What do we teach our kids, and any child in our life? That they can be whatever they want when they grow up, and that the possibilities are endless. But what if the choices we're all making right now are ultimately hindering their abilities to flourish in the future? Considering the reality of human-induced climate change and tragedies like the major plastic pollution problem, ocean pollution/acidification or mass-extinctions, we can't deny that our collective actions are not helping to provide a very opportunistic lifetime for kids today. Unless, of course, we all do our part to promote more sustainable ways of living ASAP. We still have a small window of time, to come together and use our innovative minds in order to change our collectively destructive ways and clean up the messes we've made. Remember, "we do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."
There's nothing wrong with thinking big, or having grand goals and dynamic dreams beyond what we think may be possible. In fact, our world needs more aspiration from everyone right now. Especially and specifically moving towards a more sustainable future. We need more people to believe in themselves and to push for positive global change on any and every level. The scales need to be tipped away from things like consumerism, greed, hate, divisiveness, and ignorance, and tipped towards ideals of conscientiousness, sustainability, inclusiveness, unity, love, and understanding. Working individually and together, it is possible to create a future where everyone's rights, no matter how simple or profound, coincide with the betterment of the entire global community and the preservation of the natural world for generations to come. Historically, groups of people working together have been one of the main and only catalysts for real, necessary change.
We must keep in mind there is strength in numbers. As much as our individual choices and actions matter, listening to and working with others is just as important. Opening our minds and our hearts, realizing we may have privilege, or we may be unfairly treated, or unfortunately judged based on something which we have no control - accepting our position and using it to an advantage is the best thing we can do. For me personally, it's privilege. I know and understand that my position as a white, middle-class, college-educated female living in a country with many freedoms gives me an advantage. So does the fact that my parents bought or inherited property and in turn so did I. The main privilege in my life, however, is that I was raised to be conscientious and aware of, not only my position of advantage in the world, but the state of the rest of the world. Sometimes it can feel like a curse, right? To be hyperaware of the conditions of people, animals and environments suffering across the globe - and feeling like I can't do enough to help - is agonizing. Understanding that as I sit here and write these words, trying to make a difference, people, animals, and the environment are oppressed, overworked and overburdened just so people like you and me can have commodities like the devises we're using now.
So what can we do? We can talk about it. Educate others (even if it makes them feel uncomfortable or get defensive), listen to others (really listen, try to understand another perspective and empathize without judgement in order to cultivate understanding and connection), and use these tools of communication and intelligence to spark action. Make the time to put in the extra effort to use the reusables, to grow our own food, to pick up trash, to find alternatives to over-processed, over-packaged convenience items, to write to companies and governmental bodies about using renewable instead of destructive, finite resources. Want less stuff. Need less stuff. Take care of stuff so it lasts longer. Make informed, conscientious decisions about the stuff we do consume. Stop using single-use plastic. Stop sucking (straws). Don't buy into society's trap of hierarchy by overconsumption and lack of consideration for life as a whole. Create relationships based on what people are like or how they treat others instead of what type of car they drive or whether or not they own a boat or the newest smartphone. Focus on how every little thought, decision and action each one of us takes individually, helps or hurts us all in the long run. Figure out what drives you and get inspired by it to make positive changes to yourself that will flow outward to others and the world.
What does a better tomorrow look like to you? And how can you begin to accomplish it? There's a role for every single person - even the naysayers and the ones with their head in the sand, forcing the rest of us to strive harder to change the current realities we know to be true. How will you make a difference? How will you be an example of positive change for future generations?
Thursday, November 9, 2017
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Money and Power VS. The People
Money should never be more important than any life. Unfortunately, in our current global social-economic situation, it has become just that. Right now, billions across the globe live in poverty. Even millions of citizens in the United States struggle to live off low wages while paying rising bills for basic (often inadequate) services like electricity and water. The gap between the very rich and the very poor constantly grows while the majority of those with power to lessen the polarity of wealth inequality, historically and currently, tend to turn their heads for ease or allow policies which favor lining their own pockets. It doesn't take much to realize that certain companies, corporations, their executives, and the politicians supporting/being supported by them, are clearly profiting greedily at the expense of working, struggling humans in the U.S. and all over the world.
It's unfair that hard-working citizens take the blame upon themselves; believing they're just unlucky, couldn't catch a break, or didn't work hard enough. Because the truth is, it's not just them, it's a huge amount of people being taken advantage of so that a few people in charge can have more money and possessions than they'll ever really need. This current state in our world clearly demonstrates that the majority of those supposedly representing "we, the people" and protecting our most basic freedoms - like rights to clean air, water and soil for starters - are not working to serve us (their constituents) but instead to please their bosses and fuel their own self-serving interests. Politics are ruled by money and even politicians will admit that. Powerful people bend or make the rules in order to manipulate the systems in their favor, often because they're simply greedy. But this is not just about pointing fingers and placing blame, it's about a call to action for all citizens and the promotion of demanding things like transparency, accountability, education, sustainability and positive solutions.
We must take responsibility for the health of our planet, each other, and all other life. It begins with accepting ourselves, others, the truth of what's going on, and our ability to do something about it. When we're not divided by our differences, we are united by our similarities. We're all simply human, all needing the same things to survive, and we will all someday die, leaving the state of the world to our children and grandchildren. In the grand scheme of things we are a tiny fraction of this existence, the smallest of contributions to an infinite work-in-progress, and as a whole, humans in this current era are doing much more harm than good.
