Celebrate Earth Day

We cannot have peace on the Earth, unless we also have peace with the Earth.
-Julia Butterfly Hill

Earth Day is near and dear to my heart, as I have been involved with sustainability since the early '70's working at one of the first recycling centers in the USA in a small community in the Midwest.

Our recycling center was part of a fund raising project, that enabled nearly 70 youth to travel and perform throughout western Europe as part of an international symphonic music festival. Having passing a very stringent audition, I fortunately, was able to participate as one of the youngest performers in the group. (And thus began my travel lust- another story. . .)

Fast forward to 1995, as an educator and content producer, I became involved with a regional committee here in the Bay Area that was drafting content for the Earth Charter. Since then, the Earth Charter has been translated into over 30 languages, is used in school and university curricula, and has been adopted by hundreds of cities internationally, as their "constitution".

I joined the Pachamama Alliance several years ago, and enrolled in the Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Facilitator Training. The ATD symposium is an absolute must for anyone who is truly committed to creating an environmentally sustainable, socially just, and spiritually uplifting presence on this planet. That same year (2006) I was the Managing Editor for the Sustainable World Sourcebook, now used as one of the many rich resources for personal ecology education and building sustainable communities. You can download a pdf for free.

Paul Hawken has also been a source of inspiration and fuel for my commitment to sustainability education in the workplace. Visit WiserEarth and join this social network.

There are so many actions we can take to honor and heal our Earth. Doing more with less is compassionate, prosperous and intelligent (even competitive). One can make a difference. Respect, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse and Recyle.