Talking Our Walk
From the Editors

Act as if what you do makes a difference.
It does.

~William James

Everybody’s going green. Businesses at all levels -- from manufacturing to distribution to retail – are jumping on the pro-environment bandwagon. Seemingly overnight, corporations large and small alike, are exhibiting what appears to be a grand moral and ethical shift in their philosophies and business practices.

But why all of sudden are they hopping aboard en masse? Is it out of a sense of social obligation and responsibility – finally doing what’s right? Or is it profits driven – a case of Business simply responding to market conditions and cashing in on the latest “fad?”

My answer to this question is an emphatic, IT DOESN’T MATTER. Ordinarily, I am very concerned with the intentions behind an action. However, in this circumstance, either way, it’s a very good thing – a win-win situation. It’s really simple: If by chance, Big Business has re-discovered its heart – bravo! If on the other hand, Business is merely following market dictates, with $$ signs dancing in their eyes – that’s terrific also. How can this also be terrific? Because it means that consumer demand is driving industry policy – and it has always been thus. We the people wield the power for positive change with our wallets. Just as Dorothy, in The Wizard of Oz, we too have the ability to go “home” (heart-centered actions) any time we wish. We need only to “click our heels,” so to speak -- ringing up the cash register with more ethical, environmentally sound purchases.

Consider also, the proverbial chicken and egg scenario -- “Which came first,” doesn’t make a bit of difference -- they are both here now, continuously producing more chickens and eggs. Same with these green bandwagon-jumping converts. Be they buyer or seller, they will continue to inspire and motivate more environmentally sensitive and caring human beings.

As far as those chickens and eggs are concerned, they’re safe with me – I’ve been following a vegan diet for close to 20 years. However, as much as I would love to proclaim that I embraced this lifestyle for mostly altruistic reasons, truth be known, my primary motivation was my personal health. But soon afterwards, my environmental awareness expanded, and my sensitivity to animal cruelty heightened. So, it makes no difference why these nouveau environmentalists are crossing the road. It matters only that they are.

And as we cross, we come closer to reconnecting with our Great Mother, the earth -- the Divine Feminine.

In Peace & Gratitude,