Hey, Green Junkie!

I am so excited to bring to you the wonderful Chelsea Hammond on today's episode.

Chelsea is not only a friend but is also my energy coach, and when I was contemplating adding guests to this podcast – I knew she was the first person I wanted to bring on.

Chelsea practices the day-to-day practices required for living a green life and brings this beautiful relationship element to the “going green” conversation.

Here's what to expect:

• How to foster a connection to the Earth
• One thing you can do every day on your walk to grow your relationship with nature
• How to humanize our planet to better take care of it
• The importance of energy and connection in living more green

You'll discover that and so much more in this episode.

By the end of this episode, Green Junkie, you'll be well on your way to looking at our beautiful planet differently and inspired to recognize the important part you play in preserving our Earth.

If you love this podcast, be sure to leave a review and share a screenshot of this episode to your IG stories. Tag @greenjunkiepodcast so I can shout you out and publicly say thanks. 

Thanks for listening and being here.

Your green bestie,

Xoxo Stephanie

Resources: 

Hang Out With Chelsea on IG

Visit Chelsea's website

Snag 1 on 1 Eco-Conscious Coaching with me

Follow me on Instagram

Follow me on Twitter

Come join the Green Junkie Facebook Group

Become a Green Junkie Insider and gain access to bonus content

Listen Below

Transcript for Episode 18

Stephanie Moram 0:08
Hey, Green Junkie, I'm your host, Stephanie Moram, and today I have the pleasure of speaking with Chelsea Hammond, who happens to be a friend of mine and my energy coach. I'm excited to introduce you to Chelsea because she will be speaking about how she lives a little more green and how she honours the planet every day.

Stephanie Moram 0:25
Welcome, Chelsea. Thank you for being here. I would love for you to take a couple of minutes, and introduce yourself and talk a little bit about how you found your passion for living green.

Chelsea 0:37
Stephanie. So nice to be here. Thank you for having me. My name is Chelsea. How I got started, I am laughing because I remember being in grade one. And I remember coming home from school and my mom being like, what is all this garbage in your pocket. And I remember I used to pick up garbage all the way home. I don't even know exactly why I did it. I just felt like when I was little, I was always noticing that people would leave their garbage everywhere, and it just bothered me on a very deep level. So I have to say that it is started at a very, very young age. Just knowing and being super aware that we impact the Earth just based on what we do and what we choose to do with the things that we buy and the things that we consume. So started from a very young age.

Chelsea 1:26
But I have to say that it really started to go when I was teaching when I was a teacher myself and having to teach my students about sustainability, and about the environment and Earth Day and all of these things that I started to research for myself what was going on. And then that was what made it more of a priority in my own life to really, really live according to these principles of sustainability. So that's how I got started. And from there, it's kind of just become a thing. It's just something that I do; it's just something I'm aware of; it's something that I talk to people about; it comes up in my work a lot because I work with the ancestral energy of the places and the Earth. And so that's kind of how I got started.

Stephanie Moram 2:14
I love that story. I love how you came home. And like, grade one was like trash because it's so funny because EJ and Jackson, my kids do that as well. Like if they bring a granola bar to school, they bring back the wrappers so I can dispose of it properly. When they have any sort of extra packaging, they bring it home, and it's like in their pocket, or they're like, oh, it's in my lunchbox. So I love that story that at such a young age, you were able to recognize, like, hey, instead of throwing this on the playground, I'm going to bring it home, and we're going to dispose of it properly. So I just I love that so much. And so you were a teacher before you started your energy work and became an energy coach. So as a teacher, and you know, being you know, an authority figure, somebody that the kids perhaps look up to, what is it that you would teach the kids? You know, if you talked about Earth Day? Or if you talked about the environment in any classes, you were teaching, like, what was it that you would guide them on? Or what was it that you would teach them at such a young age?

Chelsea 3:11
I think at such a young age; I was teaching grade two and grade one. At the very beginning, it was just the most basic kind of recycling your waste. So what can be recycled? And what has to go in the garbage? And what can be composted? This was just kind of everyday talk, especially during recess and lunch; they would always get to the point where they were just like, if this recycling if this trash is this compost, can I do it? And it was just really cute because just them asking that question meant that they would carry that information into their life and that they would eventually be able to incorporate that into their lifestyle.

