The Earth Charter

The Earth Charter

“Recognize that all beings are interdependent and every form has values regardless of its worth to human beings” (The Earth Charter).

http://thefinancialbrand.com/4437/credit-union-core-values/

I completely believe in this statement, however I do not think many people in the world do. If everyone agreed with this statement, we would not be concerned about the environment being damaged because people would respect the land they live on. I some ways I believe this statement is somewhat unrealistic however the world must develop more of a respect for all of the diverse beings in this world for any positive change to occur. Just because something isn’t important to you, does not mean that it is not important to someone or something else. We need to start appreciating the little things in life and preserve the earth we live on.

http://www.cces.ethz.ch/agsam2009/poster

“Adopt at all levels sustainable development plans and regulations that make environmental conservation and rehabilitation integral to all development initiative” (The Earth Charter).

I never quite understood what sustainability was before this class. I nowI feel as if sustaining the environment should be something that is common sense in this world. Why are we not doing more to make sure the world is healthy to live on and is not deteriorating? I think money and politics is a barrier that needs to be broken. We need political leaders on the environmentalists’ side so they can work together towards the common goal. We need to conserve where we live so future generations can enjoy a happy and healthy life. The Earth Charter principals covers a wide variety of social issues that need to be addressed before the problem of the environment is fixed.

“Empower every human being with education and resources to secure a sustainable livelihood, and provide social security and safety nets for those who are unable to support themselves” (The Earth Charter).

http://nathancrane.com/tag/self-empowerment-2/

After reading the earth charter, I noticed a lot of the principals were similar comparable to the social work code of ethics that is included in my major. Empowerment and dignity is very important in so many aspects of life. Those two characteristics can make a huge difference in how a person treats themselves, as well as, others. We need to come together and protect one another rather then solely just thinking about ourselves. Every person has a right to education. Education is very important in life, the more education the smarter the world is and empowering people to make a difference could change the world into a healthier one.

Goodall Journal

Healing Earth's Scars

“My four reasons for hope…our quite extensively intellect, the resilience of nature, the energy and commitment of informed young people who are empowered to act, and the indomitable human spirit” (Goodall, p. 161).

http://hiphopenation.com/

In my opinion, this is one of the only articles that had some optimism and hope surrounded around saving the environment. One thing that stuck out to me the most in this quote was regarding the young generation.  I think that in some ways the young generation has a bad reputation when it comes to sustainability and saving the environment, however many of the younger generation has better education and has awareness about what is damaging the environment. Maybe the recent young generation will change things for the better. A little more optimism is what we need to succeed. If we do not have hope that things will get better, we will never be able to work towards a goal. Even though many changes need to be made, I respect the hope that things will improve.

“From the beginning of the project, Rene had held the firm belief that, if he looked hard enough, nature would provide the solutions to all his problems” (Goodall, p. 163).

http://blog.homeaway.co.uk/explore-kenyas-natural-beauty/

We need to study nature and learn from it. The article also states that the rehabilitation from a man-made wasteland can be accomplished with organic principles. We need to fix the environment with the elements they are surrounded around, not try to fix it with man-made items. When Rene began this cleanup of Kenya, it was a devastating scene, however he studied nature and took things day by day, little by little and was patient. I believe patience is something that many people have lost. We need to let nature take its course and we need to be on its time rather than our own. We cannot fix everything with technology, especially if technology is the one thing that has destroyed it. I believe we can learn a lot from nature but we must take the time to do it.

“If we allow extinctions to happen through ignorance or greed, then with the loss of each endangered species and unique population, our world becomes less diverse and strikingly less beautiful and mysterious” (Goodall, p. 181).

http://www.inspirationbyleeannelocken.com

I absolutely love this statement. I love all of the unique things the earth has to offer and we are destroying them. Diversity is so important; I do not understand why we are eliminating it. Throughout this whole course I have always said the main problems of extinction and environmental devastation is from ignorance and greed. People are more concerned about themselves than the things around them. Stepping out of our own world and seeing the bigger picture is what we need to do now before it is too late. I feel like one day its just all going to be gone, the diversity of plants and animals, and many people are going to regret that they didn’t do something to stop it. People need to stop being so greedy and start learning about the things that truly matter. Regret is something that Goodall mentions, and it will be a feeling many people will have if action isn’t taken soon.