Sustainability is about living in harmony with nature. People, cities, organizations, and governments would not exist without the ecosystem services provided by nature – clean air, water, soil and food – so why wouldn’t we care for nature knowing that our life depends on it? It’s a no brainer. What’s stopping us is our mindset. We need to think differently about ourselves in relation to this exquisite planet.
While recently in India I had the esteemed honor of interacting with world-renowned spiritual leader Radhanath Swami who said “environmental devastation is the manifestation of the impurity of the mind”. Seeing the extreme pollution in underdeveloped places, I’ve often wondered how can people worry about where they place their trash when they don’t have food or water to satisfy their basic bodily needs? Our detrimental behavior in the Western world is less tolerable especially in the U.S.A. where each person emits 16 metric tons of carbon dioxide from fuel combustion (compared to 7 in China and 2 in India). The scientific consensus is that climate-warming trends over the past century are extremely likely due to human activities. While it’s easy to point the finger to one industry or country, the problem is within us. Whether we want to admit it or not, we are too consumed by the material world that dominates our daily existence. Our minds are more polluted by thoughts of external validation, the next shiny new object, and attachment to outcomes, that we are failing to wake up to our inner truth. Only when awakened to our inner truth, we can see eroded soil, stripped forests, drought and the resulting poverty with compassion and be willing to change.
Mother Nature will take care of us if we take care of her.
Not to be doom and gloom, but we are at the point that microplastics are now raining down from the sky and scientists forecast more plastics than fish in the ocean by 2050. The climate consequences to human health and economic stability are dangerously unknown. Insurance companies across the United States have seen dramatic losses in recent decades due to unexpected weather-related events – 750 major “loss events” like earthquakes, storms, and heat waves in 2017 alone. With a 6x increase in weather-related catastrophes since the 1950s, the insurance industry stands to help people in this time of environmental catastrophe – especially since consumers end up paying increased premiums or being denied altogether. Why wouldn’t the global insurance industry take a more proactive approach to mitigate these losses? After all, their business functions on holding deep financial reserves and they have developed expertise in long-term forecasting and risk planning. More importantly, their financial vitality heavily depends on their ability to reduce this kind of societal risk. But hey, let’s not point fingers… we know that climate resiliency extends beyond one company, industry or country. The transition to a low-carbon economy requires unprecedented collaboration among governments, strategic partnerships and multiple stakeholder groups on a local and global scale.
Hope lies in innovative collaborations and market mechanisms to fund environmental solutions. Take stormwater drainage from the urban landscape as an example. In the Washington DC area (my new hometown!), rapid development on paved surfaces (increasing by 10,000 acres every 4 years) is causing major havoc to the Chesapeake Bay’s watershed. Urban and suburban stormwater runoff is the bay’s fastest growing source of pollution, carrying nitrogen, trash bacteria, lead and oil among a slurry of runoff. Thanks to new partnerships, the city is controlling the situation through a stormwater fee and retention credit that is proving to be a successful investment opportunity. It’s a win-win solution as the city is achieving its conservation goals, communities are happy with more green space and developers are saving money.
Cities need nature. So does the human body.
The life science of Ayurveda is a comprehensive holistic approach to diet, herbal remedies, exercise, meditation, breathing, and physical therapy. This Indian tradition views “food as thy medicine” for the body. Everything the human body needs can be found in nature. What’s more, we each are made up of a particular “blueprint” created in the womb that does not change throughout our life span. Once understood, you can wisely select foods, conditions and lifestyle choices that best suit your naturally born constitution or “dosha”. A simple example is whether a person runs hot or cold in temperature. If hot, then cooling foods (like cucumber, mint and iced liquids) and activities (like swimming in cold water) help to balance your system. If cold, then warming foods (like ginger, red pepper and soups) and activities (like warm baths) are naturally soothing to your body type. Have you ever felt displaced by the same weather pattern – say constant fog or rain? This could also relate to your Ayurveda preferences. Bottom line, understanding our true tendency allows us to make better decisions in harmony with that nature.
Just as we can regulate the body, we can also regulate our impact on living Earth by making eco-friendly decisions every day: reduce, reuse, recycle, upcycle, share and inspire others to do the same. Trust in the scientific community, be aware of the hidden impacts of what we buy, take shorter showers, wash clothes in cold water, eat organics, avoid plastics, fly less… and the potential is infinite. Stop the apathy and take responsibility for your part. Even though dramatic change is needed, every little bit helps. You’ll probably feel happier and more empowered for choosing responsibly. Some people may think it’s more costly to go green when the opposite is true. The pollutants that enter human bodies and the climate catastrophes that destroy homes cost significantly more to our health and wellbeing.
As the climate crisis challenges us on a global scale, human beings have to remember that we all share one thing in common – our one and only home is planet Earth. It’s not too late to raise the collective consciousness for us to properly care for our home. As said before, “we are the ones we’ve been waiting for”. The solution to our own environmental crisis quite simply lies within us in our understanding of the interconnectedness of everything – human beings, animals, nature. On a quantum level, there is no separation between you and me and the Earth we stand on. Get out of your mind pollution – which projects to Earth pollution – and move into your heart’s desire for a thriving ecosystem of life everywhere.
