Advocacy

Why I Matter
I know the title sounds... pushy. Grandiose. Whatever word you want to put on it. I've got one prototype that Shark Tank wants for a humane snake deterrent. If I can get that up and running I'd be rich beyond the dreams of avarice. But it's taken six or seven years to get it to the point where it's ready to be assembled.
By Jonathan Blackbow5 years ago in Earth
Feeding America with Leftovers
This article was difficult to write. Seeing these numbers made me feel everything from anger, to sadness, to incredulity. The solution to funding the United States’ hunger problem can be solved for years with the help of just ten people, yet we allow it to continue.
By Brandy Enn5 years ago in Earth
My little lizard friend
From the moment I saw this lizard, I knew he was different. Maybe it was just my overactive sense of empathy or my unhealthy tendency to personify all things non-human, but one lost soul can recognize another.
By Zoe Cote5 years ago in Earth
Taking Care of this Blue Dot
The blue dot. Our Earth wouldn't be the warm, life-giving planet that we know and love without water. As residents of Earth, we are lucky that the oceans cover 70% of the globe.
By A. Grace5 years ago in Earth
Choices Inspire Movements
If we could choose things based solemnly on one factor then, how easy would it be to choose! But the truth is that there are always many things involved in our decisions. We can reach a can of tomatoes or go for the fresh tomatoes, but it is not as simple as that. Because we have to think about the price of the can vs that of the tomatoes, of the time it takes to prepare the tomato sauce vs just opening the can. And it gets even more complicated as we see the tomato sauce in glass jars and in plastic jars, the many brand options, and the quality of the ingredients. For pure environmental reasons we would have to consider where the tomatoes came from, whether they were grown with pesticides, how much demand there is for the product, whether the water used was recycled, whether renewable energy was used to transport it, and many more factors which would be imposible to calculate unless we grew our own tomatoes. How easy would it be if we could just take our jars of sauce and fill them up in a supply machine made of local ingredients? But the truth is that we are far from this alternate reality. Yet, if we want to propell the future, we need to make more environmentaly concious choices when it comes to daily decisions.
By Camila Carsolio5 years ago in Earth
We all make a difference.
It is sometimes hard for me to believe that with billions of people in the world I can some how make a difference , but we do. With every single one of us implementing minor changes in our lives regardless of how little it is , it can significantly have an impact on our planet. I have always grown up with a strong connection to the earth. I first grew up in Nigeria before moving to New York. I spent a lot of time out doors and in the natural world talking to plants and trees. As a kid with a very vivid imagination , I was extremely fascinated by animals and would observe them a lot growing up. I remember getting annoyed with my friends for littering when I taught they could have easily thrown their trash out in the garbage or recycle , or for attempting a vegan/vegetarian diet in high school with little to no knowledge about the life style . This pull and connection that I have with the earth has led me to be more couscous about by carbon footprint on the planet has an adult now.
By Kehinde Oguntoyinbo5 years ago in Earth
Why Are We Here?
At some point in our lives we start questioning our role and purpose in life... hopefully with a child’s curiosity, taking us through our choices and adventures with a sense of wonder, excitement, and joy. Yet, there are times when we lose our way, situations flip upside down, our joy bubbles popped, and we begin forgetting our why.
By Dolphingirl5 years ago in Earth
Heal Humanity, Heal the Planet
When I first signed up for Vocal, there was a very specific topic that I wanted to write about, and I believe that this challenge is a good prompt for me to start. I grew up just like most typical North Americans. I bought into this fast culture - fast food, fast fashion, fast cars; I was raised to believe that the reason for my existence was to obtain all these things. Ten years ago, however, I started to pay more attention to what was happening to the environment, and from then, I gained a deep respect and passion for environmental activism. I changed my diet from convenient processed food to mainly local organic produce, I changed my relationship with the environment and developed a sense of stewardship over the land, and I changed my religious views towards more of a spiritual perspective. I believe that when you truly develop your spirituality, you gain a connection between the Planet and its inhabitants, and when you genuinely feel that connection, life itself becomes way more delicious.
By Amala5 years ago in Earth
Ocean Origins
"Change your water, change your life." In 2018, I began to change my relationship with water and watched my life change. The relationship between humanity and the ocean is primordial. The ocean has shifted my understanding of aliveness and flow. I believe there is an extraordinary opportunity for humanity at this time. Science says that the oceans are suffering and changing due to our human impact, and the world as we know it will follow. In a crisis, there is always opportunity. The inescapable reality is that our individual and collective choices ripple through the blue planet we call home. The time to change our story is now. We are being called to rise to inspired action, to remember our origin, and to reconnect to our truest nature that has been lost.
By Dion Garcia5 years ago in Earth
Take the lead
Mother Earth, my spirit guide, is alive. She’s been my guide since I was young, teaching me about life. When I’d feel sad, she’d release pedals from the flowers growing on the trees, and purposefully asked the wind to lay them on my nose and head. When I felt unsure about where my life was headed, she guided me through the wisdom of the ocean. Reminding me through every rough current, that even though I was being pulled away from my dreams, I had to fight harder to achieve them. The task would not be easy, the ocean would say. And with every tough wave, she trained me to get back up and try again.
By Janis E.5 years ago in Earth
To Save the Water Cycle: Stop Building Cities
As we all hopefully learnt at some point in our educational history, water cycles through its different phases. It spends time in the sky in clouds before it precipitates down onto land and bodies of water, where it can seep into the groundwater or lakes. Eventually, it will get drawn back up again to renew the cycle. But what if I told you that we're breaking that water cycle?
By Melissa in the Blue5 years ago in Earth
Two is Better Than One
My Roger, He’s a Trumphead. A confederate flag hangs in the front yard. He can rattle off ten complaints about the Biden administration in less than five minutes. He hates the fact that Biden shut down the oil pipeline and put people out of work.
By Michelle Blackerby5 years ago in Earth