Richmond, Indiana: A Mantra for a Greener Tomorrow

Covering TEDxRichmond in the spring of this year was one of the very first posts I typed as the Local-Lady. This year Earlham hosts one more 2013 TEDxRichmond. The theme is sustainability. From the event page:

"With a population of over 36,000 people, Richmond, Indiana is a beautiful and historic city that plays a role not just in Indiana, but in the larger world. Within Indiana, it has deserved its recent recognition as a Stellar Community, which will bring new investment to the city that will improve the lives of its’ residents and businesses. But Richmond is also an innovative, small-scale player in the current state of sustainability and the world environment. This year’s TEDx Richmond aims to showcase some of the smaller, more feasible ways towards environmental sustainability, by presenting various topics and issues currently relevant to the Richmond community."



What will be your mantra for a greener tomorrow? 

You've heard the quote, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step".
There is another translation: "The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one's feet."

It can be so difficult to even begin that journey, even the smallest personal lifestyle change that you know would be healthier for the planet seems to ask a lot of you. You can easily get bogged down by thinking: oceans of trash, toxins lurking everywhere and plastic coated everything.  I read recently a piece that resonated with me. Melinda Epler is a blogger with a mission to change the world by changing her own lifestyle and helping others to do so as well. She acknowledges here that:

"Awareness can be overwhelming. Fear can be debilitating. But we cannot let ourselves become overwhelmed and debilitated, because for one thing, that is not a good quality of life, and for another, those feelings get us nowhere. There are a lot of people talking about change, but not really doing anything about it – and maybe feeling guilty that they aren’t doing anything. I believe the best way to handle this feeling of being overwhelmed and debilitated is to just start somewhere, anywhere, big or small. From there, we can support one another and continue on our journey toward change."

So for me the mantra is both " the single step" and "beneath our feet".

Refocus to where you are and what you can do.

It's exciting to see young people who are in our community, who want to make those changes for a better tomorrow! I'm eager to see Richmond, Indiana move towards greater sustainability. I'm definitely enthusiastic about this TEDx theme.

Kudos to Earlham College's TedxTeam!

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What can we do now to work toward a greener tomorrow for our family and for our community right here in Richmond, Indiana? What is the single step we can take today to begin?

<3 the Local Gal

PS

There are a few spots left. It's not too late to register today for Saturday's TEDxRichmond event at Earlham College! Register HERE.

PPS

I love story telling. I love TED Talks. You watched one of my absolute favorite talks Here. Watch another talk on storytelling and fear below: