Active Compassion for the Earth
“When the last tree is cut down, the last fish eaten, and the last stream poisoned, you will realize that you cannot eat money.” –Cree Indian Proverb
According to opinion polls, more than 80 percent of Americans want action to reduce the danger from global warming, even if it costs them something, and 61 percent believe individual citizens should also be taking a more active role.
The importance of taking a more active role cannot be overstated. Gone are the days of thinking climate change will only affect those in far off “other places”.
Deforestation is not happening in the inner cities such as Los Angeles or New York. The largest effects are thus far felt in foreign countries, i.e. ‘someplace else’. It’s easy to see how climate change can be perceived as being someone else’s problem.
However, the truth of the matter is, we’re all in this together, and directly or indirectly, our individual actions affect one another. What happens to me, happens to you; and what happens to the earth, happens to all of us.
There’s no moment more important than now to realize that we all hold responsibility for the rehabilitation of the earth.
The Charter for Compassion International Women and Girls Sector will address the fundamental importance of this global responsibility through the inclusion of diverse, solution oriented voices with the Reaction to Response Webinar Series.
“The purpose of this series is to provide on-going discussions focused on responding rather than reacting to our current global state of affairs.”
This year-long series, which began on March 8th, 2017 will run thru February 21st, 2018. Each month will introduce an overarching theme which will be hosted by a variety of speakers.
This series will continue to provide the platform to:
- Be inspired by, “well-known” experts in the field, or grassroots and/or community leaders doing work around creating a care and compassion-based reality for people and planet.
- Through a pre- and post-call Facebook discussion, inspire and encourage community engagement at the local, national, and international levels.
The April Webinar Series will focus on International Earth Day, with the theme for the month, entitled Active Compassion for the Earth.
April’s series will address “issues of climate change and the interconnectedness of the health and well-being of the Earth and all her animate and inanimate inhabitants.”
The first Webinar Call topic of April entitled, Living the Interconnectedness of Mother Earth and her Inhabitants, 8 a.m. PST, will begin on April 5th at 8 a.m. Pacific Time (US)/11 a.m. Eastern Time (US).
This Webinar Call and topic will be led and facilitated by Helen Samuels and Arnold Ricalde.
Samuels, an ASHOKA Fellow, describes herself as “a lifelong independent social entrepreneur dedicated to the honoring and restoration of Earth, honoring and empowering the voice and vision of youth and honoring and restoring the rights and ancestral cultures of Indigenous nations.”
She has spent more than 40 years inspiring and supporting youth with projects mainly in Mexico and the United States. The work Samuels has done has altered the way the media, decision-makers, and others perceive urban and native youth cultures, as well as the way the youth perceive themselves.
Arnold Ricalde is an advisor to the government of Mexico City on matters of large-scale recycling and serves as a Solid Waste Consultant for the City of Mexico and the Nation.
He is the Director of Organi-K and of the Integrative Environmental Systems and Services (ISSA). For more than 10 years, he has been organizing Eco-housing, Ecovillage Design and Sustainable Settlements workshops.
Ricalde has organized organic markets in different delegations in Mexico City and is one of the pillars for the movement Council of Visions of Earth Guardians.
The second April Webinar Call topic entitled, Acting Out: The Critical State of Mother Earth, will begin on April 19th at 8 a.m. Pacific Time (US)/11 a.m. Eastern Time (US).
This Webinar Call and topic will be led and facilitated by Chief Phil Lane Jr, who is a traditionally recognized Hereditary Chief and Elder.
He is an internationally recognized indigenous leader in human and community development, the founder and chairman of the Four World’s International Institute (FWII), an organization dedicated to “unifying the human family through the Fourth Way”, and a frequent speaker on behalf of indigenous rights and wisdom.
Most recently Chief Phil was ceremonially recognized as an Honorary Woman by the sisters of the Salish Territories because of his relentless message and dedication, over the past 50 years, of the spiritual reality of the Equality of Women and Men.
In keeping true with Helen Samuels’ request that you “do something, anything, now with what you’ve got,” here are a few suggestions of how you can begin:
- Decide on a personal level that you can actually make a difference, and take action in a way that is in accordance with that belief.
- Give yourself permission to come up with solutions that are innovative and creative.
- Examine the consumer mindset that consistently corroborates planetary destruction.
- Get informed through climate.gov and get involved in climate change action groups like the David Suzuki Foundation, 350.org, Greenpeace, The Sierra Club, Yale Program on Climate Change Communications, or Idle No More.
- Reduce meat consumption by picking alternatives from time to time.
Global warming is a real and serious threat. The time has passed for simply being a concerned but inactive citizen.
There’s no moment more important than now to realize that we all hold responsibility for the planet’s rehabilitation. It is time for all of us to take personal responsibility, on behalf of all citizens of the world, and assert that we will determine the fate of our planet.
And when the going gets tough, “remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are all descended from revolutionists.”
To register for the Webinar Series you can log onto the Reaction to Response page.
This is a “pay from the heart” series in which there are suggested donations.
However, if someone cannot afford a compassionate contribution, they can still register. No one will be turned away.
For more information you can also follow the Reaction to Response Facebook page.
If you know of others who may be interested in joining the Charter for Compassion Women and Girls Sector, or participating in the Webinar Series, please click the Recommend button. 💚