Our species possesses consciousness but we seem to be lacking integrity. We have full knowledge of, and control over, our thoughts, choices, and actions; yet, we are allowing ourselves to be ruled by convenience and money while destroying our only planet in the process. This can't be what's meant for us, for our highly-evolved species. A majority of us fighting for survival and suffering while too many are complacent, very few of the privileged help, and the truly powerful seem to do nothing. How can this state of affairs be what anyone stands for? As one human to another, how can we be okay with what some of us are inflicting on others?
Shouldn't we be coming together to decide what's important for us as a group and what will benefit our species as a whole instead of reeling with divisive hate that only pushes us closer to our own demise? It's too easy to sit behind a screen with a keyboard telling everyone who will listen why we are right, but what does that actually accomplish? If we stopped arguing and could find common ground by brainstorming practical goals, imagine what we could accomplish. Unfortunately, it's difficult to work toward a global community when the priority has become money and it's each person for themselves. Unity is tough when we are so polarized, when many work hard and are struggling to make enough to survive while being taken advantage of by a few who just scam and scheme to get as much as they can.
In a way I get it, because I, too, obviously need money to survive. Even the articles and videos this blog links to will no doubt have advertising, trying to sell anything from window cleaner to shoes or more personalized items based on what websites we visit, like camo gear or new facial cream. It's understandable that companies need to try to sell their products so they, their stock holders, workers, etc. can all make the money they need to keep their world spinning. It makes sense because when money is what keeps us secure and comfortable, we do what we have to do to keep it coming.
However, is having what we want worth swaying our moral compass? Is it worth the value of human life? Should money be a motivating factor so great that it forces us to do what we know isn't right? Success shouldn't be measured by how much power one has, how much money one makes, or how much stuff one owns, but by how we feel intrinsically, what we do for those around us, and how we treat all others. We shouldn't need big houses nor fancy cars nor the newest brand toys and clothes to legitimize our status, but sadly we do, because we have been raised in a capitalistic society and we've been taught this is the way to prove ourselves as successful. Because of this mindset, it seems we would screw over another human just to make a quick buck. We must challenge this notion, all of us, because really, our individual successes should reflect our success as a species and should be based on progress and prosperity of the human race as a whole. In other words, life should always come before money. In terms of this key fact, our race is currently proving unsuccessful. Let's be the change!
It's unfair that hard-working citizens take the blame upon themselves; believing they're just unlucky, couldn't catch a break, or didn't work hard enough. Because the truth is, it's not just them, it's a huge amount of people being taken advantage of so that a few people in charge can have more money and possessions than they'll ever really need. This current state in our world clearly demonstrates that the majority of those supposedly representing "we, the people" and protecting our most basic freedoms - like rights to clean air, water and soil for starters - are not working to serve us (their constituents) but instead to please their bosses and fuel their own self-serving interests. Politics are ruled by money and even politicians will admit that. Powerful people bend or make the rules in order to manipulate the systems in their favor, often because they're simply greedy. But this is not just about pointing fingers and placing blame, it's about a call to action for all citizens and the promotion of demanding things like transparency, accountability, education, sustainability and positive solutions.
**Put It Into Practice**
Our species possesses consciousness but we seem to be lacking integrity. We have full knowledge of, and control over, our thoughts, choices, and actions; yet, we are allowing ourselves to be ruled by convenience and money while destroying our only planet in the process. This can't be what's meant for us, for our highly-evolved species. A majority of us fighting for survival and suffering while too many are complacent, very few of the privileged help, and the truly powerful seem to do nothing. How can this state of affairs be what anyone stands for? As one human to another, how can we be okay with what some of us are inflicting on others?
Shouldn't we be coming together to decide what's important for us as a group and what will benefit our species as a whole instead of reeling with divisive hate that only pushes us closer to our own demise? It's too easy to sit behind a screen with a keyboard telling everyone who will listen why we are right, but what does that actually accomplish? If we stopped arguing and could find common ground by brainstorming practical goals, imagine what we could accomplish. Unfortunately, it's difficult to work toward a global community when the priority has become money and it's each person for themselves. Unity is tough when we are so polarized, when many work hard and are struggling to make enough to survive while being taken advantage of by a few who just scam and scheme to get as much as they can.
However, is having what we want worth swaying our moral compass? Is it worth the value of human life? Should money be a motivating factor so great that it forces us to do what we know isn't right? Success shouldn't be measured by how much power one has, how much money one makes, or how much stuff one owns, but by how we feel intrinsically, what we do for those around us, and how we treat all others. We shouldn't need big houses nor fancy cars nor the newest brand toys and clothes to legitimize our status, but sadly we do, because we have been raised in a capitalistic society and we've been taught this is the way to prove ourselves as successful. Because of this mindset, it seems we would screw over another human just to make a quick buck. We must challenge this notion, all of us, because really, our individual successes should reflect our success as a species and should be based on progress and prosperity of the human race as a whole. In other words, life should always come before money. In terms of this key fact, our race is currently proving unsuccessful. Let's be the change!
