We are called to assist the Earth to heal her wounds and in the process heal our own. – Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt movement, first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Our home, Mother Earth, is sick. We are destroying Earth with our egos, presuming that humans know best and abusing its natural resources. We need to have a symbiotic relationship with Earth and all its inhabitants, both plant and animal. If we don’t work together quickly to mitigate climate change and heal our planet, Earth is no longer going to be able to sustain human life. Earth is the only planet that we know is capable of sustaining life, there is no Planet B.
Destroying our home
We are poisoning Earth with our greed. There are many ways in which humans are responsible for climate change and the polluting of our air, water, and land. Some of these are the burning of fossil fuels and biomass, use of chemical herbicides and pesticides, over tilling and overuse of soil, and deforestation.
There are many ways humans can help to heal our planet. Regenerative agriculture, reducing our carbon footprint and smart shopping, and are just some of the ways.
Regenerative Agriculture
One of the best kept secrets to mitigating climate change and healing our planet is regenerative agriculture.
“Regenerative Agricultural practices are: practices that contribute to building soil and soil fertility and health; increase water percolation, water retention, and clean and safe water runoff; increased biodiversity and ecosystem health and resiliency; and invert the carbon emissions of a current agriculture to one of remarkably significant carbon sequestration there by cleansing the atmosphere of legacy levels of CO2,” Regeneration International says.
Reducing your carbon footprint
There are hundreds of ways that you can reduce your carbon footprint:
- Choose a green bank by researching where your bank invests your money, if their investments are geared more towards fossil fuels and deforestation, ask them why, and tell them that you would preferred to have your money in a bank that makes the world a better place.
- Try going vegetarian one day a week. Meat products have a larger carbon footprint than vegetables and grains. According to The Monday Campaigns, the nonprofit behind the Meatless Monday’s Initiative, going meatless one day a week for a year saves the equivalent of 348 driving miles.
- Use the cold water cycle for washing clothes, and wash a full load of clothes. This decreases the amount of water and energy used, thereby saving you time and money. Line dry your clothes saves even more energy.
- Keep our landfills cleaner by taking your used items to thrift stores instead of throwing them away; recycle or re-purpose anything you can’t give away.
Smart shopping
You can shop smart in a variety of ways.
Buy locally grown produce. Locally grown crops are picked at their peak which means they’re fresher and will last longer. You will find more organic and non-GMO produce, which is better for the environment. Local food supports local farms and the community, your money is going to families instead of giant corporations. Farmers’ markets are places for the community to gather to talk, grow, and learn. Well-managed farms are better for the environment and wildlife, their soil is more fertile which makes it a larger carbon sink. Invest in the future and shop locally.
Sustainable products are key. Sustainable products provide economic, environmental, and social benefits while protecting the environment and public health during their whole life cycle. Look for products that say they’re made from recycled material and are sustainably sourced. Avoid products with a secondary wasteful packaging. Read the labels and do your research.
Avoid unsustainable palm oil, which is killing off orangutans and other wildlife in Indonesia and Malaysia. Currently palm oil is responsible for the destruction of more than 49 million acres of rainforest, and to make it worse, they don’t just cut down the trees, they burn them, which increases air pollution and CO2 in the atmosphere.
Crystal Ursin