Chelsea 3:48
So that was just very basic on Earth Day; I know that a lot of other teachers would talk about recycling and things like that. And I would very much be like; this is a huge opportunity that I can like to show them YouTube videos about sustainable fashion. And about the actual environmental footprint, like the footprint and how much water it takes to create a t-shirt and how much water it takes to create like an everyday sweater that they would not even think normally. They would watch these videos, and I remember it was like light bulbs that would go off in their eyes. And they would be like, I can't believe the footprint that we make, just by the clothes that we wear, just by the notebooks, just by you know all of our everyday kind of things. And it was just that kind of clicking in their mind, and you would see their eyes and even me; every time I would watch those videos myself, I couldn't believe what we take for granted and what we don't even understand. And so that was when I would take it to the next level with them. I'd be like, today we're talking about fast fashion, and they'd be excited because it's stuff that they should know. And so I would teach it to them and seize the opportunity.

Chelsea 3:48
And I always love that also, because you said how like a lot of teachers, it's always like the recycling and the composting, which I think are super important things that we need to talk to our children about. But taking that one step further and be like, hey, you know, having them a question like do you know where your clothing comes from? Do you know where your shoes come from? Do you know where the phone your parents hold comes from? You know, do you know where this comes from? And I think asking those questions and kids are naturally curious. Right? So having them kind of be curious about those things, I think, is so important.

Stephanie Moram 5:33
Like, with my kids, we talk about these things, we know like, hey, do you know where this came from? And I talk about fashion with them. And, you know, I get a lot of eye rolls for my daughter because she wants something from fast fashion. And I'm trying to teach her like, hey, do you know the impact of us getting that shirt? Can we find something maybe secondhand? Can we find something that possibly won't be completely sustainable? But we know it's going to last a long time. But the problem with kids' clothing, we know they wear it for very short periods, right? So always looking at finding things that are secondhand or sustainable is important. We can go down a whole rabbit hole of sustainable fashion, but we don't have four hours earlier than that.

Stephanie Moram 6:15
But yeah, I love how you seize that opportunity as a teacher and be able to kind of educate kids. And whether they took that information and went home with it with their parents, or they just, you know, kept it away somewhere else to you know, when they're older, maybe it would like to impact them, and they would bring it up. But I just love that instead of just doing that regular recycling and composting, you talked about other things.

Stephanie Moram 6:35
So my next question is, as I know a lot about you, the listeners don't know a ton about you, but you know, you're into energies and manifestation, and respecting the planet on like, a huge level, like respecting the trees and the ground and the Earth, like literally the Earth and the dirt. And so, from that perspective, what is one tip, you could say to somebody when it comes to that. We always say, bring your reusable cup, that's great and everything. I give that tip all the time. But what is it that? You know, when somebody comes to you and says, like, you talked about how you care so deeply for the planet, right? And the Earth itself? Like, what is it one tip that you might tell people, the one thing that you tell people when it comes to caring so deeply for the planet? Like, what would you offer the listeners?

Chelsea 7:28
So I guess I would start suggesting that people invite a relationship with the Earth, that you invite a relationship with the Earth, with the trees and with the water; we are so disconnected. And it's not our fault. It's just our culture has just disconnected us. But I would say that if people felt connected to the Earth and responsible for the care of the Earth, they would take much better care of the Earth. And it's this lack of relationship that we have. And this lack of connection allows us to pretty much, in my opinion, desecrate the Earth, destroy it, and abuse it and exploit it. And so, I would invite people to actually go out and go on a walk and sit on the Earth and just invite relationship, invite connection, you know, like, ground your energy, take deep breaths, express gratitude for the trees and the way that they filter the air, like, just begin an invite a relationship with the Earth. Because this is where I think many people miss the mark, they don't understand that it's up to us to take care of the Earth. It really is; there's nobody else who's going to do it, there's nobody else that's going to do it. And so if we don't feel responsible, if we don't feel connected, if we don't feel like there's a relationship, we don't feel like we need to nurture it. And we don't feel like we need to take care of it.

Chelsea 8:53
So I would invite people to go out, and you hear me talking about this all the time. I see all the pictures of you lying in the snow and grounding your energy. And I'm like, Yes, exactly. lay on the ground, ground, your energy, understand that the Earth is interconnected, that the Earth grounds our energy, and helps us heal our body. And it's up to us to participate in the healing of the Earth and cleaning of the Earth and the preservation of the forests and the water than all of the systems that we depend on for survival.

Stephanie Moram 9:27
I love that, and I would love for you to take like a minute or two and kind of maybe walk people through what it is that they can do. So you talk about inviting them to have a relationship with the Earth. So what does that look like? Like what is it that you do? So I know you go for walks every day; you go to the same tree often. So for somebody that doesn't maybe have a relationship with the Earth or doesn't understand what you're saying, can you walk somebody through what that would look like?

