Dates TBC – 4 weeks Introduction to Mindfulness incorporating Acceptance Commitment Training. Focusing on the concept of mindfulness as a form of activism – how living more consciously, feeling gratitude for what we have, incorporating compassion and breaking habitual patterns can be a powerful form of activism and a force for positive change Make conscious choices in line with your […]
Net Zero – Change Not Sacrifice
First off, I am largely dodging the conversation around the issues with the term “net zero.” To cut to the chase on this, yes, we are going to need to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere because we have already overshot many of the national budgets, placing a hugely unfair burden on the Global South. Let’s assume, however, that when […]
The Eco-Worrier’s Mini Guide to Saving the Planet
I recently wrote about anxiety and how it can be your superpower. This is especially clear when it comes to eco-anxiety. I have found it really easy to feel paralysed by a whole swathe of difficult feelings, from anxiety to grief, guilt to anger. At times I have felt despair. I have also experienced a sense of frantic urgency and […]
How to live without meat – discoveries of a vegan
For my entire life up to my mid-forties, I was cheese devotee – I am not ashamed to admit it. So how and why did I become vegan? For me, the overwhelming reason to stop eating meat and dairy was a small matter of wanting to save the planet – no pressure there then! Increasingly, the evidence is pointing towards […]
Just One Thing – Individual Actions for Biodiversity
Many of us watched the David Attenborough programme “Extinction: The Facts” and felt huge sadness and alarm as well as a deep desire to do something. So, what is the problem and what can we do as individuals to help? According to the WWF Living Nature Report 2020, we have lost an average of 68% of our wildlife populations. Biodiversity […]
What Nature says about protecting the planet
Largely, we are agreed that we are headed for problems if we continue with our activities without drastic mitigation. The focus is very clearly on the climate emergency. However, there is a great deal of dispute about what should be done and by whom. Efforts appear to be centred very much around technology and a “Green” economy. There is a […]
Why We Should Be Mindful of Noise
How many times have we heard people talk about all the birdsong they have been able to hear during the Covid-19 lockdown? Suddenly, without the aircraft and traffic noise, all the vibrancy of spring has leapt out at us like a 3D movie. As restrictions have eased, I have felt a sense of loss and also a sense of being […]
Painless ways to reduce plastic at home
When I think about making changes in my life (improved diet, saving the planet, reducing spending), I am often aware of quite a lot of resistance – it’s like the arguments for all the cons are already sat there waiting in ambush, anticipating the day this would happen. I am expecting it to be painful before I have given it […]