May 2016: Environmental Wellbeing

Get Involved!

Welcome to the May issue of TotalWellbeing! This month we set our sights on Environmental Wellbeing. Most of the time we ask you to be mindful of the present, to be in the here and now. While the present is important it is also imperative to consider the downstream consequences of our choices. Never is this truer than with our environment. When we talk about environmental wellbeing we are talking about the wellbeing of all the places we live and function in. This can include our homes all the way up the Earth itself. We feed back into these environments in negative and positive ways. For instance we cut down trees for materials but we also plant trees to help rebuild forests or make our neighborhoods beautiful. It’s more than balance because we need to be doing more good than harm. We all need to look at how we can live greener and ensure our environments remain healthy places for us to work, play, and live. For a closer look at this month’s topic and helpful resources please check out The Path and The Connection below.

Head over to MINESblog and check out MINES’ tribute to National Stress Awareness and National Poetry Month. We posted some poems that are sure to help you de-stress and maybe even help you get some creative energy flowing while you’re at it.

As always, for more information please check out the links to the left or hit the share button to send us a message. See you next month!

To your total wellbeing,

The MINES Team

The Path: Environmental Wellbeing and the Future

Environmental Wellbeing is interesting in that when thinking about the environment it is critical to not only think about the present but to focus on the future as well. We always preach about being mindful and in the moment but our environments don’t change moment to moment based on our moods, thoughts, and behaviors. Our environments — ranging from our immediate surroundings such as work or home, to our bigger environments like our cities, national parks, and oceans — take years to make significant changes. So it is with this forward-thinking mindset that we must treat our environments with the respect and care necessary to cultivate happy, healthy environments for ourselves and for future generations. Pick up trash where you see it, support legislation that focuses on sustainable food and energy sources, and just be mindful of the personal impact that you make every day. It’s not easy but if we all practice this sort of care we will all be healthier, happier, and better off in the long run and so will our environments.

How can we live lightly on the Earth and save money at the same time? Staff members at the Worldwatch Institute, a global environmental organization, share ideas on how to go green and save green at home and at work. Check out the 10 great ideas WorldWatch.org has to help you live a little greener one step at a time.

See list here!

The Connection: Get Involved

Wellbeing does not simply start and stop at the individual. Our community is connected to each of our own individual wellbeing in a huge way. When we are well we can better function within our community.  We can help our fellow humans thrive, and in turn, when our community is prospering, it helps each of us reach our goals as individuals. So why not help our community so we can all thrive together? Each month we will strive to bring you resources that can help you enhance the wellbeing of those around you or get involved with important causes.

If you haven’t heard of the Litterati movement you should check it out. Litterati is a global social media movement that utilizes an app and hashtags (#litterati) to identify, map, and collect litter around the world as users photograph themselves picking up litter around their communities. Anyone can do it, it’s fun, easy, and a great way to get involved with a global cleanup effort.

See how you can help!