Earth Day: Environmental Report Card

by Sri Regine Lherisson-Bey

Earth Day is a yearly opportunity for us earthlings to redefine our sense of honor toward Gaia. It is also a time when we assess our pro-activity concerning the cause of environmental awareness.

As of now, the environmental report card is indicating the following:

Oceanic pollution: slightly lessened, as detected by NASA satellites. The lessening is mostly due to Covid-19 restrictions over public outings. Less public food consumption equates less waste from food packaging, therefore less carbon dioxide (CO_2).
Honeybees: still dying in masse at an alarming rate. In some regions, 90% of bees have become extinct.
Number of harmful environmental pollutants in the air: still on the increase, as well as environmental illnesses.
Human carbon footprint: still dangerously high. Earth is at risk of being totally unsustainable within forty years.

In the grand scheme of things, some attempts to reverse course are being made:

Most European nations have decreased their load of greenhouse gases, but most industrialized countries from other continents are lagging behind.
People from all over the world are creatively developing some eco-friendly products but most of them are still manufactured with plastics.
Various communities are focusing on consuming less beef, since cattle has been found to contribute to an overwhelming release of CO₂ into the atmosphere.
Other communities are helping honeybees that work so hard to feed us but are bearing the brunt of human irresponsibility.

Even though some noticeable efforts have been invested into the cause of restoring the environment, humans have not made a dent into the environmental mess: there cannot be any dent made at this rate. The Earth requires much more massive action to reverse the serious damage caused by the excessive consumption of fossil fuel as well as the mismanagement of industrial and household waste. There is no longer such a thing as ‘pure food’. Even salt is heavily contaminated with BPA and multiple other hazardous substances.

Academic research has shown that the following points constitute some of the main issues relating to the Planet’s environmental concerns:

1. Over-consumption of fossil fuel

Fast motorized transportation is a necessity, however, more people than before are using and overusing the commodity, increasing the carbon footprint.

2. Excessive consumerism

Commercial products are manufactured with planned obsolescence. This compels the consumer to continue to buy new products a lot more often than needed. A mere example of that is the situation with cellular phones and vehicles that become obsolete soon after they are purchased. Due to premature obsolescence, all types of consumer goods — made mostly of plastic — are thrown away. Then they end up littering the landfills and oceans where they are releasing cadmium, BPA, and all types of hazardous contaminants. Innumerable contaminants are lurking into the water, the ground, and… the food supply.

3. Damage caused by petrochemical products adversely affecting the air, water, and food supply

As mentioned in my book, HOW TO DETOXIFY YOUR LIFE NATURALLY, excess boron and phosphates from detergents has been found to cause rivers and other bodies of water to dry up.

4. Pesticides and microwave technologies from cellular phones and Wi-Fi towers are microwaving and eradicating insects that are instrumental to the ecosystem’s balance, mostly honeybees. Aware environmentalists know that if the bees disappear, mankind is also likely to disappear within four years.

From a vantage point of view, the agro-petro-pharma industrial complex has an exploitative way of treating the Earth, compared to the ways of an aware environmentalist. This situation is at the root cause of Earth’s environmental woes. It is doubtful that the profit-oriented moguls of the agro-petro-pharma industrial complex will pivot their point of view and consider going low-carbon. In the meantime, the egregious intoxication of the biosphere continues. From carcinogenic substances to endocrine disruptors, all types of petrochemicals are negatively affecting every life form. The main health problems that ensue are cancer and excessive weight gain, as seen in my book GET SLIM EFFORTLESSLY.

“The Earth does not belong to man. Man belongs to Earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.“

~ Chief Seattle

Signaling a concern is as important as creating awareness on its solutions. For this reason, we are now to focus on possible remedies. Let us choose to realize that we can make a difference, and be part of the solution, by mindfully practicing the necessary tasks of:

Reducing, recycling, reusing, and repurposing – It is in everyone’s best interest to reduce our carbon footprint. We do that by eliminating: (a) Excessive plastics; (b) Non-essential motorized traveling, whether by ground, air, or water.
Using eco-conscious detergents for dishwashing and laundry – They are safer for the Earth, therefore for humans.
Counteracting excessive CO₂ – One does so by planting trees and growing more plants, even if it is just a potted plant indoors.
Initiating reforestation – This is a practice that can allow more oxygen to be generated and circulated through the biosphere.
Starting an garden with organic edible plants – Even a tiny garden can help curb the cycle of complete co-dependency on toxic pharma-based, pesticides-treated grocery store goods.

At this time, many people are endeavoring to grow from seeds some specific plants that are recognized as helping honeybees. Some of these horticultural items are: sunflower, cilantro (also called coriander), dill, sweet basil, lavender, hyssop, catnip, borage, and zinnia.

By helping the bees, one helps the self. Honey is one food that cannot be cloned or artificially duplicated… at least, not yet.

A glimpse of good conscience is transpiring through the words of Fujio Cho, President of Toyota Motors who recently stated that environmentally-friendly cars will soon cease to be an option, but will become a necessity. It is in being proactive toward environmental protection that we can find an authentic reason to celebrate Earth Day on other occasions, after true progress becomes measurable.

In my books GET SLIM EFFORTLESSLY and HOW TO DETOXIFY YOUR LIFE NATURALLY, I provide eye-opening and valuable information on alternatives to toxic ways of living, and awareness of an eco-friendly lifestyle, for the wellness of body and mind.