A grain of sand, can become a mountain if you want it to

There are so many environmental issues and causes right now. Everyone talks about being green, about saving the planet, about going back to our roots and feeling a deeper connection with the earth. All of this is wonderful and I feel lucky that I am witnessing the winds of change that are happening in the minds of many young people nowadays.

Of course it would be ideal if we all had solar panels on our roofs, if we all drove hybrids, or better yet, all electric cars, if we all had fancy water purifying systems, if we could all live in recycled material homes, if we could all afford to shop at Whole Foods every week. But the truth is that none of these options are affordable for every day people.  Some people don’t realize that there are several little ways to put in our grain of sand to make things better for ourselves and for our planet. We are part of this world after all and it’s about time we started acting like we are, and not like this is a place we can use and abuse without any regard. It’s time we thought about everyone and not just ourselves. The world is not going to end this year, but it will decline rapidly and steadily if we don’t do something about it. The ONLY reason this planet would perish is because of us. It’s only in OUR hands. WE are the only ones responsible for the wellbeing of our planet earth, and therefore, our own livelihood.

Some of us are very aware of the problems our planet is facing and we try to do anything we can in our own little way to help.

Here are some of the little things that can make a huge difference in our lives and create a ripple effect that can reach many people, turning a grain of sand into a mountain:

1. REFUSE PLASTIC BAGS and DON’T BUY DRINKS IN PLASTIC BOTTLES at the grocery store: Have you ever heard of the Pacific Trash Vortex? It is literally an island in the middle of the pacific ocean made mostly out of plastic bags and waste just floating around, suffocating marine life. Plastic dos not decompose. So It accumulates and accumulates and eventually ends up in the ocean. So, next time you go shopping, bring your own bags, they even make them very fashionable nowadays.

2. TURN OFF THAT FAUCET: When you are brushing your teeth in the morning you do not need the water running the entire time, just turn it on real quick to soak the brush, then turn it off again. Turn it back on to rinse and that’s it. Without water, we can not exist. Cherish it, save it

3. RECYCLE : I am just going to quote part of a children’s song here that should explain in a very simple way why we should recycle. Especially if you live in a neighborhood that has recycling pickup. There is NO EXCUSE not to recycle.

“Good Garbage breaks down as it goes.
That's why it smells bad to your nose.
Bad garbage grows and grows and grows.
Garbage, garbage,
Garbage is s'posed to decompose.”

4. TRY TO EAT SEASONAL: This one may seem like a little bit of a sacrifice for some, but lets be honest here… do you REALLY need strawberries in January? No, you don’t. You can wait 6 months and they will be event tastier. The environmental impact of getting those strawberries from Uruguay or Mexico to you’re your local grocery shop in the Northeast is HUGE. Genetically modified seeds that make the strawberries grow at double the speed of a normal strawberry, chemical sprays to give them the red color since they are always picked before they’re ripe, tons of harmful pesticides used to keep them from getting infested by ever resistant bugs, gallons and gallons of oil to truck them from one point to the next.  The best things comes to those who wait.

5. CONNECT WITH NATURE IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE: Go to the park, go camping, take walks along a river or a creek. The only way we can truly appreciate mother earth is to feel as we are part of it. Because we are, we survive thanks to it and we will all become part of it when we die. Being at peace with the earth is being at peace with one self. Treat Earth as you would your mother, with love and respect, because she is our mother, she nurtures and cares for us and gives us everything we need to survive and we have to be close to her so we can recognize when we need to give back to her, nurture and care for her.

These five things are the easiest I could think of. If we all started putting our little grain of sand, we will see the results. I guarantee it.