Who doesn’t care about nature? Who doesn’t want to do what they can to make sure nature, beautiful animals, native flora and fauna, majestic mountains, sparkling clean lakes, rolling oceans are here for generations to come?
Sometimes, even though you care it seems daunting and overwhelming to imagine what you can do personally to help. As always in life, it is the little things that matter. Every tiny effort makes a difference.
Nobody is perfect. I have not eaten red meat for over 30 years and stopped eating other animals over 10 years ago. I only stopped eating dairy (which in my mind is the cruelest of all animal cruelty industries) in the last few months - yes, it is true that cheese is the last thing to go when converting to a vegan diet.
I don’t use any animal products in any of my design work, no leather,, no feathers, no wool. Our gardens are all organic and we kill weeds with vinegar, not poison. Our venues and Farmers Market are vegetarian and we welcome animals displaced from their homes to move to the Lake, our 880 acre spread in Hancock County, Maine.
I only rescue animals, never buy or support breeding when so many are being euthanized daily in overfilled shelters. I support organizations that rescue animals and those that take care of humans (though heavy on the animal part).
BUT! I drive a Range Rover and my favorite thing to consume is Diet Coke. Both poison in many people’s judgement and I accept and respect that I am judged negatively for that as much as I silently judge those espousing great values and a concern for things like climate change while literally eating murdered animals. So there’s that.
I also bought my dying dog and light of my life Ava a hamburger at McDonalds and currently Milla, Tilly and Cygie all enjoy food that includes chicken and turkey as ingredients. That’s called speciesism, when you prioritize one species life and safety over another’s and I am guilty of it with my pets. (Note: I just allowed a small spider to walk across my keypad and saunter on his or her way not even considering ending her days on earth).
Get my point? Nobody is perfect. Nobody should judge. ANY EFFORT is worthy and ANY EFFORT can help. I invite you to make a little effort and be proud of that. Go to bed at night and sleep better just knowing that you tried. If you pray, thank God for the opportunity and awareness to honor and appreciate his abundance.
Some simple ways to start:
Choose one day a week or even one day a month and watch the sunrise. If you don’t do this regularly you will marvel at the miracle of a new day starting.
If you are a meat eater, practice Meatless Mondays to start. You’ll be shocked at how delicious a well made plant based meal can be and you’ll save a life.
Use vinegar or another natural deterrent for weeds and experiment with natural ways to get rid of bugs.
Stop the poison cycle to get rid of mice. Use cloves, cinnamon, star anise combination, they hate it but it smells like Christmas.
Support your local farmers. Visit farmers markets and put good, locally grown, no pesticide soaked goodness in your body.
Walk around on the grass and the beach barefoot and connect with the earth. Feel that energy.
For a natural high, go outside, take a deep breath, hold it for three seconds and then exhale for the same out of time you inhaled. Do it five times. Right???
Remember it’s a lot of little things that add up to big things. Just take the first step. Just imagine if we are all making the little efforts at once and together, what a huge effort it collectively becomes.