Friday, March 17, 2017
ECO-MAD Traveling
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| Ancient cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park, Co, USA. An unbelievable piece of history I'm so grateful has been preserved. |
Like all ECO-MAD decision-making, it's essential to be informed and aware of the effects our actions have on others (the locals) and the planet (the local environment) while we're visiting somewhere. To be conscientious of the place we're going, how we get there, what we bring with us, what we do there, and what we bring back, is all important because our actions have effects that ripple. In addition, since it's nearly impossible to accomplish consumption-free traveling, it's helpful to check ourselves by considering how, what and why we consume what we do when we're 'on the road'.
Before going somewhere, there are many advantages in doing research, not just on the destination itself but also on the general impacts of tourism. The more we know, the more powerful we can be in reducing our impact while experiencing the destination to its fullest and possessing a clear conscience.
The stuff.
Time to think about our baggage, and what sustainable essentials to bring. Reusable options can severely cut down on some of the worst and most abundant waste-creating convenience items, not to mention save money and create all-around healthier habits. From field trips to road trips, here's some reusables to consider:
- Ice chest - to bring our own food so we can avoid fast-food or expensive restaurants, avoid excess packaging, and as a bonus, clear the fridge out at home so foods don't go bad.
- Stainless cups and straws - to ensure we avoid unnecessary plastics and waste when we get our drinks-on-the-go.
- Stainless or glass water bottles - so we don't have to drink out of plastic or create waste. Maybe even make our own juice to bring in an extra bottle?
- SteriPEN (hand-held UV light water purifier) - to use after filling our reusable bottles from a tap or stream (clear, flowing water) so we don't have to worry about getting sick.
- Bamboo utensils - a lightweight, easy-to-carry alternative to plasticware.
- Lightweight bowl/plate - great for backpacking, travel-picnicking or festivals; an all-around great tool for all sorts of travel, especially if you love food!
- Wine/alcohol bag - in case we want a drink but metal/glass isn't allowed.
- Tupperware (preferably glass, although reusable plastic is lighter weight for travel) - for leftover or to-go food.
- Reusable clear bag for toiletries - then we don't have to use something like a Ziploc.
- Coconut oil
- *has so many uses straight out of the jar
- **can be mixed with other ingredients to create even more uses
- Chapstick* (if made at home we can package in a reusable container)
- Lotion* (if made at home we can package in a reusable container)
- Shampoo
- Conditioner**(and/or hair mask*)(if made at home we can package in a reusable container)
- Soap** (if made at home we can package in a reusable container)
- Facewash** (if made at home we can package in a reusable container)
- Sunscreen
- Toothpaste** (if made at home we can package in a reusable container)
- Toothbrush (bamboo is more sustainable than plastic)
- Feminine products (there are alternatives to pads/tampons like menstrual cups/underwear, which are less wasteful)
- Razor (metal or bamboo with replaceable heads or resharpenable blades to reduce waste)
- Water floss/pick (if we're dedicated enough to bring it with us traveling)
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| Airports, etc. are becoming more compatible with sustainable lifestyles! |
The transportation.
- Walk
- Take public transportation
- Carpool
- Ride bicycles
- Rent the most gas efficient vehicle possible, or go electric if it's an option.
- Support locally run rental/transportation companies (usually assures that money spent stays in the community).
Avoid whenever possible:
- Cruises (mainly because of their negative impacts on the environment, specifically the seas, which are essential to their business - go figure)
- Riding on an animal of any kind unless you know for a fact it's being treated humanely.
- Unnecessary, excess transportation (this requires proper planning to avoid, but again, not always avoidable)
- Supporting mega-chains or huge corporations (whose profits often disregard the local communities and instead benefit shareholders/CEOs)
The activities.
No matter the purpose of our trips or where we go, one thing we can and should always do everywhere is "leave no trace" - or better yet, leave all places better than we find them, ensuring they are preserved for other visitors and future generations. The best way to make sure our traveling activities are (among other things) sustainable, responsible and humane is - again for emphasis - to DO OUR RESEARCH. Ask questions. Who runs the activity? Is the activity being done in a responsible way? What are the impacts of the activity on the surrounding people, animals and place? Are there global impacts? A business with nothing to hide will have transparency and be able to give us most information we request, plus we can talk to locals and others who have done the activities, or read reviews. From activities as harsh as 'elephant riding' to those as seemingly harmless as shell collecting, it's dire that we pay attention to not only the repercussions of our own visit, but the lasting effects that will result from tourism as a whole, when multiplied by at least millions of visitors in our lifetime alone. It just so happens that "ethical tourism" is a thing and it's trending, so for those with access to Internet, beginning to find information is as easy as typing 'choosing ethical tourism' into the search bar and hitting enter!
The return.
It's important when deciding what to buy and/or bring home with us (souvenirs) that we take into consideration not just the typical questions of 'where is it made, who made it, what is it made of, how is it made, what are the mass-scale effects if any, etc.?' but also 'what can people use and or experience rather than just have?'. Most likely, for example, someone will enjoy a gift like locally made food items (hot sauce, jam, etc.) with unique ingredients from the place visited, or some local music or art to ponder, rather than something plastic or 'made in China'. Again, a place to begin research if you have internet access is as simple as searching 'ethical souvenirs'.
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| What wilderness does for the self is inexplicable, and preservation of the wild is our responsibility. |
**Put It Into Practice**
Getting in touch with ourselves and being informed on the issues surrounding our daily decisions and actions does require extra effort, but at this point it's necessary and we are supposed to be the most highly-evolved species on Earth, so it's a fact that we are capable. We all have the ability to get in touch with who we are, with our conscience and with our intrinsic values, and many of us also have the ability to do general research on issues meaningful to us because we have access to endless information in an instant.
