"There is nothing stronger in the world than the heart of a volunteer". This phrase was pronounced by James Harold 'Jimmy' Doolittle, pioneer of American aviation, officer of the FF. AA. during world war II. He earned the Medal of Honor for his bravery and leadership as commander of Operation Doolittle, the first American bombing raid on Japan.
Greater is the force, greater is the power, when the hearts of several volunteers come together. And even more so when these volunteers come together and form a team, when they are united for a purpose, for a cause.. That is precisely the strength, the power that the Green Heart Foundation, from Costa Rica, created by two women: Lily Cabezas and Fernanda Alfaro.
Lily and Fernanda are what we could call soulmates. Both are passionate about walks and, especially, about nature. Until their paths crossed. Each one went out to different places to take pictures of waterfalls, beaches and nature reserves and one day, by chance (or coincidence?) they met on social networks and there was a powerful connection.
“One day, Lily invited me for a walk. She already did it frequently and also participated in beach cleanups, she was a committed person. I saw her pick up garbage, but it was something I was not aware of. Honestly, she didn't pay attention to that"Fernanda says. Of course, after a short time, the good example spread and she became infected: she began to collect garbage.
After a while, With the bond of friendship already strengthened and identified by the purpose of helping in the task of protecting the environment, they decided to go one step further. It was thus, then, that the Green Heart Foundation, in which their skills complement each other perfectly: Fernanda is the one with strategies and Lily, the executive, who likes to do things.
“We organize cleanups of beaches, rivers and urban areas. We understand that, although they are a palliative action, in any case we help to awaken and create awareness in the population”. This is a task that many other associations carry out not only in Costa Rica, but in different countries in the world. So what makes different and special to Green Hart?
“Every day we hear about climate change in the media, on social networks, but we think it is wrong. Why? What we believe is needed is rather a human change, that people change their consumption habits and behaviors"Lily assures. Therefore, her approach is not the conventional one.
Climate change or human change? It is not just any dilemma, without a doubt, but it is not a semantic issue either, but rather something very deep that, hopefully, all of us who inhabit this planet would understand and put into practice. What is behind it is understanding that the problem is not the planet, nor the climate, but the behavior of humans, the habits we acquire.
Behaviors that we learn from elders at home, habits that we acquire from what they teach us there and at school, from what we see others do. Fortunately, since it is something learned, which is not the essence of being human, it is possible to modify. How? We have to unlearn and learn again, we have to change not only what we do, but how we do it.
“The biggest difficulty we have faced is people's lack of awareness about the excessive use of single-use plastic. It is harmful to both health and the environment". The problem is that, if you think about it for a few seconds, every day in a large number of activities we use single-use plastic, almost without realizing it.
"Almost", because we actually realize it, we just don't take responsibility. "The goal we set for ourselves was to promote a cultural change, necessary at a national and international level., for the preservation and recovery of the environment”. A change that, of course, requires effective action and the permanent commitment of each one.
“We are people who believe that equality is a matter of empathy and solidarity and we also understand that as members of a single humanity. The only way to move forward is by working together for the common good.". A common good that means living in a sustainable and friendly way with the environment from home, at the office or university.
Lily, who believes in the power of example, practice in your life the premise of zero waste. She started after a very unpleasant experience that marked her: It was on a visit to Barra de Parismina, a small town located on the edge of the Caribbean Sea, in eastern Costa Rica. “It was multiple layers of plastic, styrofoam and microplastic, one on top of the other”.
What shocked her the most was verifying that all that immense mountain of garbage was made up of everyday utensils.: toothbrushes, toothpaste, cleaning brushes and bottles, among others. In other words, they had all been disposed of in some home in Costa Rica and had come to that place to cause serious ecological damage. A great nonsense!
Fruit of this experience, In Lily's house there isn't even a trash can and she prepares the items she needs for daily use. She knew, however, that she couldn't stay there.that there was more to do. For this reason, since January 2019, with the volunteers of Green Heart, began beach cleanups, activities that have received a very positive response.
Through social networks, which are very powerful channels when used well, they have managed to infect hundreds of compatriots who identify with their struggle, they are their purpose. “We are inspired by the power of raising awareness for a more sustainable world”, a task in which dozens of volunteers and members of the Foundation are the basic force.
En Green Heart They are proud of their achievements, beyond the fact that they understand that beach cleanups and garbage collection are mere palliatives. To get what others call a climate change must first produce human change, a significant and definitive change in habits of consumption and in the behavior of the human being.
