BY ANA RUIZ

Dear humanity, 

Mother Earth needs us to pay attention to her prayers. We need to be as interested in discovering all the cultures in this amazing world as in  taking care of it so future generations can also enjoy it. We are together in this jaunt. 

Living a sustainable life is part of our own wellness, it  will let us savor the memories we have in our environment and share them with our happy future. So together let’s start getting informed and  take action because, no matter where you are from, every decision we take affects the Earth’s balance. 

Good news for you, because by continuing to read this blog you will have taken the first step to helping Mother Earth: getting informed! 

Did you know that the oceans cover 71% of the Earth’s surface?  They provide us food, recreational activities, and harbour a vast sea life—life that makes us realize how big nature is and how small human beings are. But as small as we are,  7.8 billion people are still very capable of unparalleled catastrophic damages. Every year we take 170 billion pounds of wildlife from the sea, every minute a garbage truck of plastic is being dumped into the ocean. If this is not your wake up call what is?

Not everything is lost, today you can change and, little by little, create new greener habits that will add joy to your life.  A simple step in the right direction is to make sure the seafood you consume was obtained responsibly. There are those who fish sustainably, making sure to not overfish and to leave enough fish in the ocean to ensure a healthy population and lasting environment. There are even apps like The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, The SeaChoice and Blue Ocean Institute’s FishPhone, that help you make the proper decisions in your sustainable consumptions, including substitutes for endangered species.

On another note, plastic in 2020 may seem as something we are solving, but still today our beaches, forests and streets are full of it. And now add on more disposable medical items! (remember to cut the straps off your mask to avoid any animals getting stuck and dying!). Every day, animals die because of the trash trapped in swirling gyres in the middle of the ocean, mammals and birds don’t see the difference between food and human waste and end up eating our garbage. Remember they have been here longer. 

And that’s not all, we are still promoting the usage of chemical industries that contaminate the very seafood we eat, and drinking microplastics without knowing it. And so far we have destroyed 80% of the original forest surface. Forests are home to 80% of life on Earth. They keep our planet healthy and us alive. They clean the drinking water and attract the rain we need to grow food. A single tree supports more than 250 species of plants and animals. The agricultural industry has doomed enormous stretches of soil to lose fertility and has even promoted trees to emit carbon dioxide instead of breathing it in.  In different plantations, such as palm, because there is no competition between species, the plants suck up all the water and nutrients without giving anything back to the soil which is the process needed for a healthy forest.  

It’s time to stop this vicious cycle! Beyond using reusable bags, we can use bio plastics, glass or paper as much as possible. If plastic is inevitable, make sure you separate your trash properly and ensure recyclables and compost go to the proper place. There are a lot of organizations (check the ones closer to your house) that can help you guarantee their safe disposal. 

Living a sustainable life is all about saving a different habitat everyday,which leads to our healthy home. 

The world needs you, changing your daily consumption habits will make a difference. Choose to  share this lifestyle with your close ones and you’ll create a chain reaction.

Be part of something bigger than yourself, be part of keeping our home alive!