There's truly no excuse for humans to be making uninformed, convenience-based choices which cause harm to ourselves, others, and the planet. There should be no question as to whether or not it's worth putting in the effort to be less impactful so that future generations can have the same freedoms, on the same biodiverse planet, that we have now. Remember, we have immense power in our choices. We can set examples, spread sustainable education, start a movement, influence the status quo, stand up to socially irresponsible practices, hold wrongdoers accountable, and make positive change, with our choices and actions, but we must make the conscious decision to do it.
Saturday, December 10, 2016
Focusing In (on plastic)
It's not an easy task, taking on the responsibility of making conscientious choices to reduce our impact. In fact, it can be overwhelming to think of all the ways in which humans need to change our unsustainable habits to ensure a livable future for generations to come. However, like any large, seemingly impossible task, when we break it down and focus on it step-by-step, it becomes achievable. Putting some extra thought, time and energy into overcoming one issue at a time (or however many we feel we can take on) until, eventually, our overall mindset shifts to thinking sustainably and less-impactfully by habit, all the time.
Let's begin with the complex issue of 'plastic use' as an example. The severe over-usage of plastic in our world is out of control. Specifically and especially single-use plastic, because it's a one-time use of a substance that either never decomposes, or that eventually breaks down into toxic chemicals which leach into our water and food. As intelligent humans and consumers, how did we let it get to this point? There are many factors, but a big one is because our waste, in general, is an out-of-sight-out-of-mind concept. Nearly everything we consume these days has some form of packaging that's usually petroleum-based plastic, and once we get to the item we desire, its wrapping becomes garbage, which we discard and forget about forever. But the effects of that action will ripple, continuing to do no good, only harm, for the rest of its long lifespan. There's a good chance that one of the pieces of plastic trash that any one of us has discarded in the past and never thought about again, is currently wreaking its own little havoc on this environment we share with every other living thing on this planet. Together, we're slowly poisoning the oceans and destroying the environment that sustains us and all life, simply out of convenience for ourselves. So what can we do to reduce the inevitable damage done from plastic?
A few ways to reduce plastic waste immediately:
- Invest in reusables and actually use them. Use things like cloth shopping bags, cotton cloths in the kitchen (they can be washed, as opposed to sponges), bamboo to-go utensils, stainless or glass water bottles, insulated to-go cups, glass containers (for to-go food, leftovers, etc.) and anything else you can think of, in order to replace disposable plastic items with reusable ones.
- Find ways to reuse any plastic that would otherwise be tossed out after one use. Such as; to-go cups and containers, straws, bottles, plastic produce bags, sandwich and freezer bags, bubble wrap, etc. and push yourself to get creative!
- Buy food from farmer's markets and in bulk as often as possible to reduce unnecessary plastic packaging waste.
Several more involved ways to reduce plastic waste in general:
- Do your research! Most of us have a library and/or the internet easily accessible and we shouldn't take that for granted because information is powerful. We can search out solutions and get the facts of who (companies/organizations/people) and what (products/ideas) are contributing the most (positively and negatively) to the plastic problem.
- Vote for officials and legislations which support the reduction of petroleum-based products, etc. and write to already elected officials if they need to be informed.
- Call or write to companies of products that you may love but that overuse plastic, and urge them to create other packaging options so they won't lose your business.
- Invent solutions. There are innovative minds of all ages across the globe that may just need a bit of inspiration in order to spark an idea that could bring necessary change. If we put our mind to it, any of us are capable of creating solutions to plastic pollution.
- Educate others and spread knowledge of plastic pollution. When we get those around us involved, and they get those around them involved, etc., it makes a bigger and bigger difference.
A few ways to reduce plastic waste immediately:
- Invest in reusables and actually use them. Use things like cloth shopping bags, cotton cloths in the kitchen (they can be washed, as opposed to sponges), bamboo to-go utensils, stainless or glass water bottles, insulated to-go cups, glass containers (for to-go food, leftovers, etc.) and anything else you can think of, in order to replace disposable plastic items with reusable ones.
- Find ways to reuse any plastic that would otherwise be tossed out after one use. Such as; to-go cups and containers, straws, bottles, plastic produce bags, sandwich and freezer bags, bubble wrap, etc. and push yourself to get creative!
- Buy food from farmer's markets and in bulk as often as possible to reduce unnecessary plastic packaging waste.
Several more involved ways to reduce plastic waste in general:
- Do your research! Most of us have a library and/or the internet easily accessible and we shouldn't take that for granted because information is powerful. We can search out solutions and get the facts of who (companies/organizations/people) and what (products/ideas) are contributing the most (positively and negatively) to the plastic problem.
- Vote for officials and legislations which support the reduction of petroleum-based products, etc. and write to already elected officials if they need to be informed.
- Call or write to companies of products that you may love but that overuse plastic, and urge them to create other packaging options so they won't lose your business.
- Invent solutions. There are innovative minds of all ages across the globe that may just need a bit of inspiration in order to spark an idea that could bring necessary change. If we put our mind to it, any of us are capable of creating solutions to plastic pollution.
- Educate others and spread knowledge of plastic pollution. When we get those around us involved, and they get those around them involved, etc., it makes a bigger and bigger difference.
