Earth: Hand Her Over the Way She Deserves
In October 2019, on a Thursday night, my phone rang right before midnight. I missed a few calls because I was asleep, when I finally answered, it was my sister in a panic. She said, "Sis, the fire jumped the freeway, and it's now in your city. You're neighborhood is being evacuated." Before falling asleep that night, we had been watching coverage of a fire that had broke out a few hours earlier, about 10 miles away due to high winds. We were far enough away from it, and I believed we would be safe.
I jumped out of bed and woke my husband to give him the news. I looked out the bedroom window and saw many of our neighbors packing up their cars and evacuating. There was a police car driving up and down my street encouraging everyone to evacuate their homes. My husband rushed downstairs and into the backyard to start hosing everything down and turned on the sprinklers just like the rest of our neighborhood had done. Meanwhile, I packed a few changes of clothes for myself and my family; also all of our important documents, computers, cameras, and a few boxes of pictures. When we evacuated, this was all that came with us. At that very moment, this seemed to be what was most important other than our safety. As we drove out of our house, I took one last look and couldn't help but wonder what laid ahead.
Sadly, that fire burned several homes that night and many acres of land. Since then, as fire season approaches, I start to feel a sense of grief because I know more land could burn and homes lost. Fires aren't the only events getting worse year after year; catastrophic hurricanes, tornados, extreme heat, and cold are significant weather events induced by global warming.
As a Mamacita, I can't help but feel uncertain of what the future holds for my children and the generations to come. The upcoming generations don’t deserve to resolve the problem on their own, they need us; their Mamacitas. As the fierce protectors that we are, we must start making small changes in our lifestyle and daily habits to protect the environment, it will make a lasting difference. We’ve surpassed the opportunity for practice runs, the time for change is now. There are so many resources out there to educate ourselves, and it all starts with baby steps. I am no expert and look forward to learning more, but here are just a few things I do now that make a difference.
Ditch the water bottles. In our household, we each have a bottle of water that we fill daily. When you come to visit, I will offer you water in a cup instead of a bottle. Remember, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
When shopping online, some retailers have an option to pack your entire order in one package. Sometimes the delivery might take a little longer, but it avoids all the extra waste (boxes or bags).
Transition to non-toxic cleaning products. I make an all-purpose cleaner that I use for everything using Young Living's Thieves Household Cleaner; it is a non-toxic concentrated formula that you mix with water. One bottle will make approximately 20, 16 oz bottles of All-Purpose Cleaner. This cleaner is a staple in my home, and I feel comfortable using it around my kids.
I've committed to cutting down on the number of animal products I eat. When I meal-prep my lunches for the week, I stick to vegan recipes. Not only does it help my overall health, but it reduces the carbon footprint significantly.
I've started to teach my kids to turn off the lights when they aren't using them, turn off the water when brushing their teeth, and not take extra long showers.
Remember Mamacitas; this isn't the job of one; this is the responsibility of all of us. Making small changes in our own homes will make a huge impact. Our beautiful Earth is worth fighting for, let’s hand her to our children the way they deserve.
Do you have tips that are making a difference not only in your life but for the environment? If so, please share them in the comments below. And if you haven’t done so already, please subscribe to our community and be one of the first to get the latest stories.
Xoxo - G
To find out more about what you could do to help, visit the NRDC.
Follow @oilsandsol on Instagram to learn how to make the switch to non-toxic products at home.
