Earthkeeping in the Big Easy

In the spirit of the notion that every effort – no matter how small – can make a difference in our world:  Two years ago, a group of Timberland employees working at a community service event in New Orleans ended their day by walking through the Lower 9th Ward – an area completely devastated when Hurricane Katrina hit.  There they came upon a makeshift swap shed, where a New Orleans resident was organizing donations of all sorts – tools, clothing, food, shoes – for those who lost so much and were working to rebuild their lives.

What happened next was that nearly 300 Timberland employees gave what they had to give – their boots.  It was an action not scripted, not premeditated and not mandated – they simply and spontaneously did what they could do.

It isn’t Earthkeeping in the same way that recycling or buying carbon offsets or driving a hybrid might be – but Earthkeeping doesn’t always have to be as obvious as that.  It’s an example of the powerful positive impact that is possible when people stop wondering about who’s problem it is to fix and what good they can really do anyway and they just DO.

Doubt doesn’t reduce our carbon footprint and criticism doesn’t solve the global warming crisis and inaction doesn’t yield much in the way of positive environmental results.  How much greener would our world be if everyone stopped worrying and wondering and just starting doing?

The attached audio clip provides a first-hand account of the “boot drop,” in the words of Timberland’s own Kevin Kious.  Our thanks to the morning crew at KMPS-FM in Seattle for sharing it with us.