Whenever we think of the “environment” it’s easy to think of it as being something far out there – far being the operative word. We hear about all of the catastrophic environmental issues globally, but they seem very far away – I mean rain forests and melting glaciers aren’t exactly on our doorstep, so it’s tough to see how their demise actually affects my day-to-life. This is why it’s so important to understand that our environment is actually closer than we think.Our immediate environment is not only the air we breathe, it’s primarily our skin, our organs – the blood that courses through our veins. If you believe, as I do, that all change begins at home – in our own backyard so to speak, then it follows that the primary changes we need to make are with the things that affect our body.
Our health and the health of the environment are inextricably linked. Obviously, if we’re trashing our soil and water, it’s going to come back and affect our health – however, this is something that we don’t have direct control over today. What we do have control over, however, is what we put on our bodies, what we eat and how we think – all of which have a powerful effect on our immediate environment. Having dealt with this first step, we then go on to take care of our families, our homes, our communities and then the world. I’ve always seen the issue of Green living as something that starts with you or me, and then grows outwards in concentric circles.
So what are you rubbing on the largest organ of your body everyday? What are you washing your hair with? What are you spraying over your body? There’s now enough scientific evidence to prove that many of the chemicals that are put in these products (colorants, preservatives and perfume,) may be toxic. So that’s an easy step to take because there are now so many great non-toxic alternatives.
What are you eating? Whether or not you believe that organic food contains more nutrients or not, it’s undeniable that pesticides, which work by attacking the nervous system of the insect, also attack our nervous system. The evidence is pretty scary on how negatively they can affect human health, especially that of babies and young children. Given that your food becomes your physiology, it just makes sense to consume the freshest, cleanest and most minimally-processed food you can find.
It’s both empowering and exciting to realize that we can actually make a plethora of small changes in our own homes to protect our very closest environment, and there’s no time like the present to make a start.