**Put It Into Practice**
Ever have a difficult time seeing all the viral photos and videos circulating social media that expose the harm and destruction humans cause? Things like dying, homeless orangutans because of palm oil extraction, islands covered in waste and animals dead from plastic, or polar bears starving and their population declining due to climates changing; they are, indeed, hard to look at but we need to see it so that we understand what's happening, so we feel emotionally moved and responsible, so that we want to help change things in any way possible. We must focus more time and energy on actually doing something about it - not just reposting, sharing or commenting on it - but taking action to start a change. The ways in which we can be ECO-MAD are unlimited! We can EXERT CONSCIENTIOUS OPTIONS and MAKE A DIFFERENCE on so many levels! We don't have to make extravagant lifestyle changes if we don't want to, but we can absolutely focus on one issue at a time and we must begin immediately, there's no excuse not to and at least 7 billion reasons to try. Check your habits, tweak your actions, make all those little sustainable choices that will add up over time, then spread your knowledge with others to multiply the effect even more. Help create the movement, because we don't want to be the ones in history who let our unchecked consumption and greedy destruction ruin it for everyone and everything else...
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Remember, We're the Solution
Throughout history, essential change and vital progress across the globe has been accomplished by movements of masses of people. Currently, we're at a pivotal point in the lifespan of our civilization. As our species keeps procreating at an exponential rate, it will only become more difficult to keep our planet livable, let alone beautiful and naturally diverse. The more we populate, the more space and resources we require as a species, and the more we selfishly seem to destroy anything in our way. If we continue down this path - devastating land, over-using limited natural resources, killing off the planet's biodiversity - we're basically destroying the very reasons we're so incredibly fortunate to be alive and conscious beings in this world. We need a movement away from this pattern of destruction.
Luckily, with high numbers of people, also comes more intelligence, influence and power, we just have to realize that our individual choices and actions collectively matter in the long-run. It's possible and necessary to shift our current, consumer-based, convenience-driven habits toward a much more conscientious and sustainable way of living. The shift starts with you and me, with those of us who already understand, and from here it only spreads.
If we have children, we should be extra sensitive to how the choices we make now will determine the quality of their future (not to mention that they learn about how to live from our example). The youth of the future will be inheriting a world that the we're creating today, so it's essential they are not only prepared but that they have all the advantages they can get. Each and every one of us has control over what we think, say and do, so there are no excuses to be made for continuing to take unconscious, destructive actions on an individual level. Recognizing our unsustainable habits, changing our consumptive ways, making less-impactful choices, leading by example, educating and inspiring others, pushing ourselves to be more innovative in long-term planning, these are ways to begin an ECO-MAD movement.
If individual actions seem irrelevant, think about an entire town, city, state or country of people collectively taking the same action and it becomes much more significant. This has never been more true than it is in the reality of our current world, where the collective actions of billions of us are causing negative consequences on our surroundings. Whether it's cigarette butts, plastic, over-packaging, over-processing, littering, food waste, resource depletion, or anything in between - we can help solve the issues if enough of us choose to be aware and conscientious of our decisions. Just because we may be able to avoid much of the turmoil in the world by turning a blind eye, that doesn't mean we should, because there will always be ways we can improve the global environment and society with our actions. Our power in numbers is especially important in a time where legislation may not act to protect the future of our natural world, those of us who care must step up to the task. We are the solution to the problems humans have created.
We, human beings, are the only creatures who have power in our choices and in every action we take, to create the sustainable future that all life on this planet deserves. We just have to make the decision to go ECO-MAD; EXERT CONSCIENTIOUS OPTIONS - MAKE A DIFFERENCE. It may begin with a few of us, but it can become a movement of many, a movement of purpose and progress, a movement for our future.
Luckily, with high numbers of people, also comes more intelligence, influence and power, we just have to realize that our individual choices and actions collectively matter in the long-run. It's possible and necessary to shift our current, consumer-based, convenience-driven habits toward a much more conscientious and sustainable way of living. The shift starts with you and me, with those of us who already understand, and from here it only spreads.
If we have children, we should be extra sensitive to how the choices we make now will determine the quality of their future (not to mention that they learn about how to live from our example). The youth of the future will be inheriting a world that the we're creating today, so it's essential they are not only prepared but that they have all the advantages they can get. Each and every one of us has control over what we think, say and do, so there are no excuses to be made for continuing to take unconscious, destructive actions on an individual level. Recognizing our unsustainable habits, changing our consumptive ways, making less-impactful choices, leading by example, educating and inspiring others, pushing ourselves to be more innovative in long-term planning, these are ways to begin an ECO-MAD movement.
If individual actions seem irrelevant, think about an entire town, city, state or country of people collectively taking the same action and it becomes much more significant. This has never been more true than it is in the reality of our current world, where the collective actions of billions of us are causing negative consequences on our surroundings. Whether it's cigarette butts, plastic, over-packaging, over-processing, littering, food waste, resource depletion, or anything in between - we can help solve the issues if enough of us choose to be aware and conscientious of our decisions. Just because we may be able to avoid much of the turmoil in the world by turning a blind eye, that doesn't mean we should, because there will always be ways we can improve the global environment and society with our actions. Our power in numbers is especially important in a time where legislation may not act to protect the future of our natural world, those of us who care must step up to the task. We are the solution to the problems humans have created.
