Just before I get into the blog topic for today, I wanted to let you know that for the entire month of April, I am dedicating my online spaces to awareness of climate and environmental health. It's an issue that we all know cannot go untouched - can no longer sit on our back burners - so I'm bringing it to the forefront. Not only will it be the main topic of conversation, but I will also be hosting another donation giveaway centered around some amazing organizations this month. For every new subscriber to the blog, I will donate $5 to the Clean Air Task Force. For every rating on the podcast (on any streaming service), I will donate $5 to Project Drawdown. Both of these organizations have been praised for their incredible outreach and integrity in their missions, and are both truly making a difference in our global environmental health. If you want to help out, this would be one of the easiest ways to do so. Share the blog/podcast with friends who may enjoy it, spread the word, and let's pledge to work on this together. I love you! 🌎
They say the best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago - the second best time is now. Another Earth Day is coming up in a few weeks, and instead of stopping at posting beautiful nature pictures from our last vacation to Instagram with a cutesy caption about loving our mother, it's long past the time to go further. Actions speak so much louder than words, especially when it comes to our climate; it's time we do the real work. It's time to take Mother very seriously, and do what she is begging of us to do. She is hurting . And as a result, we are hurting too. We know this, but are we really feeling into it? I believe that our pain as a collective is tied to her pain as our home; when she is mistreated, we mistreat ourselves. This runs deeper than I could ever explain with words. I believe that until we really, deeply do feel it, nothing much is going to change. Her health will worsen, and ours will, too.
What do I mean by "feel it?" Well, in the same way that many of us are learning that we must really sit with difficult emotions in order to move through them and problem-solve, we also need to sit with the realities of current climate crises. On the surface, we know what they are: pollution, micro-plastics, mass animal and habitat extinction, deforestation, growing waste issues, rising ocean temperatures. But take this a step further and we begin to notice the immediate and dire connections these problems have to our well-being as humans: If there is an animal/habitat crisis, our habitats are also threatened. If trees are facing mass destruction, we rapidly lose oxygen. With rising ocean temperatures comes extremely severe weather, destroying infrastructure in our beloved neighborhoods, increasing homelessness, making it more difficult for people to thrive. You see? It's all connected. We cannot come out of the climate crisis unscathed at this point. Though some of us who are more privileged will likely be okay, there is simply too much of the world that will NOT be, by any means. And if you are a human who cares about other humans, this cannot feel okay in your body.
When we let this reality sink in - no matter how painful or unthinkable - it motivates us to act. Of course one person can't do it alone, but if enough people get close to this inner knowing, it can begin to make a difference.
I want to stop myself here, because as we all know by now, the climate crisis is not something that can be solved by common citizens alone, no matter how many of us there are. This has to be a government-backed initiative. In a better world, politicians, decision-makers, billionaires and powerful CEOs would trust their intuition over their desire for wealth. They would take the time to feel this terrifying reality deep in their soul. They may begin to realize that it is not crazy or "out-there" to recognize a connection to Earth - we literally are Earth. And without Earth, there is no wealth. So, unfortunately, the answer to this problem does not lay solely within you or me. We desperately need to gather.
While I fear that these powerful players won't take responsibility until there is a huge financial incentive, or by some miracle, they lose their power, I do see hope in the smaller, but still mighty organizations and collectives that are making their work known. How can we, as individuals propel them? Thankfully, this seems to be something within our reach. It's simple, really: we spread the word. We share what inspires us, what we learn, and who we trust to give us information. We donate to these places and people. We speak and act like we give a shit about the climate, both online and off. Our habits match our intentions (and this can be much easier said than done, but I have some tips coming soon to help!).
Most importantly, we do not stop at posting mountain pictures on Earth Day. If we want things to get better, we simply cannot stop there.
I see this work at the individual level as a balance between our inner and outer worlds: on the inside, it's necessary that we actually feel the weight of the world from time to time. I am not suggesting that we succumb to it - we would be miserable - but we must feel our pain in order to begin healing it, just like we must empathize with a loved one to feel connected and help ease their sorrows. Just like Mother Earth must feel our care for her.
Then, on the outside, we reflect this same energy. We do our part and call upon those who can reach even further. There is truly SO much we can do, so long as we stay motivated to do it. The climate crisis will not go away. It may not even be reversed. But we cannot keep going with the bare minimum, and I think we all know this. Let's internalize that and brace ourselves for the hard work ahead. Let's be proud to protect our Mother.
At the end of the day, she's all we've got.
