Caring With Heart Earth Day, Everyday

April 20, 2009 As we enter into Earth Day (week? month? year?) we can either cynically report on the bandwagon marketing of the green scene with freebies, Earth Day cards (Gathering Home has a nice round-up) and other Earth Day tie-ins and giveaways, or we can embrace every effort from every corridor (corporation to kids) to help all ages begin to ‘get it’ and make small changes that inspire action, hope and determination in whatever way it resonates.

I actually heard someone down here in L.A. quote the ‘every drop counts’ campaign from Paul Mitchell as an Earth Day mantra…and hey, I won’t knock it, because the salon has helped raise almost two million dollars for the Waterkeeper Alliance! Any way we can get from point A to point B without hypocrisy and greenwashing suits me…Adding some compassion into the mix to nudge toward a less hostile mindset is a bonus!

So when I received this little video clip below from Heart Math.org which speaks of global coherence and the need for planetary possibilities in the name of finding peace…I had a couple of choices…Look at the message as a way to trigger the opportunity to truly value and appreciate the fragile nature of the planet, all beings and each other, or look for the ‘sell.’

In this case, they’re selling the concept of having heart with the choices we make as we walk through this world and react to one another…

I can buy into that…

I’ve written about their work before, relating to new media helping students and stress, and liked the way this video ‘if you were a fish’ took some ‘what you can do’ steps with a child narrator. (liked this freebie download ‘De-Stress Kit for the Changing Times’ concept too)

Not to get all airy fairy, but the video has a ‘big picture’ richness to it, shades of the new Disneynature EARTH film, which I’ll be reviewing as soon as I get back in the Bay Area.

We were fortunate enough to see the Hollywood premiere of EARTH with a few of our Shaping Youth ‘teen and tween’ team who will offer their own diverse perspectives too…

I’ll see EARTH again on Earth Day April 22, because Disney is planting a tree for every ticket sold the first week of the movie opening.

They’ve got the financial chops to make a difference far beyond either of our digital allies who we’ve worked along these lines. From Dizzywood who pioneered the Earth Day partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant virtual and real world  trees last year, OR our new friends at Elf Island who have launched into similar territory in their virtual world THIS year with their Plant-It 2020 project in Niger going on right now!

Meanwhile, this whole week I’ll be focusing on green media and marketing worth applauding…

Once again the Great Turtle Race web-event is on for the next two weeks where kids will learn about leatherbacks and love the interactive race map…

And we have new word on all things “under the sea” from whale wall refurbishment to foundation work from Mr. Wyland (and a nice chat with the artist himself!) plus the new DML winner Digital Ocean, Environmental Media Initiative and more…So stay tuned, enjoy the video below…And remember to go beyond token gestures and ‘have heart’ in all you do this week for our planet!

Visual Credits: HeartMath.org, Elf Island, Plant-It 2020

A Few Shaping Youth Related Resources

Shaping Youth: Get ‘Em Outside!

Shaping Youth Joins Eco-Literacy Coalition: NCLI

Shaping Youth: If Kids Could Be Dolphins: The Power of Creative Play

Shaping Youth: How To Turn People Green

Shaping Youth: Planting Earthseeds Via The Magic School Bus: Eco-Media For Kids

Shaping Youth: The Great Turtle Race

Shaping Youth: Inspire Kids With Green Media: Kid-Vid & Games Galore

Shaping Youth: New Media Worldometers Help Data Click With Kids

Shaping Youth: Media Savvy Kids and Nature Deficit Disorder

Shaping Youth: The Nature of Tweens: Wired Worlds & Outdoor Ed

Shaping Youth Through Nature, Media Unplugged