We, human beings, are the only creatures who have power in our choices and in every action we take, to create the sustainable future that all life on this planet deserves. We just have to make the decision to go ECO-MAD; EXERT CONSCIENTIOUS OPTIONS - MAKE A DIFFERENCE. It may begin with a few of us, but it can become a movement of many, a movement of purpose and progress, a movement for our future.
**Put It Into Practice**
Take some time to connect with yourself, to comprehend the magnitude of your individual choices and actions and the impact they have on others and our environment. How can we lessen our impact? How many ways can we tweak our habits and practices to make them even a tad more sustainable? There's a post on this blog that gives examples, but don't stop there, you're extremely intelligent and you can come up with your own solutions, too! It's going to take us all, trying our best, spreading the word, and working together, to really make a difference - a movement - and I know we can rise to the challenge.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Forethought, Action, Follow-through
The previous post (below) contains links to two videos that present certain concepts and represent bigger ideas relating to the ECO-MAD message. The first is a 20 minute video titled "The Story of Stuff", which explains, simply and thoroughly, the devastating, unsustainable production/ consumption practices of our current, capitalistic society. It reveals an unhealthy, distracted and ultimately self-destructive habit that we've all grown too comfortable with perpetuating - mindless consumption. The (hopefully not conscious) practice of buying and disposing for convenience without regard for where stuff comes from, how long we really use it, where it goes after we discard it, or how all these things add up when multiplied by millions to create serious consequences.
Luckily, the second video provides some good news, the concept that our brain can form new habits. We hold the power in our own minds to change these detrimental ways, and once we break through that first barrier, the possibilities are endless. We can begin by forming new ECO-MAD habits like conscientious forethought, practical action, and thorough follow-through, so that no matter where we are in life or at any given moment in time, we can effortlessly EXERT CONSCIENTIOUS OPTIONS to MAKE A DIFFERENCE that could mean (literally) the world to future generations.
Forethought: careful thinking or planning about the future.
This is like setting goals and figuring out the steps to get those goals done. The more aware of ourselves, our habits, and our surroundings we are, the more we can plan goals to substitute convenient, unsustainable practices with more thought-out, conscious, sustainable day-to-day choices. Taking the time to think about what we'll be doing later in the day, week, year etc. allows us to be more prepared for, and capable of, making ECO-MAD choices.
Planning for the future before we make our daily decisions helps cut down on consumption of unnecessary stuff in all aspects of life. Forethought can be especially effective in improving sustainability of our day-to-day decisions and actions; like once we realize what disposable items we use daily, we can think of how to replace those things with reusable items, bypass them altogether, or at least cut down on waste by recycling, reusing, composting, etc. Things like reusable bags, reusable bottles and cups (insulated or not), reusable napkins and straws, reusable tupperware and utensils for leftovers or to-go food, are all great solutions for cutting down on daily wastefulness.
There are also concepts like recycling, buying second-hand possessions (reusing), composting, gardening, DIY, and many more that, with some forethought, can become part of our lifestyle to make a positive difference on an even bigger scale. We may even be inspired to put forethought into global issues, on an even more macro level. For example, with this blog I'm trying to tackle all of the above. Much forethought went into my creating ECO-MAD, and it's my way of trying to help alleviate some of what I believe to be the world's most severe problems, by raising awareness of all things, big and small, that humans can do to exercise the collective power we possess when we are more conscientious in our individual thoughts, choices, decisions and actions.
Action: Something done or performed; act; deed.
Action is when we put our forethought to good use. Like when we hear there's rain in the forecast, so we make sure to pull out our umbrella so we remember it when we go out. We can put reusable bags in our vehicle or our school/work bag so we remember to take them into the store and use them; we can keep a reusable, insulated cup by the door or in our bag or vehicle so we can ask for our morning smoothie/coffee to-go in a sustainable way (unless we make it ourselves at home, in which case we most likely already use a non-disposable vessel); we can take our reusable bottle of water, possibly infused with fruit or herbs, so we aren't tempted to buy plastic throughout the day; we can make our own lunch and put it in reusable to-go containers, remembering to grab our reusable utensils/napkin and maybe carrying it all in a reusable bag, so that we don't have to buy any unhealthy or over-packaged food out of desperation or convenience (and if we do plan to eat out or get food from our favorite takeout place, we can still take our reusable to-go containers so we can try to get our takeout in a more sustainable way). These are all actions we consciously have control over in our lives and taking them regularly can help us collectively break out of any sort of disposable lifestyle. We must always keep pushing ourselves to find new ways to avoid wasting stuff and creating waste, even if it seems like more effort for us at first, it's urgent that we move away from a lifestyle based on convenient consumption.
Action can be taken on a bigger scale, too, because things like separating recyclables from our trash to cut down on waste, creating a compost to ease the effects of our food waste, or making our own products and buying things second-hand so less stuff gets used and wasted, are all helpful and within our control. Some of us may choose to take on topics that are more out of our individual control but still highly possible, like starting a local trash cleanup in our area to stop the spread of micro trash and litter, creating a non-profit or socially responsible business that positively affects society, or creatively finding solutions to ecological problems due to global demands. We can make positive change happen on many levels. If we are inspired and passionate enough about something, and we're willing to put in the time and energy, we can take action to improve our world in many ways and for generations to come.
Follow-through: the act of completing an action or process.
