Pulse July 2016 | Page 54

ASK THE EXPERT LOUIS FOX CONTINUED P: What's your greatest epiphany in the realm of cause communications? F: I've come to the conclusion that the amount of change we can create is limited by our worldview. Without shifting our world view, we are just polishing the brass on the Titanic. We really need another way of understanding ourselves and our relationship to the rest of the natural world. Diving below the issues to our core assumptions is where I'm focusing now. P: In your view, how can the spa community be more involved in helping to raise awareness on important social issues of our times? F: There are several ways the spa community can be involved. First, I see spas as a place to return to one’s self, to ground one’s consciousness, a place that invites you to practice being more present. The more present you are, the higher are the qualities of your interactions with the world. Second, being all about health, the spa community can recognize the continuity of the microcosm of the individual visitor and the macrocosm of the world in which the facility exists. Commit to operations that treat the world surrounding the spa with as much care as the human beings inside the spa, for they are part of one continuum. Show leadership and innovate in order to find ways to run a truly sustainable and even a regenerative facility. Look at the far-reaching impact your operation has on the greater world, and have the courage to strive for an even greater integrity. There’s a big movement in the health-care industry called health care without harm, which extends the doctor’s pledge to “do no harm” to the world outside the clinic walls. You can’t heal people inside your walls and pollute the air they have to breathe when they walk out the door. I think spas could adopt this expanded definition of health and wellness. P: What do you think is the biggest social issue we are collectively facing today? F: Human arrogance—the belief that we are apart from nature, that we can outsmart it and that its laws don’t apply to us. Many are in denial that we are all deeply interrelated. n FILM FEATURES The Story of Stuff “I had been thinking for years of some kind of a big picture diagram or film that could help show the whole system that we are a part of and how all the different ‘issues’ are interrelated. When Greenpeace USA Executive Director Annie Leonard walked through our door in 2005 and asked us to make a movie based on the live presentation about the materials economy and consumerism, I knew we had found one of our most important clients and partners. The rest is history. Despite being 20 minutes long, The Story of Stuff went on to become a bona fide viral hit and spawned a vibrant organization and movement that is still going strong today.” Grocery Store Wars “This one was just so much fun to make. Think Star Wars with an all edible cast that teaches millions about the battle between Organic Rebel Alliance against Argochemical industry and the dark side of the Farm—plus, I did all the voices! TO VIEW THESE FILM projects, click the links below. WANT TO READ MORE about the young innovator? Click here to find out which book is on his reading list. 52 PULSE ■ July 2016 LINK FOR STORY OF STUFF LINK FOR GROCERY STORE WARS