In Celebration of Earth Day

There are many reasons I love to travel, but one of the most important ones that keep me going is to experience the beauty this Earth has to offer in many corners of the world. From the highest peaks of distant mountains to the crashing waves of infinite oceans, being able to surround myself with nature energizes me and reminds me of the tiny place I occupy in this world.

But the more I travel, the more I realize how much trouble this Earth is really in. Growing populations infringe on native habitats. Waste is piling up in the most unlikely places. Human footprint is visible almost everywhere and its consequences are not pretty.

So I constantly ask myself, what can I do to offset some of the damage that is currently happening? How can I contribute positively to help protect our Earth? When we think of the damage on global scale, it can become too daunting and discouraging to even begin. We start asking ourselves, why make any changes if it’s not going to make an impact? The problems are too big, one person cannot possibly make a difference.

My answer to this is, always start small and try to keep it simple. Don’t think globally, think locally. It is much easier to make a positive impact in your own community and it can be extremely rewarding to see changes actually happening first hand. Here are some of the things I have been doing over the years to live more eco friendly and to impact my immediate environment in a positive way:

1. I always clean up after myself and never leave any garbage behind, even if it means keeping it on me or in my car until I get to a proper disposal area
2. I bring reusable shopping bags for all my groceries
3. I recycle as much as I can
4. I turn off all the lights in rooms I am not currently using
5. I try to be very mindful of all the plastic I am using on daily basis. This has brought me to forgo bottled water or any bottled soft drinks, avoid straws and plastic utensils and avoid purchasing items packaged in plastic as much as possible
6. Lastly, I went plant based approximately two years ago and this has been one of the best decisions of my life to date. I am not yet completely vegan, though I am choosing vegan choices few times a week as well. Studies have shown that foregoing meat and fish has been proven to be incredibly eco friendly. The ways in which going vegetarian helps saves our planet are multitude, as farming contributes to one of the biggest waste accumulations overall. From excess water usage, to methane emissions to land pollution, raising animals for livestock has been named as one of the greatest stressors on our already fragile ecological systems.

But going plant based can be one of the easier ways to go green and will benefit our overall health and well being in the long run. As I’ve mentioned before, dropping meat and fish from my menu has been the best decision of my life. I’ve never felt lighter than before, my skin has cleared up and I’ve gained more energy. Perhaps you are not ready to go vegetarian or you can’t seem to give up an occasional steak or chicken on your plate. However, choosing just a day or two a week to go meat-free can make a big difference. If more and more people do the same, the benefits can be staggering.

But this post is not about how to go vegetarian. I am not here to tell anyone how to eat or what to do, as I am definitely not qualified to give an expert opinion on any of those things. I am simply here to point out that there are some things we can do to honor this Earth and most of them are simpler than we think. As the world “shrinks” (metaphorically speaking) and as numbers of travelers increase across the world, we all have an obligation to become more conscious about ways to off set the negative effects of human footprint, especially in the more remote regions of the world.

As Jimmy Carter famously said, “Like music and art, love of nature is a common language that can transcend political or social boundaries” and Jane Goodall encourages us with her words, “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make” I also encourage all of you to travel this world, to see and experience its beauty, but to do so consciously and with an open heart. Together, we can work to preserve and protect this precious land.