6 small things you can do right now to save Mother Earth, because we need her!
One of my main self-care go-tos is hiking. I went out recently with a dear friend looking for that spiritual high I feel in nature and a simultaneous catch up (self-care double whammy!). Feeling great, we rounded a corner and were met with a shocking sight. We saw a lake that’s usually full, sunk way, way down. I was horrified. Horrified at what we’re letting happen to our mother earth.
American culture is very sheltered from the world as a whole. We don’t typically think about where things come from or how dependent we are on earth’s resources. We’re so lucky to turn on the faucet and have clean water at our disposal, and we forget that most countries (and even many areas of the US) don’t have this same luxury.
Our planet is giving us signs she is hurting, and it’s not intentional, but in our busy daily lives we think, Someone else will take care of that, right?
In reality, we can each do small things to save the earth.
Creating a co-op to save the earth
The world came together to fight a global pandemic in such an inspiring way. And we should harness the momentum of our new world community to be in a co-op with the earth. We need to be “in business” with her and ask, how can we benefit the earth and the earth benefit us at the same time? How can we make this a mutually beneficial agreement?
Small eco-friendly moves that make a big difference:
You don’t have to all-of-a-sudden overhaul your life, buy organic everything and participate in marches (though if you want to, awesome!). These 6 small things will add up to change if everyone did them!
- Start following hashtags like #sustainablepractices / #selfishsustainability types of content on social media. You’ll learn what needs to be done and be part of the conversation.
- Replace one item that is eco-terrible like replacing even just one faucet with a lower pressure one to reduce your water usage. Turn off the dang water while you’re brushing your teeth. Or, ladies, replace your tampons and pads with a diva cup and menstrual underwear. If you’re needing to buy disposable plates and flatware, choose compostable over plastic.
- When you have a choice of where to buy something, consider who you’re buying it from. Find out their practices and support companies that are at least trying to protect earth.
- If you can, choose local businesses over large corporations. It’s not always the case of course, some large companies like Patagonia are out there doing good. But rather than buy a coffee mug made from who knows where using who knows what practices on Amazon, buy it from a local artisan’s shop.
- Artificial is a four-letter word. Replace one item in your home or life that is artificial with something natural. A sweetener, or a birth control hormone (try the copper IUD).
- Learn about what fruits and veggies have the most insecticide residue and replace some of your “dirty dozen” fruits with clean ones from the Environmental Working Group.
But what can one little thing do to save the earth?
One time my daughter Miya was out and got offered a plastic straw. At first she thought, “Well, doing this one time won’t hurt, it’s only one straw,” but then she realized and told me later, “Mom, what if everyone thinks that way? Over 7 billion people on the planet, and what if over 7 billion people say it’s only one straw, one time? That’s 7 billion straws!” (Proud mama moment!)
Every decision matters. You may think it’s just a drop in the bucket, but the drop is what creates a ripple. Once you start flexing your eco-thinking muscles, it becomes easier and easier to keep flexing it. You’ll get stronger, infusing it into other areas.
The bottom line
Humans, you may be feeling some chaos in your life subconsciously because our mother earth is suffering. Listen to her. We need her sunlight, we need her plants, we need her water in order to survive. Save her, and we save ourselves.
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