I had the pleasure of attending the Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors annual convention Nov 13-15 in Toronto. Furthermore, it was an honour to have David Suzuki kick off the weekend with a powerful presentation, which was open to the public.
David was passionate and eloquent as he described our earth and how humans are the species that have had the most impact on the planet. Some scientists say it’s too late and we have irreversibly damaged our home. However, David says to them “shut up and get out of the way,” it is never too late to make a change. And it’s important to remember the big picture – we should all have the same goal – to live in a healthy place. Governments need to listen to what Canadians truly want.
What kind of Canada do you want to live in? What do you want Barrie to be like in 25 – 30 years? Would you like to be able to drink from Lake Simcoe? Would you like to not worry about the air we breathe when we are standing within sight of highway 400? Would you like to know that your food is free from chemicals? Would you like to be sure that your health problems are not caused by environmental pollution, chemicals or even the houses we live in?
We can all agree that we want a beautiful, clean, healthy place to live, work and raise our children. If we all agree on that, then we have a common goal we can work towards.
The take home message for me?
There are small, simple things I can do at home and at our wellness centre to start making an impact on our environment and people’s health. Also, it is up to us to let our governments know that where we live and how clean it is matters to us and it should matter to them and their families as well.
I would like to encourage a discussion on our environment and our health. Please post a comment and become a follower of our blog to continue this conversation. Together, change will make a difference.