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Easy Ways to Celebrate Earth Day – WELL Summit

Easy Ways to Celebrate Earth Day – WELL Summit

wellsummit-earthday2016-web-4354599While we totally advocate for celebrating the Earth all year round, we love that there’s a dedicated day (and month, if you’ve been following some hashtags) to focus on taking care of the planet. But, realistically, how can you help? We chatted with eight wellness experts to get their take on the question:

What’s one change we can make to help the planet?

“Having safe sex! Better family planning and education for women reduces sexually transmitted disease. It also reduces population growth, which drives global climate change. Smaller families are easier to feed, which reduces hunger and results in a more sustainable future overall. So this #earthday, have safe sex and in turn save the world.” —Meika Hollender, Sustain Co-Founder

“We vote with our dollars for the kind of world we want to live in – support companies that make an effort to give back to the environment and the world! At True Moringa, we’ve planted over 250,000 trees to reforest barren land and provide nourishment to the soil.” —Emily Cunningham, True Moringa Founder

“I think getting back in touch with the rhythms of nature helps us to be more mindful and appreciative of our planet’s resources. Just like our bodies, our planet has cycles that we want to respect and preserve for optimal health and beauty! The more we understand how fully our planet provides for us, the greater desire we often have to give back to it in our day to day lives.” —Jolene Hart, Health Coach and Author of Eat Pretty

“Recently, my favorite small change for the environment been sharing: I share car rides (uber pool or carpooling), share clothes (most of my maternity clothes are borrowed from friends), share recipes (to cook rather than eat take out)…you get the idea. This has helped me use less energy, make a smaller environmental impact, and help others do the same!” —Tara C.O. Foley, Founder of Follain

“Use soap! Many of the products we use daily that we think are soap are actually detergents. By switching to a soap based product, like castile soap you eliminate these detergents from the environment which will not break down naturally. At the same time you reduce your own chemical exposure. There are also many wonderful local soap makers handcrafting bar soaps so with this simple switch you can make a safer choice for you health, the environment and support your local economy.” —Devin Donaldson, Founder of The Optimist Co.

Get thoughtful. From the food you eat and the clothes you wear to the personal care, makeup and cleaning products you use, give some thought to what’s in them and how they’re made. Labels are a great place to begin. You’ll be surprised to learn that many of the ingredients, materials and processes in most commercially sold items are harmful to both you and the environment. Let’s be good to ourselves and the Earth. A little thought coupled with action has a big impact, especially when we all do our part. Start right where you are using what you have and doing what you can. Live passionately, beautifully and thoughtfully every day.” —Brandie Gilliam, Founder of Thoughtfully Magazine

“I think the one thing that would have the most incredible impact on our future is if each individual decides to stand up for our planet and speak out loudly! We all have monumental power now with the evolution of the Internet and the one thing that matters to all companies and all politicians is your dollar and vote. Big companies and politicians would be forced to take action and make more significant changes if enough people let them know.” —Charlene Swanson Crawford, Founder of EcoDiva Beauty

“One change we can make to help the planet is to honor her daily. Creating a culture that honors the planet by connecting with her through energetic appreciation is sacred and unifies us and the planet as one. If a person feels that this recommended practice isn’t ‘actionable’ enough to make a difference, that thinking is part of the problem. We need to get to the root of our struggle with the environment and our fundamental disconnect from the Earth is the core problem. People need to be inspired to take action in making a difference environmentally and we do this by developing a personal relationship with the planet. This has the ability to reform our culture to one that honors and respects the Earth and what she is energetically, through intention and prayer, daily. Focusing our mind and heart on the planet daily with deep gratitude for all that she is and delivers to us so abundantly and beautifully. This practice expands our conscious awareness, creating empathy with the Earth and changes the way we treat our planet.

The result of creating this connection to the planet is inspired action and awareness. This practice allows us to develop a deeper commitment to reduce, reuse, refuse, recycle, and support sustainable energy technologies—not just a culture that takes action because they are ‘supposed to.’

Telling the average person to recycle, reuse or asking them not to purchase products from companies that manufacture toxins that are polluting our planet, when they have no real connection or relationship to the planet, isn’t sustainable. If people do not have a personal connection to making a difference, they will not be inspired and won’t connect to why it matters.” —Josh Rosebrook, Founder of Josh Rosebrook Skin and Hair Care

How will you celebrate Earth Day this year?

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Neal Halfon

Neal Halfon, MD, MPH is founding director of the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities, and also directs the Child and Family Health Leadership and Training Program in the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Dr. Halfon is professor of pediatrics in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; health policy and management in the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health; and public policy in the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. Is well known for his health related publications.