Hellobee

After a rainy day spent mostly indoors or in the car, the sun peeked out a little before it set and Jujube kept pointing to the windows. I still feel pretty new to this whole parenting thing and at almost 11 months in, I am surprised daily by her increasing ability to share her desires and participate in the world. So we opened the door even though she was in bare legs and I let her lead me straight into the mud. She shrieked with pleasure as she stomped into her first mud puddle, holding my hands for balance. I got my toes in there too and we squished around until it was too cold and then rushed upstairs for a warm bath. Happy 1st Earth day, darling.

I am a strong believer that we need to teach our children to love nature. I know this because I’m not that good at it. There were moments in my childhood where I had free play in nature and felt the comfort and magic of the forest, but it’s largely something I’ve been trying to relearn as an adult – that genuine love for nature. My environmentalism comes mainly from my head and my faith rather than my heart. Though it’s not something that comes natural for me, I want Jujube to feel at home in the natural world so that she has something to ground her if or when society tries to tell her she’s not enough.

Here are a few quotes, articles and resources that stuck out to me this past Saturday, Earth Day.

This beautiful trailer for the film Tomorrow is enough for now, since I can’t get a hold of the full film. There is so much inspiration out there that contrasts the negative news we get all of the time, we just need to look for it. I love this idea of gathering all the things we’re doing right for the environment together in one place.

“According to Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohammed Yunnus, the strongest driving force in human beings is their desire and their imagination. He believes that today we must make films and tell stories that spark the desire to build another world. This is what Cyril Dion and Mélanie Laurent decided to do by lining up known solutions in all spheres side-by-side to show what our society could look like tomorrow…”

I was encouraged by this article that stood as a reminder that Indigenous communities and Western scientists have increasing need to collaborate. I also think it’s a great idea especially with older kids to examine other cultures and their relationship with the planet.

“There’s a perception within the Academy that Indigenous knowledge is less than and it’s not as privileged as the Western way of understanding the world,” she said.”

This awesome article is about our climate and our kids by researcher Temiko Jäger. Her hope really stands out to me and I really appreciate that.

“We can teach the next generation to love, respect and care for our planet. To appreciate, experience and understand the natural world as we remind ourselves to let them develop their sense of wonder, being and belonging, before asking them to grow up. To simply let them be kids; to play, dream, imagine and question. An ordinary walk in the forest can be the most enlivening and engaging lesson in understanding the natural order of things; of creation, of evolution and destiny. And we can challenge ourselves to become better people as we model making positive changes in our families, neighbourhoods and communities as our children follow in our footsteps.”

Happen Films happens to be doing a lot of what my goals are as a filmmaker, telling and spreading small stories of change that are really heartfelt. People are so creative. That’s what gives me hope. On our road trip we’ve met similar incredible people doing amazing things that just seem natural once you see it in action.

“We need to transition to not just living ‘sustainably’ but in a way that heals and regenerates the damage that’s been done. So how do we go about doing this? Exploring this question is what Happen Films was founded upon and is what drives us to do what we do. The solutions are out there and people are pioneering this transition. We want to find these people and share their stories in order to inspire others to make change in their own lives and in their communities.”

I love following this dude on instagram who is actually a “bear scientist”. His photos and interactions with bears are amazing.

“I’m guessing we’re maybe the northernmost science march. Anyway, hate him or love him it’s hard to argue that Trump and his administration are very concerned about the environment. But most of us ARE concerned and we need to make that clear to them and to other world leaders. Polar bears and countless other species need our voices! #sciencemarch #marchforscience#71degreesnorthsciencemarch#earthday”

Most importantly, I remembered to get off the computer and go outside today and I let my daughter bathe in the earth. She will inherit it and hopefully she will love it enough to understand how to live well on this planet. Happy Earth Day, everyone.