On April 22 all around the world people recognize one of the only holidays that cerebrates something truly meaningful to everyone in every country - Earth Day. Earth Day is a time to appreciate this beautiful planet we call home!
Earth Day is an outward expression of the connection that many of us feel to the Earth every day. We at Global Groove Life thought this was the perfect time to talk with our collaborators - A.K.A. you - about how we can co-create a thriving planet!
Thriving, Not Just Surviving
You may remember a couple of blog posts about our fair trade vision of a thrive-able world. Read the full posts here and here. Global Groove Life knows that a better world is possible… that humanity can transition beyond our unsustainable lifestyle and relationship with our planet. We believe that the global community can move beyond even sustainable living (which implies returning things back to the way they used to be) and step into a new paradigm of thrive-able living!
Another way of describing this thrive-able world is by using the word regenerative. Those of you who are familiar with permaculture design may also be very familiar with this word. “Regenerative” describes processes that integrate the needs of society with the integrity of nature. Regenerative systems are ones that are designed to restore and renew their own sources of materials and energy. GGL believes that people have the ability and intelligence to create new levels of synergy in our relationship with the Earth.
Fair For The Planet
Global Groove Life has been doing its best to walk in balance with the Earth for the past 18 years. GGL is certified by the Fair Trade Federation (FTF), an organization that uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. Learn more about what fair trade means here. Under the FTF we are required to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. And we're happy to do so!
Environmental accountability and responsibility are major pillars of the fair trade world. Lately we've been sharing a lot of blog posts about the various products we craft and sell and we wanted to bring attention back to why we do what we do - to actively participate and be the change we wish to see in the world! We're excited to leave a better world to our children!
Fair Trade certified organizations pledge to offer current generations the ability to meet their needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs - this important concept is native to many people of the planet but somehow seems to have gotten lost in translation to large corporations. Fair Trade producers must actively consider the implications of their decisions on the environment and promote the responsible stewardship of resources.
A Story With Many Authors
We’re all in this together! Writing the story of a thriving planet is much too big of a task for any one human being to take on alone. Only by coming together with a common vision, dedication, and openness to new ideas can we achieve our goal of a world that is not just being sustained at its current level but is actually being improved!
We’ve received so much inspiration through our travels and connections with folks from many different countries. You can see how some of the ideas and patterns introduced to us by people living in foreign places have blossomed into artistic creations that we’re able to share with others who may live in another region of the globe entirely.
This worldwide fair trade web is made possible by every person who participates in it from the materials growers, to the artisans, to the organizations, to the people buying the products. Each person is needed to create a working system.
In the same way that it takes a fair trade village to create a more just system of exchange it also takes the collective genius of a global community to build a thriving world. We need all hands on deck to steer us in the right direction. What are your ideas for a thriving Earth? Share in the comments!
Amara Evans is a collective consciousness raising writer, speaker, and sound healer who currently resides in the Sierra foothills of Northern California. She loves using her voice to inspire actualization of our full potential through sharing about nature, spirituality, and new paradigm community.