Enacting Change through Everyday Choices:

Have you ever heard of the phrase “the butterfly effect?” It is a concept that states “small causes can have larger effects.” It was first coined by Edward Lorenz for the effect that something as simple as the flutter of a butterfly’s wings can impact weather patterns thousands of miles away.

I like to sometimes think I can be that butterfly by standing up for what I believe in. Starting in my teens, I dabbled in vegetarianism to protect animal rights, volunteered for cleanups and signed petitions to protect the environment. Long before it was popular for people to recycle and bring reusable bags to the grocery store, I would try to explain to confused baggers that I had brought my own. My attempted explanations of free-range eggs, when I tried to describe chickens that get to run around instead of being smothered in cages, was only met with puzzled looks from employees at mainstream grocery stores. When I would tell my friends with pride that the fruit was organic, they would respond, “It’s o.k., I’ll eat it anyway,” as if somehow organic meant a lesser quality, instead of the opposite.

Why did I do these things? Because I felt all life on Earth should be treated humanely and with respect and dignity. I cared about our environment for future generations. I didn’t want to contribute to the demise of overfished seafood populations or be responsible for sea turtles or dolphins caught in nets. So, I traveled with my sustainable seafood guide. And much to the chagrin of my hungry husband at restaurants, I would ask the server to check with the chef on where the seafood came from. Was it sustainable?

Did I cheat on my resolve? Yes, on occasion. I am only human after all. Were my efforts in vain? I am just one person after all. There is a part of me who wonders if my sacrifices are futile. But then there is another part that believes in what American Anthropologist Margaret Meade once said, “Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have.”

Fast forward 27 years later, when organic and free-range is readily available in grocery stores and customers are encouraged to bring their reusable bags. I can ask for a free-range turkey and employees actually know what it is. Now, those same friends are buying organic to provide healthier options to their children. As grocery stores started carrying more humanely-raised meat and poultry, I have returned back to my carnivorous nature but will still ask for sustainable seafood. I like to think if people continue to stand up for their beliefs, it will eventually bring about change.  I don’t know if my lone efforts have made a difference but if there are enough lone efforts out there, I believe it will.

As a mother of two children, now I try to fight for a new cause – human trafficking. I have been part of a small team of dedicated individuals, who have put together a Human Trafficking Awareness Symposium to be held on Jan. 20 at Holy Family Catholic Church to educate people about what is going on right here in our backyards.

While still an environmentalist at heart, this is a cause that also tugs at my heart strings -- human trafficking and specifically child trafficking. So once again I go into grocery stores armed with the knowledge that my two most treasured food items – coffee and chocolate -- sometimes are produced at the expense of children, who are forced to work 80-100 hours per week in grueling conditions with no pay. They are taken from their parents with the promises of a better life or are sold by parents, who can no longer afford to feed their families. I cannot be part of the greed that takes advantage of our precious children for my own selfish needs or wants. Do I give up chocolate or coffee? No, I’m not that strong, but I do make the effort to buy fair trade and to research which countries and companies take advantage of those whom we should be protecting. It comes at a minor inconvenience and a little more cost but not compared to the cost of what these children endure every day in third world countries to satiate our first-world consumerism. Now with social media, I also take it a step further and share what I learn on Facebook, where I actually get a few likes.

Will my efforts make a difference? I’m not sure. What I do know is that I am teaching my children to stand up for what they believe in. While it may not always be easy and requires some sacrifice, it is always important to follow your heart. So I will endure the eye rolls and comments when I go to restaurants and ask about sustainable seafood, and I will continue my efforts because I believe that God put us here to preserve and protect our precious resources and children, which he has entrusted in our hands.

So be that change. Be that butterfly, who will flutter its wings and make a difference miles away.

Stay tuned for my next blog to learn how you can make a change with your everyday choices.

Bio

Christine Commerce is a freelance writer and graduate of the University of Florida. She lives in Orlando, FL with her daughter, Alyssa, son, Christian, husband, Doug, cat, Cole, and two frogs, Finella and Swimster.