Sustainability: The Curation of Consuming
Obs.: Sustainability is an environmental theme that demands our attention. It is necessary to take actions for the health of our world and it is perhaps a way of finding more meaning in life, more satisfaction, and happiness as well.
The Power of choosing “what” and “how” we consume: Shaping Our Lifestyles and Choices
Although, it is my perennial personal commitment to tell my friends that regardless of many viable “green options,” first of all, it seems to me, that finding each family’s own identity to connect with each other is the foundation of any sustainable initiative.
If we go so far to call this dynamic a movement then it should flow naturally, as part of the family’s habits and suffused with joy. Families must enjoy their choices and be educated about them to really care for the environment and for their pro-green initiatives be effective.
A vacation is just an example to illustrate the power of our choices. Our contentment should be sustainable as well.
Green Choices
Like Vacation Choices, it could be a trip to Disney, Brazil, Coney Island or Zambia. But wherever the destination is, the collective enthusiasm matters. The engagement of planning and enchantment with explorer expectations should be taken up by the whole family together, not just the parents, those role models and authority figures in the domestic sphere.
In other words, it does not matter if it is trendy, culturally or ecologically correct: the most important element is that the program should fit the family’s needs and fulfill everyone’s heart in the family unit.
However, if the Family Option is an Experience that also supports sustainability, the benefits transcend the advantages of the trip itself.
“Young people with hunger to find a cause worth a lifetime commitment could become the architects and designers and political force of the fourth frontier, connecting their own children and future generations to nature.”
“The goal of encouraging the nature-child reunion must be not only to maintain the current level of health, but also to dramatically improve it. We can conserve energy and tread more lightly on the Earth while we expand our culture’s capacity of joy.” Richard Louv, The Last Child in the Woods
Elephants: Is it the new way of giving gifts & traveling that support sustainability?
I was thrilled to hear from a couple of millennials who asserted that their generation is looking far beyond mere consumerist activities and are determined to be a part of something more meaningful with the world. Constantino, a young German gentleman, told me that instead of giving his four year old godson a toy for Christmas, he adopted an elephant for him from an orphanage in Africa. He explained that the organization sent them a certificate with a name and kept them posted about the baby elephant through photos and video. It happened that the whole family became so involved that they all planned a family trip to Africa to visit the new baby elephant (whose name I forgot to ask!).
I though it was a fantastic solution for connecting the dots that I have been discussing. The family members connect with each other, create a memorable tradition, develop the awareness and love for the ecosystem, the child and the family can be more expose to outdoors experience and nature, and the elephants are saved!
Saved?
I have also heard some criticisms of such programs so I decided to read about some of the places that promote the adoption of animals in Africa. Happily, I researched many projects and programs and discovered an overwhelming number of positive and dynamic initiatives. However, after my visit to the Machangulo Private Nature Reserve and making contact with people locally, I began to get a picture of a possible problem with campaigns promoting the domestication of wild life, instead of increasing their environmental natural conditions, which is what the wild animals really need.
Therefore, I am here sharing my experiences with you who may be interested on exchanging ideas to try to find the best solutions to benefit us and others.
Despite the seemingly dubious benefits to the ecosystem of adopting elephants, the program can be beneficial to animals and humans alike. Moreover, the intense, compassionate family engagement will provide a memorable, ethically rich with education for all involved.
P.S. Here we adopt them only in our hearts. From my Wild Life Experience 2018, hosted by my dearest visionary and conservationist friend, Alejandro Tawil. His role as a lover of nature and dedicated himself to protecting both wildlife and natural resources in Machangulo is a true inspiration.