Global Guardian Project

As I watched my children grow and saw there was a huge gap when it came to environmental education for children. I also realized that most all parents, in every corner of the world, have a very real, very aching concern about their children's future here on Earth. We see everyday the damage that's been and is being done everyday. But the link between various everyday actions and environmental health was not being made clearly or at all. 

What we see in environmental education is talk about environmental problems, like species endangerment and drought, but there are no real actionable solutions offered. I think we can all agree that "inspirational quote" Facebook posts and the typical “5 ways to change the world” have a very limited impact.

I realized that parents want help creating new patterns of behavior and thinking in order to make positive changes. I also saw what a huge challenge it is for parents to connect the dots, linking their daily life to global issues, which makes it hard for them to come up with a solid plan to make changes starting in the home.

So I decided to do something about it. And Global Guardian Project was born.

WHY DO YOU FEEL LIKE IT'S SO IMPORTANT FOR KIDS AND PARENTS TO BECOME ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS AND EMPOWERED TO MAKE CHANGES?

As parents and educators, it's our job to teach the children in our lives to do better than we’ve done, to live in the world differently. I believe our best hope is to raise children as global stewards and teach them the power of their actions, so that now and as adults they will know that they have the power to affect change. We only need one generation to turn around how we care for the Earth. If we start now in the home, our actions will flow to our communities, through our countries and eventually around the world. But it has to start at home.

I'm a creative person, so Frida Kahlo has always been an inspiration for me. She achieved so much in her life despite her struggles. Once, I visited the Blue House, her lifelong home and now museum in Mexico City. It was an incredible experience to see her home, her painting room with her brushes, papers and sketches. Each room was a beautiful peek into her own creative life. Her life story inspires me in two ways. First, to believe in my own creations, despite what outsiders say. She was sometimes criticized for creating so many self portraits, but would respond by saying "I paint self portraits because I am the person I know best". I've always liked that. She also inspires me to persist, even when faced with adversity. Both her life and her paintings communicate that well.