Save The Redwoods

Every summer for 3 or four years now, I attend a family camp in beautiful Mt. Hermon, California, which happens to be smack dab in the middle of a huge redwood forest.For the first time in my life, about 2 years ago, I went on a redwood canopy tour, which is a series of 10 or so zip lines from tree to tree.

After our tour group completed a half hour training on safety and precautions, we donned our gear and started the hike up to a rope bridge that went onto the first platform. As I stepped on to the platform (the lowest of all of them) which was about 50 or so feet up a huge Sequoia, I was struck with awe.

The beautiful giants were so amazing, especially when I could actually see how tall they were, there wasn’t much i could do but gape in wonderment.

We felt the tree sway a little, and one of our tour guides said it perfectly natural and common. If it didn’t move, then it would be dead. She explained how the roots of the entire forest were connected underground, and that they shared nutrition and water, as a unity. They give each other support with their strong roots, and because of that, they survive and thrive.

Except of course, if they are cut down. after finding out that redwoods are soalive and beautiful, it saddened me to think that when one was cut down, every tree felt the loss, because a link in the connection was severed. It’s like they are the perfect community, taking only what they need and giving the rest away. When one of them is chopped down, the entire community suffers the loss of a valued friend, and every tree in the forest has less abundance to share as a result.

I recently came upon a very touching and proactive article by John Muir, called Save The Redwoods. In essence, it’s a cry for action to save the majestic Sequoias from being cut down. If you’ve ever seen a full-grown Sequoia tree, there’s no denying the beauty and majesty.

“Any fool can destroy trees. They cannot defend themselves or run away. And few destroyers of trees ever plant any; nor can planting avail much toward restoring our grand aboriginal giants. It took more than three thousand years to make some of the oldest of the Sequoias, trees that are still standing in perfect strength and beauty, waving and singing in the mighty forests of the Sierra.”

John Muir

read the full text here

The other day, I was in my grandma’s garden with her, and she noticed a tiny baby tree growing in the wrong spot. She just ripped it out of the ground and left in the lawn to die, so then the gardeners could come and dispose of it.

I don’t blame my grandma at all, she doesn’t have the same convictions as i do.  But, my heart gave a sad little cry, yet I did nothing about it. Thinking back, I think I would have done good to find somewhere the baby tree was allowed to grow and plant it there. But I didn’t

My resolve, is to come up with five different ways to celebrate Earth Day everyday:

1. Kick the Paper Habit Completely! 
I am writer, therefore I use a ridiculous amount of paper. This is the perfect time to resolve to using every last piece of paper I already own, front and back until it’s not possible to be  used anymore, then recycle, and throw it out. The only thing, is that I don’t have a kindle or a nook or any kind of tablet reader at the moment…but that is next on my to-buy list as I’m sure I will save forests! If I have an urge to read a book I do not own, I will attempt to find an eBook version, borrow it from a friend, or find it in the library. I will request my friends and family to refrain from giving me books or notebooks, and instead to get me the e-version of it. I can do this!

2. Stick To Daily Composting
I have recently made the decision to become a vegan. Being a vegan, I naturally eat a lot more food that can be composted…and I have space to do it in. Also, I believe I will get more exercise working with a shovel/ trowel.

3. No More Plastic Water bottles!
The idea of plastic water bottles confuses me. I honestly think it’s just for money-making .Plastic water bottles are expensive, whereas you can get water for free, tap water is in general NOT toxic (you may even get some extra minerals), and if it is…its as simple as buying a water filter for your tap one time instead of the lifetime recurring cost of buying more water bottles. I have a cute and highly functional metal water bottle that may serve me for a very long time.  With the rest of the plastic water bottles I have around that haven’t been recycled yet, I can fill with dirt and use for my next project:

4. Plant Something Every Week
The idea of planting something every single week was at first a bit daunting to me. But then I realized that every day I eat things with seeds in them, watch innocent plants (not weeds) get pulled up and left to die, and pass by incredibly cheap packets of seeds at the store. I will teach myself how, where, and when to plant things, and how to grow things indoor when its cold. Once I have lots of pretty/useful plants in reused containers, reused plastic bags, etc., I will sell them cheaply, or even give them away and offer to plant them in that person’s home. To me, this sounds like an incredibly selfless, fun, and fulfilling hobby. Plus, it will put my compost to good use!

5. Write More Articles Like This One
My natural talent is writing, and I know I have the ability to share to bring awareness and call people to action. This is what I was meant for! I have a strong passion to write about things that convict me, so they might convict others, I love our Mother nature, as she loves us , so I will put conscious effort, creativity, time, and love into material that inspires others to treat her with respect.

Was there anything in this post that pulled your heartstrings, or urged you to do something positive for the Earth? Take action! It is one thing to feel emotion, it is another to act on it. Maybe we cannot all Save the Redwoods, but we can sure as hell try.

