Happy (almost) New Year!
As we roll into 2017, I thought I’d share with you my biggest wish…
My biggest wish is for people around the world to become conscious… to become fully aware of the impact their choices have on the earth as a whole, and themselves as individuals.
Because these things are not separate.
When we trash the environment, we are trashing our health. When we pollute the water, even in abstract ways like dumping plastics in our oceans, we pollute our bodies.
When we dismiss the role of things like chemicals, plastics, air pollution, light pollution, etc., we are in essence saying “not my problem…”
But it IS our problem.
And it’s our responsibility to do something about it.
If people want to take the selfish approach, and do it solely for their own health, that’s 1000% fine. If people want to address these issues to serve the greater good, that’s 1000% fine.
The end result is the same.
My wish for 2017, and onward, is that we become more informed, more inspired and more empowered to make healthier choices… for ourselves, for each other, and for the planet.
Plastic bottles take up to 450 years to break down in our oceans. This needs to stop.
Chemicals in consumer products are contributing in significant ways to diseases that are killing us. THIS needs to stop.
Air pollution and water pollution are depriving children of IQ points needed to succeed in life, and contributing to aggressive and violent behavior as teens and young adults. THIS NEEDS TO STOP.
Shortsightedness and desire for profits above all else are what’s fueling the blatant disregard over rampant, mostly unchecked chemical use.
We need to learn to think differently about our health and our patterns of consumption.
I am not immune to this. I get sucked into consumerist patterns just as much as the next person, but the more informed I become, the more connections I make, the more I find myself choosing less. Or choosing more wisely.
It’s not always convenient, and it’s not always easy, but each positive action is a contribution. And each negative action is an opportunity for growth, and change.
Being conscious means being connected. Connected to our deepest selves, to each other (put down that cell phone when you’re with other people!), and to the planet we live on.
Rachel Carson, considered by many to be the founder of the modern day environmental movement shared her thoughts on this connection we have to the world:
“Man is a part of nature, and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself. [We are] challenged as mankind has never been challenged before to prove our maturity and our mastery, not of nature, but of ourselves.”
We have a lot of challenges ahead of us. The current political climate is not a friend of the environment, and therefore not a friend to our health. Because these are connected. They are ONE.
LEARNING, and EDUCATING OTHERS from a place of inspiration instead of fear…
Making CONSCIOUS choices that support our health instead of attack it….
Feeling EMPOWERED to actually make a difference instead of overwhelmed and frozen…
Despite how “debbie downer” this may feel, at the end of the day, I am HOPEFUL.
I’m hopeful because of YOU.
I’m hopeful because there are more people than ever before who ARE aware, informed and making better choices.
I’m hopeful because we have powerful allies that are fighting against industry and regulations to keep us safe.
I’m excited for what 2017 will bring and hope that you’ll join me in this greater mission to educate, inspire and empower!
XO
