KINDNESS TRANSCENDS ALL BOUNDARIES

My ancestors taught me that distance is no great hurdle to kindness and love. When one decides to be gracious, one can transcend time and earthly boundaries. ...

Click to Continue

TABI TABI PO (MAY I PASS)

Growing up as a Filipino, the culture, taboo, and superstition played a big part of my identity. But if I had one thing to proudly share and pass on the next generations, it would be an old tradition for the kids to say "tabi tabi po" every time they...

Click to Continue

RESPECT THE RIGHTS OF ALL LIVING AND NON-LIVING BEINGS

My ancestors have taught me that we are supposed to be custodians of all life on Earth. This means that we should not just plant trees and keep the environment clean where we can, but we should take the extra step to ensure that the rights of every s...

Click to Continue

CONNECTION TO LAND

Our ancestors had the hands of green. Our lands have always been arable. Let us continue to cultivate and live sustainably in the years to come!...

Click to Continue

HOLD CEREMONIES, EXPRESS GRATITUDE

My ancestors in Indonesia always taught us that we must care for and protect the universe. Nature and humans live side by side in mutual support of each other. My ancestors have taught us to hold ceremonies to express gratitude for what the universe...

Click to Continue

THE POWER OF WORKING TOGETHER

"Berat sama dipikul, ringan sama dijinjing" means working together through tough and easy times. The obligation to preserve the environment is not only the responsibility of one or two people, but is a shared responsibility of everyone because we liv...

Click to Continue

THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE ARE INTERCONNECTED

One of the most important lessons I have learned from my ancestors is to always take into consideration the past, the present, and the future. I want to pass it on to future generations because I want to remind them that while we have to live in the...

Click to Continue

WE BELONG TO EARTH

We belong to Earth, the Earth doesn’t belong to us....

Click to Continue

WE HAVE EVERYTHING WE NEED

We have everything we need in this moment to solve our problems....

Click to Continue

CARE FOR THE LAND

In Hawai’i, we learn the importance of mālama ‘āina - care for the land. This value is at the core of Hawai’i’s ancestral past where if we care for the land, the land will care for us. We do not own the land but are rather the stewards of i...

Click to Continue

NATURE COMMUNICATES WITH US

The real threat to human existence is humans. Humans have a tendency to take more from nature than they offer and to take nature for granted. It is mankind’s deficiency in empathy and the inability to listen to and feel the world around us that sha...

Click to Continue

We are guests on this planet

We are guests on this planet. We come, live for several decades, and then leave. We are supposed to leave the things the way they are for our next generation. We can enjoy and revel in this beauty but we are not supposed to change and destroy it....

Click to Continue

TWO COMMON SAYINGS USED IN MY FAMILY

There are two common sayings used in my family. They are the lessons from my ancestors: 1. जो प्राप्त है, वो पर्याप्त है (Whatever we possess, is what is enough) 2. ये दुनिया चलती...

Click to Continue

MINIMALISM

Minimalism, living with only the things we really need, is the best way to protect both ourselves and our planet. Imagine a world where people owned only what is essential for survival. How much change it would bring to our environment. All this lies...

Click to Continue