Voting With Your Money

I came across the idea of voting with your money a few months ago, and while I found it very interesting, I laid it aside. Here it is again, staring me in the face, and I feel very compelled to explore it.

The concept of voting with your money is simple yet a bit complicated. It’s the idea that, with every dollar you spend you are in a small part shaping the world that you live in.

For example, if you spend your money investing in a vegetarian product that comes from a company that also processes meat, you are in fact investing your money in the process of making meat products. If you are a vegetarian like me, that really hits hard. I don’t like to think of myself as contributing to the murder of innocent animals.

Another example is if you buy a brand-name clothing item from a globally recognized brand. If that particular brand is using cheap, torturous labor under bad conditions to make their clothes…you are actually contributing to making the lives of many people even worse. Take it with a grain of salt if you like. You may say,”Well if I buy clothes from them, then I’m helping contribute to the small amount of money that those people get paid, and I am actually helping them.” However, if you boycotted that particular brand and encouraged others to do so, then it may start (or join) a trend that will force the company to rethink it’s policies or shut down altogether. Personally, I feel that the urge to join in a political statement that demands the proper treatment of fellow humans far outweighs the urge to sport a particularly pretty brand name blouse.

On the other hand, if you consciously buy from a large brand that uses it’s power and influence for the general good of all, then you are essentially promoting and manifesting love, kindness, happiness, and other positive forces.For example, the brand Toms (I’m sure you’ve heard of it), gives away free shoes to people desperately in need. What a beautiful cause! Also, Toms shoes are pretty dang cool, and environmentally friendly. Sign me up 🙂

The simplicity of voting with your money is this : you get what you pay for, literally. If you complain about the state of the world, take a look at what you are helping create. is it for good, or greed?

Then, the complicated part. It crossed my mind that if I monitor every single thing I buy… I would be spending more time researching numerous companies than eating/wearing clothes/using toiletries etc. I know that for me, in a short time, this will really come into effect, because as of right now, I am 17  and not yet paying for everything I own. Soon, I will be, which is why this is a major concern for me. I want to have the tools necessary to make a positive change in the world any way I can, and I know that is certainly imperative to learn how to effectively vote with my money.

So what to do, what to do? It dawned on me, that perhaps the idea of voting with your money can actually invite a simpler, happier way of living. If I began getting all of my fruits and vegetables and other various foods from local farmers at farmers markets, as well as jewelry, clothing, and other handcrafted things sold at farmers markets, it would introduce a whole array of benefits.

First off, buying locally will allow you to personally get to know who is responsible for the produce and be able to question their motives within the area. Of course, someone will know them. Also, things sold at farmers markets often give you a fair discount, and most of the times things there are very fresh, organic, and in season (all very, very positive attributes). You can ask about the fruits and vegetables, and not only will you get details about storage, how to keep it fresh, and when it grows best, you can also get a friendly conversation and perhaps make a new friend.

That is all together removed from the general supermarket experience. You often times sacrifice organic and fresh for cheap, and you never know what kind of chemicals that your food has been treated with. When you ask someone to help you, they are going to get something down that’s very high or show you where something is…not provide with details about what exactly it is that your eating. Plus, supermarkets smell weird, the lighting makes me feel like I’m in hell, there’s infuriatingly long lines, and it’s cold. What do you think happens when you put together a huge amount of things that promote war and poverty and that makes people fat and and gives them gas, in a poorly (or over) lit storage house where the people who work there hate their jobs, and combine it with a multitude of people who are in hurry and just want to get in, get their sh*t, and get out?

If you look around your town or city, chances are that there are dozens if not hundreds of friendly and local businesses who are committed to the greater good willing to offer you exactly what you need for day to day living. You will have the chance to meet people who are hard at work manifesting their dream business and are actually committed to good customer service and integrity (as opposed to people who are just working there because they need the money and don’t give a rat’s a*s how you are feeling). You will have the opportunity to use truly unique products and services that you couldn’t find elsewhere, and you may find that the money you spend is stretching further. Also, you will be keeping your money within the community, and helping it grow and thrive.

You can find many good thrift shops and boutiques to cut down on the cost of clothes (this may be below your taste…but do not scoff, the pros far outweigh the cons), and of course it is a form of recycling, and therefore green. Along the same lines, most communities have weekly or monthly flea markets in which many amazing hand crafted and second hand items are sold.

It is my personal opinion that when you limit yourself to buying from big brand names (especially without finding out if they are worthy of support), not only are you limiting the healthier/greener, cool, fun, and unique products you own, but you are essentially limiting your experiences to perfumed mega malls and nasty florescently lit superstores. You could be experiencing so much more, expanding your mind, and opening yourself to new possibilities.

We humans spend so much time and energy and our lives to making money and accumulating stuff  that we often forget what is really important: love, happiness, laughter, peace, learning. Why not make your accumulation of things a very positive experience and open your mind to a wonderful life?

I invite you to vote with your money. 🙂

Love and Light!

Robin Robison