Before we even get deep into the practical stuff, I think we need to thoroughly understand and internalize the WHY.
Nothing will change if we are not 110% convinced about the importance of the reason behind this radical change that we're about to embark on.
Our WHY is what ignites and keeps fueling our motivation. So we don't weaver, so we don't slack, so we don't give up. Your WHY will be that one thing always at the back of your mind when you find yourself sighing...
Firstly, let me talk about my own WHY. I always knew I wanted to be an environmentalist. I know it's a bit embarrassing to admit, but it all started when I was 6 years old and I saw on MTV Michael Jackson's "Earth Song" music video. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I suggest you watch it now. You'll probably understand why it was so life changing, even if I was just a child.
But me wanting to become an advocate for the children, the voiceless and the planet is not the biggest reason. My biggest shift in life happened when I was pregnant and I saw this random picture on Facebook one day. It was a child, hungry and exhausted, asking her mother, who looked old and sick: "Mom, if you knew we were approaching a Global Climate Crisis, why didn't you do anything about it?" For the love of me, I can't find that picture to this day, but God how that hit a chord in me.
By then, I wasn't actively doing anything for the planet, except donating monthly to a charity, turning off the light when I left the room and recycling properly. I genuinely thought that was enough and that I was doing my best.
I, like many people to this day, blamed the government, the corporations, kept my fingers crossed that things will eventually change, insisted that I don't have the money or the time to do more, and tried my best to be overall a good neighbor.
Then I got pregnant and went into maternity leave. With my husband at work and me alone in the house, craving potato chips, I suddenly had a lot of time on my hands. And maybe the morning sickness mixed with the pregnancy hormones hit me hard that day, because when I saw that picture, I just... cracked. "Shot to the heart!"
I started to cry and asked myself "What am I doing with my life?" I went down the rabbit hole. It all came back to me, from "Earth Song" and my promise as a child to "Heal the World and make it a better place for our children and so on", to unravelling all of the excuses I have made for myself over the years.
So I decided, before my daughter is born, I will find a way to keep my promise. So I started googling, like any respectable millennial :) One day I saw a video on Zero Waste and I had the "Evrika!" moment! I remember like it was yesterday how I told myself out loud: "Yes! This is it! This is something I want to do for the rest of my life!" So I became a Zero Waste Specialist.
Over the years, however, I noticed something. Going Zero Waste is just not enough! While it was a good "entry point" for me, it was not merely enough. I wanted to do more and go deeper. So, of course, I did. My rabbit hole is now the size of an underground Eiffel Tower.
And the rest is history. The consequence of the next 7 years of my life you will discover in this blog.
Now it's your turn, please write down your WHY. Share it with other readers, share it with your family and friends, too. I want to know what fuels you! Is it the love of your family, the fear for their and your future, the love for animals, or simply an intense feeling of leaving behind a better world! Whatever the reason, do share it with the world!