I love Momma Earth! 30d Intention... little things make a big difference!

With all the ongoing earth changes, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and not know how to make a positive difference in how we live on this planet.  I feel we're in the midst of a great shift that is calling us to live with more balance, more gently on our mother earth.  Stay positive friends, we can absolutely make a difference through small steps!  And as in all great periods of change, we have an opportunity to let go of what no longer serves us, to open up to new awareness, and create in new ways. And this journey begins with an intention... without a clear intention there can be no internal, spiritual shift and that is what is needed to create change. Our personal intention will allow us to walk our talk : )  Please join me friends...

 

This is my invitation:  For the next 30 days commit to 3 things you can do to live more simply and with a lighter footprint on momma earth. There are many ideas out there and I've blogged a little about them before... in We have the Power and A Time to Create and in my Calling All Outsiders site.  

 

Some 'lighter footprint' ideas include: meat-free plant-based meals (please see the movies "Forks over Knives" or "Food Inc." friends - there is so much evidence on the lighter impact and positive health benefits of a plant-based diet), eliminate plastic bottles and bottled water/drinks, buy local organic food, explore urban permaculture gardening, compost organic waste, clean up litter outdoors, recycle, reduce 'stuff'/consumption, downsize and clear out your home, walk/cycle/carpool/ autoshare or take public transit, skype/video-conference instead of flying, plant trees, eliminate pesticides, use natural cleaning products, change type of lightbulb, reduce a/c use, adjust thermostat setting, reduce water use with low flow/cold water options, go paperless, share tools/equipment with neighbours, explore community housing/alternative housing, switch to green power (solar/wind/bullfrogpower.com), connect with a group interested in sustainable living (eg., locally, the David Suzuki Foundation and Carrot Green Roof), among many other ideas.

Here is my "30 day 3 actions" intention to "Love Momma":

1. Pick up litter outdoors wherever/whenever (at least five things if there are more) and eliminate plastic bottle and paper cup use (use only my reusable cup/bottle).
2. Eat a plant-based, whole food diet with no meat/fish/eggs/dairy (I have been on this train for a little while already and it feels good! : )  Also I will continue to buy my veggies from the local weekly organic farmer's market.
3. Commute by bicycle, walking or public transit (this has been an ongoing practice for me for a couple years, and am continuing with it : )

Please take a few moments to create your "I love momma" 30 day 3 actions commitment...
I strongly suggest adding "Pick up Litter and Eliminate Plastic Bottle Use" on your 30d list friends.  There's so much evidence of negative environmental and health impacts of plastic bottles (personally, feel plastic bottle use should be completely eliminated).  And cleaning up litter is an immediate, visible positive impact in our community.  This summer locally, in an urban lakeside beach community, I was struck by how 'comfortable' people seemed to be, leaving litter lying on the beach (including many plastic water bottles).  At a visceral level, I felt this represents a disconnection and disrespect of our mother earth, and a lack of a sense of community and personal responsibility.

This behaviour is in stark contrast to the aboriginal peoples who navigated for thousands of years with little/no footprint on momma earth. Whenever you're outside I encourage you to please help keep the earth naturally clean by picking up any garbage/litter, eliminating plastic bottle use, and disposing/recycling waste properly. Only when we take personal responsibility will we inspire others to also join in!  Let's lead that change and live it locally for 30 days!  And what I find invariably happens with a 30d commitment is that the behaviour becomes more entrenched, there is an internal shift, and the behaviour then continues : ) 

Recently, while reading Malcolm Gladwell's book, "The Tipping Point - How Little Things can make a Big Difference", I was struck by how 'smaller' local indicators, like litter, graffiti, aggressive panhandling, seemed to correlate to a higher crime rate, and when these were addressed (like in NYC in the 1980s), the tide of more serious crime and visible decay was significantly reduced.  This makes sense, since at the root of most issues is how we respect ourselves, and in turn where we live.  Inner city reclamation projects like urban gardens have long demonstrated that it takes a focus on beautification and ongoing maintenance, for a change to ripple out into the community.  So by setting an individual intention to love and respect our momma earth more, we can create more balance and harmony where we live.

As a beacon, we can also follow the guidance of traditional Hawaiian culture and the concept of PONO.  PONO means to live in perfect alignment and balance with all things... with the earth, in all our relationships and within ourselves.  PONO means to live in harmony and alignment with our mother earth and behave as caretakers of the land during our lifetime... and as stewards of the land to leave the earth (air, soil, water, plants, animal family) in as good or better condition than we found it, so that succeeding generations can enjoy the beauty and abundance.  Let's make things right and become PONO!  Let's take positive action now, knowing that things can improve from this day forward.

Please join me friends!  Please commit to your "I love Momma" 30 day intention and observe how these actions ripple out like a wave to create positive change.  The time is now... let's love our momma more!  Little things do make a difference! : )

xo Irena

 

Honor the Earth, our Mother.
Honor the Elders.
Honor all with whom we share the Earth: - Four-leggeds, two-leggeds, winged ones,
Swimmers, crawlers,
plant and rock people.
Walk in balance and beauty.
(Native American Elder)

When one sits in the Hoop Of The People,
one must be responsible because All of Creation is related.
And the hurt of one is the hurt of all.
And the honor of one is the honor of all.
And whatever we do effects everything in the universe.

(Lakota Instructions for Living, passed down from White Buffalo Calf Woman)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3yPvi9m8Bk&feature=share&list=UUD_24pEfStWjbVxUbNoQYhA