What is your WHY?
When I was a little girl, I vividly remember the advent of Earth Day. I came home directly after school and excitedly told my mother all about global warming, deforestation in the Amazon Forest, and how we could save the planet by recycling aluminum cans. I remember her smile, the pat on my head, and the can cruncher she got for me to smash cans I collected in our neighborhood to take to the recycling center.
I was a precocious young one, starting a neighborhood after-school program that raised enough money from our collected recycled cans to take all the kids to the local amusement park. But this didn’t soothe my soul- it wasn’t enough.
Fast forward 30 years, and my 11 year old daughter came home from school the other day, bright eyed and furious, asking me why my whole generation has left the world such a mess. The fire was in her eyes demanding answers too and wanting to know why we have passed the buck to her generation to handle- a climate crisis insurmountable and quite unfair for them and all of us really. I was stunned, and awakened as if from a stupor of sleepy meandering through the world. Of course I understood her, but I had forgotten about my own agency and ability to do SOMETHING.
So here is where I encourage you to look at your own children, or your pets. Look hard at your neighbors and your friends- they can all be your WHY. My youngest challenged me on that day to answer her. She demanded we all have a clear reason why we as the human race (and as a generation) have become lethargic and complacent in something so important. Why is the planet in such terrible shape and what is our generation doing about it? Really! The little fire in me reignited, flamed bright, and this business of mine, Wild Child Native Gardens was born. I have always recycled, composted, shared my knowledge, but I can do more and so can you! Encouraged by more friends and neighbors than I can properly thank, I am here making change every day, but the real onus came from my littlest child.
Wild Child Native Gardens is about teaching, sharing knowledge and showing others how to save our planet- one garden at a time. Every blade of grass I can turn into a kitchen garden or a native landscape, every dead foot of soil I can revive with the help of my gardening community is me doing my part and lighting the fire in everyone I can to do their part too. It does matter. WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. My littlest garden girl is watching. All of the children are watching.
