Honor the Earth Mother Through Eco Action
by Kevin Short
Isaac Bonewits, in issue #41 of Oak Leaves, said,”…of all the Pagan paths in the world, the ones that should be functioning as the environmental movement’s “chaplains” are the Druidic ones.”
The responsibility of environmental awareness lies with all of us- Pagan and non-Pagan alike. The case could be made that the responsibility of guiding the direction of that awareness lies with us Druids.
We are gifted with so much from the Earth Mother that we all take for granted every day: air, water, land, food, and our very lives come from Her. In honoring Her we need to not only thank Her for these gifts, but also show respect and understanding by conserving and caring for them. Our prayers and rituals show Her honor; we also need to show Her honor by right action.
We have much in common with the secular world in this respect. Environmentally minded people from all walks of life share a concern for the planet even if they don’t see Her as the Mother of all.
There are so many ways to reduce our impact on the environment, it’s really difficult to find a starting point. One of the biggest hurdles to overcome is the preconception that one person’s actions are insignificant. I’m reminded of several pithy quotes; ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’; or Margaret Mead’s famous ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.’ How about ‘How do you eat an elephant?’ (One bite at a time). The point is, individual actions all add up to a movement that is both effective and worthy.
So, in the spirit of showing respect and honor for all that we are blessed with, here are some basic ideas that can be very effective in reducing our impact on Mother Earth.
Reduce what you use
The very first, rather obvious thing is to simply cut your consumption. This can start with driving less, eating less (and lower on the food chain), purchasing less, washing your car less, and so on. Turn the lights off when you’re not in the room. Turn the heater down in the winter. Turn the air conditioner up in the summer. Stay home more often. Buy products that use less packaging. Don’t buy bottled water. The tap water in your home is probably cleaner, and is definitely cheaper and easier on the environment.
Re-use what you do buy
How easy is it to throw away (where exactly is away?) those plastic shopping bags that every store in the country is all too willing to give you? Re-use them. Better still, find some used canvas bags at a thrift store and use them until they fall apart. Then repair them. Have some old clothes that don’t fit anymore because of your switch to a vegetarian diet? Donate them to the thrift store so someone else can re-use them. Be creative; use old plastic containers to grow seedlings in for your organic garden. Use old string, pieces of plastic packaging, etc. for works of art honoring the Earth Mother.
Recycle what you are finished with
Plastic bottles, glass containers, and aluminum cans are the obvious low hanging fruit here. How about paper, cardboard, and all types of metal? Compost your kitchen waste. Plant a garden using the compost.
The New Environmental Movement
While this may sound Utopian, in fact here is growing evidence that this new environmental paradigm is being widely endorsed and has staying power. A survey conducted for Canada Post by Harris/Decima, a leading research firm, suggests the most notable trend is demographic - that the preoccupation with the environment cuts across generations and gender, region, partisan lines and income groups.
Un-like the past, where idealistic young people largely drove environmental movements, the survey found that people of all ages (chief among them women in their 30s and 40s and baby boomers) today are very focused on environmental issues. How people manage their own lives and maintain their own households is the one part of the environmental equation they can control.
High energy prices have also helped defined the ‘new environmentalism’ according to the study. Consumer interest in reducing energy related expenditures and increased attention to energy costs in general serve as an important catalyst for changing public opinion. More than 80% of participants in the survey said that they, industry, and government were equally responsible to address environmental concerns. In fact, consumers want businesses to be equal partners in the effort to reduce waste and be more environmentally conscious. They want businesses to take action on environmental matters and wanted products with better environmental credentials, ideally independently verified.
Source: Environmental News Network