by Kansas Stanton ~
I’ve been an environmentalist since the age of twelve when I started a Save the Rainforest club in my grade school. I had assistants, an artist, an editor, and interns that made us matching t-shirts that we wore while we handed out educational pamphlets door to door and picked up trash at recess (because when you’re twelve, recess is the rainforest, apparently). After that, life kind of happened and one thing led to another until I was suddenly approaching 30 and decided that I needed a major change and I needed to do what I believe the gods put me here to do. So, I went back to school to become an environmental scientist so that I could make a difference in myself and in the world. It was during this time that I had ordered online a small statue of Cernunnos for my altar, and it arrived sealed up in a cardboard box. When I opened the box, I noticed two large halves of Styrofoam encasing the idol. And I remember thinking, ‘wouldn’t it be ironic if I chose to throw the Styrofoam that housed a nature god of animals into the trash where it’ll probably end up in the ocean forever and suffocating some poor animal’. That’s when I realized there was a major problem in the modern Pagan world. I wanted to help but many times when you organize Pagans, it’s like herding cats. But then I had an idea: what if in place of herding, I could instead just supply the cats ethically sourced catnip? And so began my organization.
Pagan Earth Alliance (PEA) is a non-profit organization that works to bring environmentalism to Pagans of all sects and traditions. And it does this through supplying knowledge and physical efforts in the real world that constitute our boot work! The former is more of an online resource to educate Pagans peer-reviewed information about global environmentalism, how to live more environmental, and how to practice their religions more environmentally sound. Some of the various efforts we do include: a global grove-planting campaign, certifying Pagan artisans to lower their operational carbon footprint and reduce packaging pollution, work with Pagans who live in rural areas that need more political and physical-environmental changes made where they practice, workshops and lectures at Pagan events, ecological restoration events and conservation awareness, and much more!
PEA also supplies the Pagan public eco-products for their sacred Ritual Baths and Ritualware (tableware for rituals and spiritual gatherings) that are biodegradable, sustainable, and shipped in compostable and sustainable packaging with offset carbon emissions. Plus, one hundred percent of the sales of our products go straight to the environmental actions and endeavors of Pagan Earth Alliance!
The sustainable health of the Earth is collapsing. The more ongoing degradation our planet experiences from our choices, the more threatened we are, as well as all the other beings and energies we share our home with who have innocently fallen victim. The blame game is over- we are above that. We are the consumers. We are the decision-makers who can make changes every day. But now Pagans do not have to inconvenience themselves and their routines to make these necessary changes; Pagan Earth Alliance has already done it for them as an environmental resource. Because we believe that no matter what kind of Pagan you are, we all see the Earth as sacred.
~ Kansas Stanton, President, PEA
