Beat Monday blues with two songs for Haiti!

Whenever I'm trying to beat my Monday blues I turn to music so if you're having as much trouble as I am on this Monday morning, these should do the trick!

Not to mention, they both benefit Haiti's recovery efforts!  Enjoy!

The first is a rendition of K'naan's "Wavin' Flag" performed by Young Artists for Haiti. Musical Icon, Bob Ezrin gathered more than 50 of Canada's most talented young artists to record this song.



The second, although I've seen it a million times, never fails to lift my spirits. I loved We Are The World 25 for Haiti even before I went to Haiti, and love it even more since my return. The diversity of the artists and the message they sent collectively is one we should all embrace; we are the world. Even though we all come from different walks of life, we are all a part of one great big family and should always come together to help our brothers and sisters around the world.

Welcome to the Sustainable Haiti Series!

One of the reasons I chose to go to Haiti was to highlight groups doing sustainable relief and rebuilding work.  It's hard for the mainstream media to cover everything going on there and often report on the negative stories rather than the positive. I understand that the latest Cholera case is breaking news, but what about the groups that are working to ensure Cholera never even makes it into the water stream?

I don't know about you, but those are the stories I'm interested in.  I want to learn about solutions, not just read about the problems.  That's why I'm creating the "Sustainable Haiti Series" -- to share the sustainable solutions to Haiti's problems and the kick-ass organizations that are making them happen!  

Each segment of "Sustainable Haiti" will highlight a different organization I was fortunate enough to meet and spend time with in Haiti.  While they all address different needs, they all have one thing in common -- they offer a sustainable solution to a problem!  

I hope through this series, I not only raise awareness for these incredible groups, but also educate people around the world about sustainability. With natural disasters becoming more prevalent and devastating, sustainable disaster relief and rebuilding are things we all need to be educated on.

Here's a video I made about the group I'll be highlighting in Part 1 of the series, GrassRoots United.  Enjoy and stay tuned!!

     

Back in my comfort zone, but definitely not comfortable.

I've been back from Haiti for almost a month and it's still hard for me to process everything I experienced while there.  Returning home from a trip like that is overwhelming to say the least.  Within one day, I went from waking up in the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere to going to sleep in one of the wealthiest cities in the world.  Talk about culture shock...

I found myself back in my comfort zone, but suddenly not feeling so comfortable.  My San Francisco life was moving forward, but all I could think about were the people and places I left behind in Haiti.  All I wanted to do was go back and help the country rebuild sustainably. Despite what you read or hear, there is still so much that needs to be done.  It's been over a year and a half since the earthquake and parts of Port-au-Prince look like it could have happened yesterday.  It's really upsetting.  Especially after spending time with so many incredible Haitians who are eager to rebuild their country and move towards a better future.

Me and Jean Lucho of GiveLove.

GiveLove is one of the amazing organizations that I spent time with and filmed while in Haiti. They are bringing sustainable low-cost solutions to Haiti and focus on eco-sanitation.  Don't worry, there will be an entire post dedicated to GiveLove and eco-sanitation coming VERY soon!

Anyway, until I'm able to return to Haiti I'm going to do as much as I can for the country by sharing my experiences with the world. Keeping the stories alive and making sure people don't forget about Haiti is half the battle and the good news is I hate to lose. Please feel free to comment and share your own experiences in Haiti -- I love to connect with people who share my passions!

I truly hope that through this blog, others will come to feel the same way I do about Haiti.  

Tet Kale!