Earth Day – A Goal Forever

[intro] The level of our involvement in Earth Day may be the most important predictor of the future. [/intro]

What is the first step in accomplishing great things?

First, you have to firmly believe that you can.

At Female Competition International, fciwomenswrestling.com, we have written about women accomplishing great things, in part by approaching an important cause, developing a plan, making sacrifices, setting goals and achieving those goals in an uncommon way (FCI Women’s Wrestling » Juliana Buhring Sets Record, DIANA NYAD PREVAILS, ASHLEY DeRAMUS A VERY SPECIAL DESIGNER, Vivienne Harr, 9, A Rescuer, Female Anchors Trail Blaze, She Leads Secret Service, Cristina Tzintzún’s Passion, Patricia Billing’s Geobond).

Can we really make a difference in helping to save our planet? Can we do things right now that will impact future generations and fuel hope for a better future?

We think so.

That is in part why we do what we do. We sincerely believe that if we work hard enough and smart enough that one day it will be common place for female competitors from the freestyle, submission and lady ring pro world to wrestle each other in dignified, fierce competition with corporate sponsors where the emphasis is on high level show downs. A better life is always about having varied options that help define intelligent choices.

Besides a firm belief in your cause, what is the second most important step in helping your dream to become a reality?

You need to develop a detailed plan.

When it comes to a green earth, fortunately there are many women who have a strong vision and a detailed plan that they are implementing, sometimes in the most unusual ways and places.

Let’s please take a look at a few examples.

Ambassador Melanne Verveer, the first Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues in the Obama Administration and current Executive Director of the Georgetown University Institute for Women, Peace and Security, accepted the 2013 Women and the Green Economy (WAGE) Leadership award at the Climate Leadership Gala on May 22nd at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC.

The site earthday.org shares an important quote by Ms. Verveer. “I don’t come before you tonight with any easy solutions, but there is one thing I know for certain, we will not address these challenges or solve them without unlocking a vital source of environmental leadership and action for decades to come, and that is unleashing the potential of half the world’s population: women and girls”.

While world governments struggled to make progress on global sustainability issues at Rio+20, women leaders from business, civil society and governments met in Rio de Janeiro to develop a concrete set of recommendations for fast-forwarding women’s leadership in the green economy.

Earth Day Network, in partnership with the UN Foundation, hosted the event on Saturday, June 16, 2012.

In a related press release Earth Day shares, fifty of the most influential women in business, media and civil society came together today to increase the participation and leadership of women in India and key countries of South Asia in the design and implementation of the “post-carbon” economy.

“Women comprise more than half of the global population, and they really drive the economy, making the majority of all consumer choices,” said Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network. “So if we really want to create a post-carbon economy, women have to recognize their immense and unique power, demand a seat at the table and start steering the decision-making process. The WAGE campaign and today’s forum are empowering women to do just that.”

The respected news source The Huffington Post adds, once a year — on April 22 — around the world, people young and old, rich and poor, focus on the needs of our fragile planet and those of us who reside on it. Earth Day is a great opportunity to draw attention to how people and the environment co-exist. This year, in light of increasing disasters, many people are focusing on climate change and its impact on our weather patterns.

Here in the Gender Office of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, we are excited by gender-based proposals to address climate change.

Why gender-based? It’s because women have too often been left out of high-level decision-making on environmental threats and opportunities. The fact is that the more inclusive nations can be in addressing environmental issues, the greater the odd of success. Inclusion is the first of five “I’s” that lead us away from business as usual and toward an innovative and successful way to address climate change:

The Five “I’s”
• Inclusion: Citizens of all backgrounds, ethnicity, gender, cast, age and class must contribute
• Impact: Solutions need to have real results, in the reduction of emissions (greenhouse gasses)
• Improve: All strategies must aim to improve the quality of life of all men and women
• Increase: They must increase sustainability and nature-based solutions for our planet
• Innovative: We must all think of new ways to tackle these critical issues

With an eye to the future, agprofessional.com gives support, sharing in an April 17, 2014 article, CommonGround volunteers Katie Sawyer and Pam Selz-Pralle took the story of American farming, their story, to people across the country through a series of radio interviews April 17. Discussing why Earth Day, April 22, is every day for U.S. farmers, Sawyer and Selz-Pralle shared the story of American agriculture’s tradition of sustainability and stewardship.

[pullquoteleft] Here is the test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: if you’re alive, it isn’t.
…………Richard Bach[/pullquoteleft]

“Earth Day shines a public spotlight on agriculture’s careful stewardship of our natural resources. Farmers and ranchers across the country have the public’s ear to discuss issues important to us all concerning sustainability and land use,” says Selz-Pralle, who farms in Wisconsin. “Today’s consumer is eager to become more connected with their food and how it’s grown or raised. That’s where we CommonGround volunteers can provide a ‘farm voice’ to ease the concerns of wondering consumers. No one should have to fear their food or where it comes from. Our passion and personal experiences give confidence to consumers.”

Ms. Sawyer, who farms in Kansas, noted that “many people are genuinely surprised to learn that about 96 percent of American farms are family farms. Personally, I grew up in an urban environment and, until I met my husband, I would have been surprised too. Like almost all farmers, we want to pass our grain farm and our cattle operation to the next generation. Our farm is our gift to our son and to his children down the line. We want to make sure that the soil, the air and the water provide as wonderful of a life for them as they do for us today.”

At fciwomenswrestling.com, we agree!

During the year 2014, we hope to continue to shine the spotlight on women who are taking steps to help save our planet and preserve its important resources for us now and for future generations. Dignified women’s wrestling is a global sport; something often approached in an uncommon way. As a result, we respect that all of us have a responsibility to do what we can to help keep our beautiful earth out of the global warming red and in the green.

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[alert_green] Sources: brainyquote.com, earthday.org, huffingtonpost.com, International Union for Conservation of Nature, agprofessional.com, fciwomenswrestling.com, photos thanks to Wikimedia commons. [/alert_green]