If yesterday was "Earth Day", what does that make today?
Imagine if we treated every day like earth day..
Imagine if every day we were conscious of the choices we made and the impact those choices had on our environment..
Imagine if we realised that we need earth more than earth needs us..
These are all good scenarios to visualise and imagine, but let's flip it around.. Be honest now, how do we expect to treat earth, nature, the environment any different to how we treat ourselves?
We consciously put food we know is no good for us physically, mentally or spiritually into our system: like how we frack, mine and pillage the soil on which we stand..
We 'treat' ourselves to foods that have no intention of treating us well: just as we treat the earth, seas and all their creatures to a myriad of waste and pollution..
We indulge in shows and information that numb our brain from reality: like we indulge the ecosystem with toxins and poison..
We wage war and hurt our brothers and sisters in far away lands and our families in our homes: in the same fashion we are killing the mother to us all, Papatuanuku (mother earth)..
Give a shit about nature. Give a shit about yourself. Give a shit about the legacy you will leave behind for future generations.
If you don't know, now you know. Here are a few easy steps:
Eliminate the need for plastic or waste in your lifestyle
START SMALL. Swap plastic bags for reusable ones, plastic wrap for beeswax wraps or reusable containers, plastic covered errthang for a less plasticky option.
Ask for no straw or lid when you purchase a drink at a cafe or restaurant or take a reusable cup.
Buy in bulk, using your own containers (usually cheaper too as you're not paying for company labels)
PLAN & PREP. If you're heading out, pack a water bottle or buy a glass one. Prepare home made snacks = win for the bank account & win for the environment.
D.I.Y.
Grow your own garden. Maybe start with herbs and if you can keep them alive, progress to other kai (food). Or start with a farm, you'll be awesome if you do...
Up-cycle jars, cans, cartons to store kai or to make cool little nifty arts and crafts stuff (PINTEREST omg yes)
Google is king. Type in anything you need and bam! thousands of answers at your fingertips.
"What does sustainable living mean?", "how can I recycle," "where is the nearest bulk food store to me," "why should I eat whole foods," "why should I give a shit about the environment - or myself for that matter"
Remember, there is simple ignorance when you genuinely don't know. Then there is wilful ignorance, when you are presented with information yet choose to ignore it and turn the other cheek. Social responsibility is hard, acknowledging it ourselves is difficult let alone appealing to someone else's. For example, I know some stuff about looking after Papatuanuku so I see it as my responsibility to share that knowledge and to apply it as well. Now, you have the information, your conscience will do the rest and eat away at you while you do something you know you shouldn't. It will take time, but every little bit counts. Do what you can.
He Maori ahau, I am Maori. This means I understand and appreciate that I descend from and therefore within me is the essence of: the earth (Papatuanuku), the sky (Ranginui), the forest (Tane Mahuta), the sea (Tangaroa), the air (Tawhirimatea), and everything in between. To do harm to nature is to do harm unto myself, and to harm myself is to do harm unto nature. Not about that self-harm life anymore.
Nga mihi,
Hana.