Sustainability I: Think Green

I am planting my seed, everyone can do their part!
Seeding a Life Style
My Role
I have concluded that I could inspire families and children to plant their own seeds. My role is to help them to find their elements and lead a more sustainable life style.
But what is “The Element”, you ask?
According to Sir Ken Robinson, an International Educator, Speaker, and best-selling author, The Element is the place where the things we love and the things we're good at come together.
“A Sustainable life style”, is scientifically defined as a means to support long term ecological balance, but I also mean a sustainable happiness.
To achieve a sustainable, productive, and happy life, I believe that every child
should have an opportunity to discover and nurture her passions and abilities.
The result of practicing in life what fulfills us is a genuine lasting happiness. Therefore, finding, planting and nurturing our life’s garden with our passions is an adventure worth embarking on.
After becoming a mother, while observing and experiencing what it means to raise children in an urban environment, I always emphasized one primary goal: Be Happy!
Here I am, ready to move on, to move forward with my personal and professional mission. I have finally realized that I cannot separate them. I cannot separate the seed from the photosynthesis. Both are essential to my well being and duty as a Gardener of Life. It is a combination of what fulfills me: my passion and my professional experiences.
“Never underestimate the vital importance of finding early in life the work that for you is play. This turns possible underachievers into happy warriors.” - Dr. Paul Samuelson - first American to win the Nobel Prize in Economics
The Individual & The Group
Everyone matters! We flourish in a garden with other people, having the opportunity to cross pollinate!
Therefore, I strive to curate opportunities for groups and individuals to grow. The seeds, our children, are perfect candidates to succeed on this journey because it is during childhood that the messages root themselves in their hearts and last forever. The positive examples of one seed can be cross-pollinated to other seeds. This model can be replicated and influence others thus creating multiple gardens.
Since the first Playdate that I hosted for my son’s friends at home in 2004 to expose him to my native culture to the present, at public workshops for my work at BPCP, I have always made sure to give enough attention and to accommodate the parents’ and caregivers’ needs. After all, the garden needs the older plants to provide the right environment for the younger seeds to thrive. This combination of adults and children is ripe for the creation of sweet memories and powerful messages that the seeds will carry with them going forward.
From an International Corporate Lawyer to a proud Volunteer at the Horticulture department of BPCP, a devoted Programming Leader at the Gardening Class for Young Sprouts, Nature Education Program, a Dreamer and Activist of PeKi’s principles, I have become a gardener in many ways and will continue to spread out the seeds of joy of life and love for Mother Nature.
Another dreamer, who had recently decided to change his career, told me that he should use his talent and connections to focus on a new business - one that would truly respect the environment and support local communities. More importantly, he would be providing an example to others of how to work, live, and consume more consciously. He used a Brazilian expression to illustrate his attitude that roughly translates to “I’m lighting up my match” (“ascendendo o meu fósforo”). I say planting my seed, others say adding a brick to a wall, but all expressions have the same intention:
Proactively doing your part and contributing to a better life! We all want to have an impact so that we may pass along something of significance to the generation that follows us.
We are all planting a garden, but it takes many gardeners and lots of seeds. We have started to sow the seeds and together, we, the gardeners, are making it happen.
Frankly, I don’t believe we are quite dreamers because we believe it and are coming together to actually make it happen.
Making what?
Bringing diverse groups together. Connecting Tribes!
Creating a chain of people that follow the same loving principles of: humanity, gratitude for nature and appreciation of life.
I will tell you next more about my projects, ideas and perhaps only dreams, but we could all share our positive efforts and come up with something fruitfully together.
" So often, things that have the biggest impact begin small" - (quote from Wave Hill Org - a wonderful place that I became a member too).
Join us!
Always with Love,
Vanessa, a woman thinking green