A letter from UpRoot's founder, Julia Barry

Dear You,

I started UpRoot to help everyday people contribute to a sustainable future for our planet and its beings. We all live here, together, on Earth, and therefore we all matter: We're all connected by and part of this Earth we're riding through space on together. This is the reality of the food, water, weather, health, and relationships that underpin our lives. Whether we feel like participating in this global community or not, we already are. We're interwoven, from the smallest bacteria to the largest elephant -- and including every single human being on Earth. 

UpRoot is an inclusive, apolitical space on purpose. Caring for our ecological home and each other is just a deeply human thing to do. But caretaking has been turned into a political issue, and we are so busy fighting about it that we don't have the time, energy, or community to actually do it. So let's focus and remember something real: No one can take away the compassion and generosity we can give each other and our world. 

Love is our greatest form of power.

If you, like me, are continually more scared and upset to see the very core elements of life on Earth being destroyed, remember that everyday people like us have immense strength together. There are 8.3 billion people on Earth. In the US alone, there are 349 million of us. If even a portion of that population picked just one thing they wanted to contribute -- one action that's personally doable -- and went for it, the outcome would be huge. Just think about that. Really imagine it for a second. What does a healthy, peaceful, flourishing, vibrant planet look like to you?

Daring to imagine and go toward that image in the midst of our current chaos is a radically awesome, resilient, and powerful act. What is one thing you can do this week, in service of that vision?

For me, it was drawing this art, which I'm now selling to raise funds for VEAP, an organization that provides food to those in need. Right now, they're focused on free food drop-offs for people in the Twin Cities who don't feel safe leaving their homes.

Framed wall art and greeting card illustrated by Julia Barry with 'Love Our Greatest Power' text on a wooden dresser with books and dried pampas grass.

Please join me in supporting our most vulnerable neighbors through my “Love is Power" initiative: 
 
- I'm giving $1 for every free download of my poster, and
- I'm donating 100% of proceeds from all orders of my hand-printed wall art & greeting cards to VEAP.org.
 
See more resources below. I'd love to hear what else you're doing to help! Let's inspire each other to take an even stronger part in the love and mutual care that will heal our planet.

Thank you for being here,

Julia

 

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Further Resources:

Back to The Dirt

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