Giving Back to Nature
I have been a world landscape photographer and traveling the world for many years. This has permitted me to travel to some of the most beautiful locations on earth, have amazing life experiences, and meet extraordinary people, all this while being able to fully express my creativity. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have found a passion that makes me fully experience the feeling of being alive.
One thing is for sure, we are all born to create one thing: create ourselves. Each project, assignment, and experience has paved the way to where I am today. They have led me to be who I am as a person, to become more compassionate and empathetic towards people and the world that surrounds me. The more these feelings developed, the more the little voice inside my head kept telling me I wasn’t doing enough, not giving back enough. It was becoming clear that I needed to act upon that feeling. I remember one day I heard a man say something that really struck a chord inside of me. “Always Leave a Place Better Than You Found It.”
These words led me to start thinking about my passage here on earth. If I were to leave tomorrow, would I have made this world a better place? Would I have left a legacy governed by ego or one sponsored by love? So for the past year, I have reflected greatly on who I am, who I want to be and what kind of positive, meaningful impact I would love to leave not only on the people but also on our beautiful planet. I had to find a way to combine all my passions together, combine them in a way that it would really make a difference.
It is only after I started brainstorming on various ideas I had been contemplating for a while that slowly everything became clear. I had to create a project that would make a difference, one where I could use my abilities, knowledge and my reach for a good cause while at the same time, inspire others to do the same. It is for those reasons that I have created the “Give Back To Nature” project. Its first goal will be to help plant One Million Trees in developing countries, thus help villages and communities to rebuild the natural landscapes destroyed by deforestation.
Recently, I had the chance to visit the beautiful island of Sumatra, Indonesia and witnessed, first hand, the magnitude of the problem. One, which we are greatly responsible due to all the products we consume on a daily basis. More than half of these packaged products all contribute not only to the deforestation but also contribute to climate change, and simultaneously destroys natural animal habitats all around the world.
It’s common sense that if we are one of the main reasons this problem exists, that we also find ways to stop its growth and hopefully help reverse the damage we have caused. First, We can begin by limiting or stopping the consumption of products that are derived from soy, palm oil, beef, leather, timber, pulp, and paper. Second, we can also have a huge impact by helping to reforest the impoverished countries we help deforest. This allows the environment to be sustainable, it provides jobs for people who would turn to palm plantation work, and it would allow the animals that would normally be injured, killed or displaced during deforestation to thrive in a healthy, safe, environment.
I have been working very hard lately in order to set up this project, which I hold very close to my heart. As human beings, I personally think that it is imperative that we give back. Give back to our community; to a charity we believe in, and to our planet. In other words, give back any way we can.
Again, I have had the distinct privilege as a professional nature photographer to travel to some of the most beautiful places on Earth and witness the stunning beauty and fragility of our planet. It is for those reasons and for future generations to experience what I was fortunate enough to witness, that I have created the Give Back To Nature project. I truly believe that together we can make a difference and leave this world a better place. It is not the work of a single brick that builds kingdoms, but more the way they all hold themselves together that makes it possible.
By contributing to this project, it will help give back in many exciting ways:
- Help recreate healthy forest systems that will preserve wildlife habitat and endangered species
- Purify water sources
- Control flooding and erosion
- Help replenish the soil with nutrients needed for farming
- Improve air quality
- Stave off climate change
It will also directly help the villages and communities, which are suffering from extreme poverty by employing villagers to plant these trees. When farmers cannot grow anything, their farms fail and they have no option but to move to the overcrowded cities to look for work. Oftentimes they must resort to selling themselves or their families into slavery just to survive. I want to make sure this does not happen. We all have the power to give back, empower people, restore hope, reduce poverty and allow them to support their families.
Anyone can support the project by visiting GiveBacktoNature.com, and keep up with the project on Instagram and Facebook.
Patrick Di Fruscia’s work has won many awards, has been published and displayed thru a multitude of Media (books, calendars, magazines, travel guides etc.) and by many prestigious companies such as National Geographic, Time Magazine, and Wall Street Journal, just to name a few. He has been on several TV Shows and his work has also been displayed in several art galleries around the world, presently available at the Carnevale Gallery located in Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada and displayed at the Smithsonian Museum of National History in Washington DC.
Di Fruscia has set his goals to inspire others in keeping a positive attitude towards life, make them aware of the beautiful world we live in and to always reach out for their dreams. His quest to become a better photographer will never cease. He personally thinks that the learning curve is endless, and he has only himself to criticize when he feels that he is not living up to his artistic endeavors. Constantly searching for those rare magical moments when the Perfect Light embraces nature in all its glory, you can rest assured – that this is only the beginning of a long and dedicated quest to capture the breathtaking beauty of nature.
You can view his photographic work by visiting DiFrusciaPhotography.com, join him on one of his exciting African Safari or photo tours around the world, and keep up with him on Instagram and Facebook.
Beautiful photos and a beautiful project!
Great article! I’ve been following Patrick on social media for a while now. He’s an amazing photographer and I really admire his outlook on life. Hope to see him as an instructor on Kelby One in the near future :)