The green trend in business has everything to do with spirituality. This may not seem so obvious at first, but ultimately I believe this to be precisely the case. This article is about making the connections more clear between spirituality and the green movement.The green movement is largely defined by sustainability, and sustainability in terms of business covers what has been termed the "triple bottom line," that of economics, social sociability and environment. In the search for better understanding of the benefits of this approach it is useful to examine the roots of this movement.Certainly the economic portion is rooted in our survival. We've translated necessary commodities such as food and tools into the symbol of money in our societies. This category is perhaps the most tangible.The second category, sociability, relates to our mutual benefiting from our choices. For example, if I have two choices, the first benefits myself and perhaps a few others and generally hurts others either directly or indirectly. The second choice being one that includes all in terms of its benefits. The idea being that in the scope of "green" or sustainability, a person no longer makes the first choice by principal. In fact if the real spiritual component is there, they don't even desire to do something that would only benefit them selves and hurt others.The third category, that of environment is perhaps the greatest stretch for humanity to include in its bottom line; however, environment is really the most important because it includes all three. Our very survival in both the long and short term and our quality of life depend directly and indirectly on how well we treat the environment. In a very real way, what we do to the environment, we do to ourselves.So how does spirituality factor into this equation? The degree to which we realize the relevance of these factors has everything to do with our spiritual awareness. Consider this, it does not take any mental leap of faith to comprehend the three components of sustainability, yet it does take meaning to an individual. In short, these ideas have to matter; a person has to care. They need to see and "feel" themselves as part of the environment. They need to see themselves as inherently dependent and depended on in terms of helping the human race.So how does one make more real for themselves this spiritual awareness? There is not just one way, but here are some suggestions that may prove useful.1. Visit nature regularly. Observing nature helps us better understand natural processes, but also makes an emotional connection that binds us to our environment, which in turn helps us foster appreciation and respect for it.2. Meditate. Meditation has been proven to relieve stress, transmute internal blockages, increase awareness, enhance focus, and help one remain calm and centered in daily life and stressful situations. This is the body's restful awareness response, which helps foster connection to humanity and nature.3. Eat healthy. The healthier we eat, the better we feel, the more energy we have. The point is, the better we feel inside, the better we want to treat the environment and each other.And so it all comes full circle. It is in our best interest, to have everyone's best interest in mind, and in everyone's best interest to keep the environment healthy.
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