Chelsea 9:52
Yeah, absolutely. So this is one of the funniest things that I love to teach because you have to be super playful about it. But at the same time, I believe very much in etiquette. So starting, if you wanted to invite a relationship with the Earth, like an exercise or a practice, very, very simple practice that you could do is just, number one, leave your phone at home, and just go for a walk in the woods, or go for a walk near Lake near water, somewhere where there's not a lot of people, there's not a lot of distractions, and just go, and with the sole purpose of just listening, just listening to the sounds around you listening to the sound of the wind the way that it feels, and just really trying to connect with this natural energy that exists outside of us. And so that could be the sole intention, if you wanted to take it the next step further, you can have a seat somewhere on the Earth, sit down, who cares if it's on the grass, it doesn't matter if it's in the snow, who cares? That's what I mean by being playful about it. When we were kids, we were playful; we weren't afraid to sit in the dirt, find that joy, again, sit on the Earth.

Chelsea 11:08
And you could even look at a tree. And if you wanted to, you could kind of just apply like, a personality to a tree, like look at the tree and see the shape of the tree and just be like, would that be? Would that like what would the personality be? What would the feeling be around that tree? And this is what I often do. And it begins to apply this kind of humanity to nature that a lot of us are lacking. And because we don't see trees as actual beings, we don't respect them. So if you're able to apply a personality of feeling an emotion to something that is non-human, you're able to kind of sense the humanity in that thing and develop a deeper respect for it. And that's where the beginning of the connection becomes. And that's where you start to develop a relationship. And I often do this, and then I will often go to the same tree. And I will like, this is etiquette, you know, if you can imagine like, you have a guest coming into your home, and they come into your home. And you ask them like, What can I get you? Is there anything that you need? Like, are you comfortable? These are often the same questions that I'll ask the trees, or I'll ask a lake; I go to the lake down the street, and I like, is there anything I can get for you? Is there anything I can do, and then I'll go along the kind of the water's edge, and I'll pick up all the garbage? And I'll tend lovingly to that piece of nature. And in that there's a relationship, there's a connection, there's a mutual respect, and you start to feel the energy of that actual piece of land, and you start to feel this relationship. And it's undeniable, it's undeniable, once you start doing this, it's undeniable. And you will, you will continue to go back to these certain places for comfort, and advice and meditation. And it's really, really this very, very deep, intimate relationship that we can have with the Earth if we show up for it, right, if we go there.

Stephanie Moram 13:07
That was amazing. Thank you for sharing that. And I remember, you know, as you said, you get this connection with a certain tree or something, and you have that relationship. And I remember you telling me, maybe a month ago, how there was a tree near your house, and a branch broke. You want to take a couple of minutes, maybe talk about that, and like how you felt and how you felt that connection to that tree.

Chelsea 13:30
Okay, so there's a Magnolia Grove in a forest where I go. And there's this one magnolia tree that I have been going to for years. And I call it my love tree. Because it's just so beautiful. And the blossoms in the spring, and it's just a magnificent, magnificent tree. And so anyways, to make a very long story short, I'm very connected to this tree. I went to this tree in the summer, all summer long. And it was so heavy with blossoms that one of the branches like it cracked, and it was kind of touching the ground. But it was still blooming, and all the leaves were still green. And I was like, look at that. Look at the metaphor here. So you can crack a little bit, you can break a little bit, but you can still thrive, and you can survive. And it was very much a moment for me and Magnolia Grove with the cracked magnolia trees. So anyway, it's a very important tree for me. And then, just a few weeks ago, I went, and they had cut down. They had cut that branch that had cracked, and so it was very emotional. I felt I felt very possessive, and I felt very much that connection that it's up to me to protect and attend to these pieces of nature, and it felt like somebody just came in and desecrated them, and I was like they cut her arm off like how could they do this? And so anyways, it was very upsetting for me, but I sat with the tree. I still tended to the tree; I did the same thing. Like, is there anything you need me to do right now like, and it was very much to be very honest. Now that I have this relationship with the trees, I've had this sense that I can communicate with them and receive answers. And so it was very much me at the bottom of the tree, bawling very emotionally. And the tree was very much saying to me, like, chill out, everything's fine. Like I can lose a branch, I'm still growing; it's all good. Like, there's no need to worry; we're going to be okay. And so it was very much it was just kind of a metaphor for life in general again, but that's often how it goes with me in the trees. People call me crazy tree lady, but I'll take it any day of the week. That's fine. But yeah, it shows how much of a connection I had with the tree that it felt very, very damaging just to see somebody come in and just like, destroy part of it. You know, it just was very, very traumatic for me, but the tree was more resilient than I was clear that day.