In the hopes of creating a cycle conducive to less consumption and lower-impact living that is also applicable to any daily regimen, we come full circle when we follow through. This is when we collect the sustainable, non-convenience items we've used throughout our day to rinse/wash them and put them where we'll remember them the next day or time we need them. It's using our compost for fertilizer to grow food in, it's taking used clothes to the second-hand or thrift store for others to reuse, it's reducing our plastic use and waste altogether instead of just recycling because if we follow-up we realize that even recycling isn't done everywhere or in the most sustainable way.
This is also where we take it another step further. Following through is about the end game and beyond. Like in sports - taking the shot, catching the ball, swinging the bat - all these actions are vital to the game but what's just as or more important is how the athlete chooses to proceed after those actions are taken. After our initial intention or goal has been carefully planned, acted upon, and met, what can we do to continue implementing the ideas, etc.? How can we maximize the potential, push the limits and continue to achieve positive, favorable outcomes? Once results have been realized, we followthrough in order to keep getting results and maybe even improve them. Followthrough is finding new ways to be more sustainable or less impactful, leading by example to educate and inspire others, and digging deeper than the surface to find information and facts when making decisions.
We can put this into practice all the time - choices and actions big and small, all lifestyles, all people. Forethought, action, follow-through. We have the ability to make conscientious decisions about what we spend our time and energy on, the resources we use, the things we consume, what we discard and how. We can make informed, sustainable choices in all areas of our lives. Break any unsustainable habits and form better ones.
As an example, we all feel good intrinsically when we give back to others. In fact, many of us do this regularly and can easily do it in an ECO-MAD way. Whether we're volunteering, gift-giving or donating to a cause, it's important we put in the effort to research pertinent information. What does the organization stand for? Is my gift made in an ethical/sustainable way? What is my donated money used for? What is actually needed? (ie.Haiti, Indian Ocean, Katrina) If a company, organization, non-profit, etc., is legitimate then it should be transparent and these questions should be easily answered. Forethought, action, follow-through. Practice, practice, practice.
Luckily, the second video provides some good news, the concept that our brain can form new habits. We hold the power in our own minds to change these detrimental ways, and once we break through that first barrier, the possibilities are endless. We can begin by forming new ECO-MAD habits like conscientious forethought, practical action, and thorough follow-through, so that no matter where we are in life or at any given moment in time, we can effortlessly EXERT CONSCIENTIOUS OPTIONS to MAKE A DIFFERENCE that could mean (literally) the world to future generations.
Forethought: careful thinking or planning about the future.
This is like setting goals and figuring out the steps to get those goals done. The more aware of ourselves, our habits, and our surroundings we are, the more we can plan goals to substitute convenient, unsustainable practices with more thought-out, conscious, sustainable day-to-day choices. Taking the time to think about what we'll be doing later in the day, week, year etc. allows us to be more prepared for, and capable of, making ECO-MAD choices.
Planning for the future before we make our daily decisions helps cut down on consumption of unnecessary stuff in all aspects of life. Forethought can be especially effective in improving sustainability of our day-to-day decisions and actions; like once we realize what disposable items we use daily, we can think of how to replace those things with reusable items, bypass them altogether, or at least cut down on waste by recycling, reusing, composting, etc. Things like reusable bags, reusable bottles and cups (insulated or not), reusable napkins and straws, reusable tupperware and utensils for leftovers or to-go food, are all great solutions for cutting down on daily wastefulness.
There are also concepts like recycling, buying second-hand possessions (reusing), composting, gardening, DIY, and many more that, with some forethought, can become part of our lifestyle to make a positive difference on an even bigger scale. We may even be inspired to put forethought into global issues, on an even more macro level. For example, with this blog I'm trying to tackle all of the above. Much forethought went into my creating ECO-MAD, and it's my way of trying to help alleviate some of what I believe to be the world's most severe problems, by raising awareness of all things, big and small, that humans can do to exercise the collective power we possess when we are more conscientious in our individual thoughts, choices, decisions and actions.
Action: Something done or performed; act; deed.
Action is when we put our forethought to good use. Like when we hear there's rain in the forecast, so we make sure to pull out our umbrella so we remember it when we go out. We can put reusable bags in our vehicle or our school/work bag so we remember to take them into the store and use them; we can keep a reusable, insulated cup by the door or in our bag or vehicle so we can ask for our morning smoothie/coffee to-go in a sustainable way (unless we make it ourselves at home, in which case we most likely already use a non-disposable vessel); we can take our reusable bottle of water, possibly infused with fruit or herbs, so we aren't tempted to buy plastic throughout the day; we can make our own lunch and put it in reusable to-go containers, remembering to grab our reusable utensils/napkin and maybe carrying it all in a reusable bag, so that we don't have to buy any unhealthy or over-packaged food out of desperation or convenience (and if we do plan to eat out or get food from our favorite takeout place, we can still take our reusable to-go containers so we can try to get our takeout in a more sustainable way). These are all actions we consciously have control over in our lives and taking them regularly can help us collectively break out of any sort of disposable lifestyle. We must always keep pushing ourselves to find new ways to avoid wasting stuff and creating waste, even if it seems like more effort for us at first, it's urgent that we move away from a lifestyle based on convenient consumption.
Action can be taken on a bigger scale, too, because things like separating recyclables from our trash to cut down on waste, creating a compost to ease the effects of our food waste, or making our own products and buying things second-hand so less stuff gets used and wasted, are all helpful and within our control. Some of us may choose to take on topics that are more out of our individual control but still highly possible, like starting a local trash cleanup in our area to stop the spread of micro trash and litter, creating a non-profit or socially responsible business that positively affects society, or creatively finding solutions to ecological problems due to global demands. We can make positive change happen on many levels. If we are inspired and passionate enough about something, and we're willing to put in the time and energy, we can take action to improve our world in many ways and for generations to come.
