completed; there are too many missing pieces. The only piece that seems to fit is the small wood burning stove that was inside the greenhouse. Why the explosion occurred, that caused the greenhouse to go up in flames, is still a mystery to us.

Thirty years of greenhouse gardening was gone in thirty minutes. All of the efforts to save the structure were fruitless, despite the outstanding job done by the fire fighters. Tonight all that remains, where the greenhouse once stood, are garden tools,minus their wooden handles, metal bows that once supported the greenhouse roof, and coffee cans that were used for holding plant food and transferring potting soil. Nearly every item in the pile is the same color tonight- charcoal black.

Just yesterday, my father had placed his onion seedlings and asparagus roots in the building, anxious to get started with his spring planting routine. Today his plants and his greenhouse are gone. His love of gardening is not. I have no doubt that he will plant his pesticide-free vegetables again this year, just as he has done since 1968.

Thankfully,  ALL of his plants weren’t burnt to a crisp this afternoon. (see the photo?)  The plants he had yet to move in to the greenhouse are still alive and well, in his garage. Little did he know, that those plants would be all that remained of his spring planting plan by the end of Earth Day 2007.

So, you’re probably wondering…. what does this story really have to do with Earth Day? Well, what happened in my little corner of the world on Earth Day 2007, reminded me that the clean water, clean air, and the safe food we have to eat in the U.S., shouldn’t be taken for granted. It is true what they say “here today, gone tomorrow”.  But, if we all change just one thing that negatively impacts our planet, our collective efforts will make a big difference - a world of a difference.