As the old saying goes, if I had a dollar for every time someone said to me “Eric, I honestly don’t know how you manage to fit in all that you do”, I’d be a rich man. I suppose when I look at my life from the outside/in I can see how people would wonder. I’ll grant that it isn’t easy to balance being a father, a husband, an entrepreneur, a volunteer and an environmental activist. That said, by being as involved in the things that I truly care about, I consider myself rich by a different measure and it’s a wealth that has far more personal significance than any number of zero’s in a bank account.
I seldom hear voices of concern about how much time I spend trying to grow and operate my business. The same applies for how much time I spend being a father to my 4 children or a husband to my wife of 10 years. However it’s always when I talk about the amount of volunteer hours I put in during an average month or year that eyebrows begin to rise because it isn’t always apparent to some why it’s important to include volunteerism into their daily lives. However to me, when I look at the big picture I know that volunteerism is just as important as anything else that I do.
Almost all of my volunteer time right now is dedicated to my role as a speaker, presenter and mentor for The Climate Project Canada. A few times each month I commit myself to honour the promise I made to Al Gore and the David Suzuki Foundation to speak out and inform Canadians about the dangers of Climate Change. Right now is especially busy since one typically expects April to be “High Season” for environmental speakers given the significance of Earth Day. In the 2-1/2 years since my initial training session with Mr. Gore, I’ve given about 40 presentations and I’ve spoken to approximately 14,000 people. In the past year I’ve focused almost exclusively on speaking to High School students for TCPC and it’s taken me to B.C., Manitoba and many parts of Central Ontario. While it’s admittedly a big time commitment, especially when I’ve had to travel, my reasons for doing so are well rooted, deeply personal and intrinsically connected to everything else that’s important to me.
You see, I’ve chosen to speak publicly in an effort to create greater awareness about how human’s have created this problem and why we need to fix it, because the consequences of not doing so hit very, very close to home. There is a famous Native American proverb that states “We did not inherit this planet from our ancestors, rather we are only borrowing it from our children.” The first time I ever heard this, it sent shivers down my spine because I realized that the gluttonous and self-absorbed societal habits created during the past half century have literally setting up our children to fail in the future.
We are currently poised to become the first generation in all of humanity to pass on this planet to our children in a worse state than when we inherited it ourselves. As a father who deeply loves my children and puts their needs above mine, how could I possibly not give of myself now in order to help secure them a viable and safe future?! While people typically know that we need to change our habits, I’ve realized that they often can’t find the right motivation to carry out the changes which are necessary. I know that by speaking to other parents and by waking them up to the reality of what we are doing to our children and grandchildren, it might shake them up and make them think. I also know that by speaking to students I stand the chance of helping them take ownership of the problems we face. Our next generation will either reap the rewards of change or suffer the consequences of inaction and I believe that it’s critical to help them realize the opportunities that lie ahead through taking action. Each time I hear a student tell me that my talk gave them reason to think, it becomes a method of payment that money simply can’t equal. My mother instilled in me a value system that said it’s important to fight for what is right and against what is wrong. Well to me and many others, our self inflicted climate crisis is worth the fight and the reasons for fighting as hard as possible are obvious.
While altruism serves as my motivator, I also am not naive and recognize that with each opportunity I have to speak out as a volunteer I am increasing my personal profile and potentially enhancing my individual credibility. In my line of work, success can come through building yourself as a brand. Enviro Dad, for all its benefits to those who read it’s pages, is admittedly also a branding platform for me as well. I’m aware of the branding potential through these volunteer opportunities and how there is opportunity for professional gain through connecting the dots, so to speak. I’ll never forget that I need to provide an income for my family and if volunteer initiatives like this can help to create income earning opportunities down the line, I can’t and I won’t run from them.
Sir Winston Churchill once said “We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give”. While my living is made by the many hours spent as an entrepreneur, my life is made by giving the time that I have and by teaching my children that it is always better to give than to receive. One can only imagine how much better our world would be if all parents and all citizens strived to live an existence where the greater good has precedence over the greatness of goods. It’s a goal I’ll continue to strive towards and one I hope others will follow as well.
I volunteer but I like to do it certain way.
It makes me laugh how many people think “volunteer==employee”. Or how many believe you have to be perfect or are desparate for their (very subjective) “feedback”. Maybe 10% of the organization.
You have to have a thick skin to volunteer. When it works out it’s great. But do watch out for the wankers. Have a strategy for dealing with them and set out how you are going to do things before you get underway, so there can be an easy conversation later when you fall short.
That’s quite a turn of events. I was just reading about another volunteer who ended up in the negative. I’m willing to give volunteering a go because I think it’s a valuable experience. It builds character and a certain attitude towards life. Cooperation is far superior to competition. Good luck.