Follow-through: the act of completing an action or process.
In the hopes of creating a cycle conducive to less consumption and lower-impact living that is also applicable to any daily regimen, we come full circle when we follow through. This is when we collect the sustainable, non-convenience items we've used throughout our day to rinse/wash them and put them where we'll remember them the next day or time we need them. It's using our compost for fertilizer to grow food in, it's taking used clothes to the second-hand or thrift store for others to reuse, it's reducing our plastic use and waste altogether instead of just recycling because if we follow-up we realize that even recycling isn't done everywhere or in the most sustainable way.
This is also where we take it another step further. Following through is about the end game and beyond. Like in sports - taking the shot, catching the ball, swinging the bat - all these actions are vital to the game but what's just as or more important is how the athlete chooses to proceed after those actions are taken. After our initial intention or goal has been carefully planned, acted upon, and met, what can we do to continue implementing the ideas, etc.? How can we maximize the potential, push the limits and continue to achieve positive, favorable outcomes? Once results have been realized, we followthrough in order to keep getting results and maybe even improve them. Followthrough is finding new ways to be more sustainable or less impactful, leading by example to educate and inspire others, and digging deeper than the surface to find information and facts when making decisions.
**Put It Into Practice**
As an example, we all feel good intrinsically when we give back to others. In fact, many of us do this regularly and can easily do it in an ECO-MAD way. Whether we're volunteering, gift-giving or donating to a cause, it's important we put in the effort to research pertinent information. What does the organization stand for? Is my gift made in an ethical/sustainable way? What is my donated money used for? What is actually needed? (ie.Haiti, Indian Ocean, Katrina) If a company, organization, non-profit, etc., is legitimate then it should be transparent and these questions should be easily answered. Forethought, action, follow-through. Practice, practice, practice.
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Using Conscience with Purpose
Nature is complex and methodical in its ways. Billions of years of trial and error, learning, growing, perfecting. Each and every thing within its realm serves a purpose, including that which we may not yet understand. Plants, minerals, animals, and every molecule in between, doing what they're meant to without question, without ceasing. Their processes are primal, intrinsic and significantly relevant; they've become rhythmic with the universe like the tide and the wind. Then there's us, modern-day humans. Our current process looks something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM&feature=youtu.be
Stuck in a man-made rut, we are capable of infinite possibilities using the influential teachings of nature, yet we are struggling to learn from its ancient wisdom. Humans possess the ability to conscientiously comprehend the extraordinary miracle of this world, and we are the only ones who can save or destroy it. So what's our purpose?
Are we to be overly consumed in material securities and superficial luxuries to the point that we're basically making a conscientious decision to remain unaware of what our lifestyle costs others and the planet? Are we too comfortable in our current ways of life to care about making changes that will benefit ourselves, others, and Earth in the future, before it's too late? For our children's sake, and their children's sake, let's hope not. It is possible to transform our habits, but we have to put our mind to it.
Or are humans meant to do something much more intentional, intelligent and positively life-changing with our unique abilities? All of us can conscientiously make choices and take chances that affect real, positive change in today's world. We are the only ones with this purpose, the only ones with the power. What's stopping us? We must quit acting on impulses of selfish convenience so we can take control of our decisions and actions. The more we spread the ECO-MAD message and the more we EXERT CONSCIENTIOUS OPTIONS, the more it will all add up to MAKE A (HUGE) DIFFERENCE!
Many of us are privileged in that we have access to education, information and resources that many others don't have. Because of this advantage, we are provided with more opportunity to seek out facts, make our own connections and inferences, form our own opinions on what we know to be true, and base our decisions on them. We also have a responsibility, to lead by example and spread the knowledge to those who unfortunately have no way of knowing better (lack of education, information, resources, etc.). A movement; making as many conscientious, sustainable choices and changes in our everyday lifestyles as we can, no matter how big or small, and urging others to do the same. Learning, as a global society, to take each action with the utmost regard for its impacts and consequences on others and on nature's ability to function, instead of working against and destroying the natural process that's been in the making for billions of years. Thoughts, ideas, actions, communications and shared wisdom that add up to a purpose much bigger than all of us.
Some information on nature as inspiration for creative innovation: https://biomimicry.org
Stuck in a man-made rut, we are capable of infinite possibilities using the influential teachings of nature, yet we are struggling to learn from its ancient wisdom. Humans possess the ability to conscientiously comprehend the extraordinary miracle of this world, and we are the only ones who can save or destroy it. So what's our purpose?
 |
| A baby salamander photographed among the redwoods of Northern California. |
Or are humans meant to do something much more intentional, intelligent and positively life-changing with our unique abilities? All of us can conscientiously make choices and take chances that affect real, positive change in today's world. We are the only ones with this purpose, the only ones with the power. What's stopping us? We must quit acting on impulses of selfish convenience so we can take control of our decisions and actions. The more we spread the ECO-MAD message and the more we EXERT CONSCIENTIOUS OPTIONS, the more it will all add up to MAKE A (HUGE) DIFFERENCE!
**Put It Into Practice**
Some information on nature as inspiration for creative innovation: https://biomimicry.org
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