By Pamela Dozois
Contributing Writer
Karen Palmer has been working for 15 years to raise awareness of environmental issues, animal advocacy, kindness, nonviolent communication, mindfulness, and compassion by educating children and families about these issues.
The founder of Eco-Angel Enterprises in 2003, the Santa Ynez Valley resident empowers people and schools through after-school programs and assemblies using social media, books, games, toys, and music with online and offline programs.
“I first started going into school, teaching about the environmental needs we are facing and educating the children on animal advocacy and showing kindness and compassion to each other, and it made a big difference. It helped children manage their emotions more effectively,” Palmer said.
She soon realized that this could be a prototype for the world, so she began using social media to start the #Globalkindness Going Viral Movement in 2014. Linking up with a variety of other organizations, she found a vehicle to spread the kindness movement.
“I had no technology or marketing background when I first started but I have since become quite adept at social media,” she said. “I realized that using social media and technology and collaborating with other grass roots organizations that my voice was getting louder and the message of kindness was reaching more people.”
One of the groups Palmer linked up with is World Kindness USA (WKUSA), which is designed to bring people from diverse backgrounds together to unite a nation on the platform of kindness regardless of politics, race, religion, gender, sexual preference, age or even ZIP codes.
Palmer, a founding member of World Kindness USA, has since become one of its Kindness Leaders and a goodwill ambassador for kindness.
“Seventy top Kindness Leaders were recently invited to a Kindness Collective conference in April in Half Moon Bay to discuss how we could collaborate to bring more kindness into the schools, government and health care system – all sectors, actually,” said Palmer. “The most important thing is we work at finding solutions to the problems at hand.”
Palmer has an online talk show at #Globalkindness Going Viral three days a week that is streamed on Facebook Live. She also has a channel called “Spirituality Gone Wild,” where people of all denominations are welcome.
“We raise the level of compassion, gratitude, joy, kindness, and peace on earth by sharing how people can be a part of the solution, helping in their own corner of the world and giving to others,” said Palmer.
Palmer recently presented a proposal to the Solvang City Council and they approved Solvang to become a World Kindness city.
Palmer has also designed two musical coloring books that can be accessed at www.globalkindnesstv.org/color. She also recently recorded her latest song, “World Kindness is Happening” at Notes for Notes in Santa Barbara for the 20th Anniversary of #WorldKindnessDay on Saturday, Nov. 3.
“Notes for Notes is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide youth with free access to musical instruments, instruction, and recording studio environments so that music becomes a positive influence in their lives,” said Palmer.
Another group Palmer has linked up with is the American Camp Association, which will be participating in a new event, Camp Kindness Day, on July 24.
“I was inspired by a quote from Dr. David Hawkins’ book ‘Power Vs Force,’ which I hope inspires your readers to practice acts of kindness as well: ‘One person who has love in their heart, peace in their mind, and kindness in their actions, because of the dominating power of light over darkness, one individual at this level counterbalances 750,000 people below the 200 levels of shame, blame, and fear,’” Palmer said.
For more information, email karensyv@yahoo.com, visit www.globalkindnesstv.org, www.globalpeace.earth or www.facebook.com/spiritualitygonewild.
