A happy side benefit to developing a gratitude practice is that you naturally become deeply respectful of our planet.  It’s a benefit that’s good for you and good for the world as a whole.

As we focus on the things we are grateful for it’s natural that we begin to turn our attention to the beauty of Mother Earth.  How gorgeous trees are in the Spring when tiny bright green leaves begin to appear.  How peaceful we feel when we witness a sunset or the stillness of a lake on a windless day.  How magical a mountain ridge appears when covered with newly fallen snow.  How fabulous a ripe strawberry tastes just picked off the vine.  

As we continue to notice daily the beauty and majesty of the world around us we naturally want to preserve and protect it.  We naturally want to care for it, and we will go out of our way to recycle a plastic bottle, avoid pesticides and chemicals, or bring our cloth shopping bags to the grocery store.  Love and gratitude lead to respect…which leads to our taking action to care for that thing or experience.  We may also find ourselves supporting companies and organizations who are more environmentally responsible.

And, it hurts when we see the planet damaged by those who have not yet developed the same respect.   Unfortunatley, it happens everyday on the corporate and on the individual level.  For some people there is a disconnect between enjoying a scenic vista and the effort it take to change corporate policy or personal habits to protect that vista for future generation. 

So, if you know someone who seems to be showing little respect for our environment, rather than beat them over the head with a message of “environmental responsibility,” encourage them to develop a gratitude practice.   A daily practice of gratitude is indeed healing for ourselves and our environment.   It won’t be long before one’s love and gratitude for this amazing planet translates into a change in relationship with the environment.  And that’s good news for our planet.