Stephanie Moram 16:05
I love that story. Thank you for sharing it. And I guess my last question before we wrap this up would be from like, not that this isn't practical, but you know, what is it that you do every day to besides, you know, going to see the trees and like honouring them and taking care of the Earth? Like taking care of the actual tree? What is like, what is one thing you do every day, whether it's reusing something, whether you know, making your food, whether it's like growing your garden, what is it one thing that you do, like every day to live more green?

Chelsea 16:36
So I was thinking about this. And I do, you know, like, there's a lot of things that I do, like you said, like, I do the reusable mug as much as I can and the cups, that not the cups, the bags, I like crazy about bringing my bags and all of these things. But I was thinking about I was like, what, every single day, and I was like, it's the clothes that I wear. It's the clothes that I wear. For years now, I've been a huge, huge fan of just thrifting or consignment; if I buy something new, I buy something like I spend the money and I invest in something that I know, it's gonna last me a long time. That's something that every single day, like, without a doubt, every day, I'm wearing something that is absolutely sustainable, made of really high-quality materials, and I feel like that's something that not a lot of people are aware of. But it's something that I'm super conscious of. So that is something that I do every single day that, you know, I take pride in, you know, and everybody is always joking with me. They're like, every time we compliment a piece of clothing, you have to tell us exactly what's the thrift shop you got it and what was the good deal that you got and everything. It's a big joke now, but I'm like, if I take such joy and pleasure in that, though, that is something every day I do.

Stephanie Moram 17:52
And like sustainable fashion doesn't necessarily have to be that you know, you paid $500 for a pair of jeans because it was made in Canada and it was made of the perfect dyes and all this, it's also about buying products at last. I think that's the number one thing, like, even if you are buying something that might not be perfectly sustainable, which you know, really isn't possible for something to be perfectly sustainable. But if you purchase something you're like, I'm not in a position to spend X amount of money, but it's something you know, that's going to last like five years, ten years, then it is sustainable because you're not just wearing it once. And I think it's so important for people to distinguish the difference that you don't have to drop tons of money to get sustainable things necessarily. If you do buy something that might not be that perfect, sustainable, but you know, it's going to last, you know that you're going to wear that sweater forever, you know, you're going to keep that jacket like I have the same Patagonia jacket. We went to the Olympics in 2010 in Vancouver, and I bought it before that it's a brown Patagonia jacket. Classic, long jacket. The only thing that has natural wear and tear is a zipper which I might have to replace, but it's a jacket that I'm probably going to use pretty much forever unless I gain tons of weight. You know, like, and it looks great. And it's you know, I spent money on it. But I'm not going to have to buy another winter jacket just because so it's finding those things that last. So I want to say thank you for joining us, Chelsea; thank you for sharing, you know, what it is that you do and how you respect the planet and how you honour the Earth every single day. And before we jump-off, I'd love for you to tell everyone that's listening, where it is that they can find you if they want to learn more about you and what it is that you do.

Chelsea 19:33
If he wanted to learn more about what I do, you could always check out my website. This is next level living.com. I know it's a mouthful, but this is Next Level Living. And over there. I offer courses, and I have free workshops every month. And then I also contribute to coach, and then in the new year, I'm going to be offering group coaching, so that's going to be the coaching experience a little bit more accessible for everyone. So I'm super excited that you can find me there. And you can find me on Instagram too. We're rebranding right now, but it's called my Instagram is the energy school.

Stephanie Moram 20:13
awesome, thank you so much. Thank you so much, Chelsea, for being here today and sharing your story with everybody. So please head on over to this is nextlevelliving.com. To find out how you can work a little bit more closely with Chelsea and how you can perhaps follow her on social media and her journey. To stay connected with Stephanie on Instagram, go to @greenjunkiepodcast and don't forget to subscribe to a Green Junkie on the platform you're listening to. If you'd like direct access to me, your green living expert, click the link in the show notes where you can ask me questions. I get a customized plan on how you can live a little more green. You can hop on a one-on-one call with me as your personal green Google and pick my brain. Click the show notes below to find out more about Chelsea and myself. Thanks for listening, and I'll see you next Tuesday Green Junkie