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In celebration of NRTG's 10th anniversary, we will be donating 10% of April's profits to True North Aid.

Earth Day, Every Day 

Earth Day (April 22) is a global reminder that protecting land, water, and life isn’t optional — it’s essential. This year’s Earth Day theme, “Our Power, Our Planet,” is a call to show up through real action, led by communities, educators, workers, families, and local leaders who protect the places they live and work. 

At NRTG, environmental responsibility is embedded in the day‑to‑day work our training supports. When we think about the strongest connection between Earth Day’s call‑to‑action and what we do as an organization, the Land Guardian Program is top-of-mind. 

Land Guardian work extends beyond environmental monitoring. Guardians are often teachers and mentors, passing knowledge, language, and cultural practices to younger generations.   

This connects to a broader value that NRTG has articulated across our Indigenous programs, where we create space for individuals and communities to combine culture and traditional knowledge with modern environmental science (often described as “Two‑Eyed Seeing”). 

A Day That Begins Before Sunrise

Before the sun rises, a Land Guardian may already be out on the land. Walking a riverbank, noticing subtle changes in water level, tracking wildlife movement, or watching seasonal patterns shift. Those observations reflect a relationship built over time: a deep familiarity with place, responsibility, and meaning. 

Across Canada, Land Guardians actively monitor ecosystems, track environmental change, and protect culturally significant areas. They are often among the first to notice the impacts of climate change in real time — including later ice formation, shifting migration patterns, and changes in water systems — and they respond through restoration, conservation, and collaboration that blends Indigenous knowledge with Western science. 

Earth Day Values, Lived Year‑Round 

Earth Day is a moment of reflection, one where we re-commit to better choices. But Land Guardians remind us of something more powerful: environmental responsibility is not annual. It’s ongoing. It’s a practice grounded in respect, relationships, and care for the land.  

In our training spaces, this responsibility is lived collectively. Guardians-in-training talk about what they see, what feels unfamiliar, and what they’re carrying from their communities. Learning unfolds through observation, discussion, and practice, often driven as much by peer knowledge as by instruction. That shared space mirrors the work itself: noticing change, asking questions, and deciding together how best to respond. Observe, record, report, protect. 

As NRTG marks 10 years of training alongside communities, Earth Day feels less like a milestone and more like a reminder of the responsibility we carry forward, every season. Today and every day, we celebrate the work of Land Guardians across the world. We remain committed to supporting this work through training that builds capacity and confidence in the Guardians of our future. 

— Kristy & Jordan

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