Simran Sethi
READ MORE ABOUT:
With it being the two week marking point since Earth Day, it’s easy to feel the fade of the buzz and excitement that so gloriously entwined April. You may be running down your check-list of green to-dos, crossing off your energy efficient lightbulbs, your reusable bags, and your new supply of green cleaning products—thinking that you’ve done what you could to celebrate and commemorate Mama Earth. Hold that thought.
Simran Sethi, environmental journalist and Associate Professor of Journalism at Kansas University (also my friend and downright eco-inspiration), shared a moving Post-Earth Day Manifesto in The Huffington Post whereby she reminded us that being green is just as much about our relationships to one another as it is about screwing in a lightbulb. Here is an excerpt from her article,
As the Earth Day green-hype winds down, it's also the media's job to let you know that the planet won't be saved in 10 Easy Steps. Small changes are an essential first move and I applaud all who make them. However, we don't get to check the Earth off the list after we've bought the hybrid and recycled. Going green is messy and complex. It takes time, dedication and a willingness to make new mistakes. And it requires all of our efforts. Not just those of a certain educational level, socio-economic strata, or hip/hippy threshold. After we tackle plastic, we have to address policy. As I tell my students at the University of Kansas School of Journalism, environmentalism is about our relationship with and to our world. And as we all know, the best relationships are the ones we work on. We are our eco-system. Everything we use—from energy to food to the stuff of our everyday lives—has an impact. "Going green" doesn't just mean buying more products. A good starting point is to buy different stuff (zero VOC paint, non-toxic cleaning products, reusable bags and bottles...) but, ultimately, we can't shop our way to sustainability. Reduce is the first edict of environmentalism, with Re-use and Recycle following close behind. It is our relationships—to the planet, to our stuff, to our communities—that contain the most potential for widespread change.
So yes, recycle, eat local, organic foods and opt for green alternatives when it comes to shopping—but also try to heed Simran’s advice by including writing a letter, calling your representative, or getting active in your local community into the mix. You’ll make an even greater green difference!
Get inspired reading Simran’s full article over at The Huffington Post.
-
- {}
