However, the more time I spend in them, the more I see how poorly some of us are treating these special places. Litter lines the floor of the River Leen, finds itself choked in the bushes and brambles on its banks and is worked into the nests of birds.  The river carries any number of pollutants and emissions from nearby industry and vehicles, and micro-plastics are likely to be found.  It doesn’t have to be this way.  Imagine the opportunities for education, clean-up, re-wilding, linking and improving green infrastructure (spaces, pathways, cycle lanes) and carbon-capture.

I recognised how much carbon (along with all the other greenhouse gases) winds its way through the fabric of our societies.  Whether it is emitted from the cars we drive or the industries that make and transport our clothes and food, sprayed under our arms in the form of deodorant or used to power our hospital equipment.  There is no denying that industrialisation and our use of greenhouse gases has propelled us to where we are. However, we need to admit we are carbon-dependant, living incredibly impactful, unsustainable ways of life.  Detached from the consequences of our actions and lifestyles.  Smoke-screened and clouded by conveniences.  We must own up to the damage we have caused in the name of progress and find less intensive ways to help humanity move forward. We need to reconnect (or connect for the first time) with nature. It’s what made us, it’s where we come from and we cannot survive without it.

I would like to share my journey so far. It’s important to look over our shoulders, remind ourselves where we have come from, see the progress we have made and put the lessons we have learnt into practice. It started with education, which grew into passion, then action and a complete change of lifestyle. Since then, I have been doing the best I can to reduce my impact and encourage others to do the same.

I committed to changing my behaviours and habits in order to lower my emissions and reduce my impact, helping to restore, preserve and protect our natural environment and improve our health and wellbeing. This in no way means I live a carbon-free life.  I am learning and trying every day to get there, but still have a long way to go.

Rot - compost your food waste. There may be local initiatives if you do not have the facilities at home.

We’re all in this together and we will all be affected if we don’t do something. It’s easy to feel apathy and that the little things you do don’t make a difference. They do. It’s easy to berate ourselves for what we haven’t done or don’t do, and forget to celebrate what we have done and can do.

I have been particularly inspired by the story of the Hummingbird; a parable by the Quechuan people of present-day Ecuador.

This is taken from ‘Flight of the Hummingbird’ by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas with Wangari Maathai and His Holiness the Dalai Lama:

Here is the story of the great forest that caught on fire. The terrible fire raged and burned. All of the animals were afraid and fled from their homes. The elephant and the tiger, the beaver and the bear all ran, and above them the birds flew in a panic.  They huddled at the edge of the forest and watched. All of the creatures gathered, except one.  Only Dukdukdiya, the little hummingbird, would not abandon the forest. Dukdukdiya flew quickly to the stream. She picked up a single drop of water in her beak.  Dukdukdiya flew back and dropped the water on the fire.  Again she flew to the stream and brought back another drop, and so she continued – back and forth, back and forth.  The other animals watched Dukdukdiya’s tiny body fly against the enormous fire, and they were frightened. They called out to the little hummingbird, warning her of the dangers of the smoke and the heat. “What can I do?” sobbed the rabbit. “This fire is much too hot.” “There is too much smoke!” howled the wolf.  My wings will burn! My beak is too small!” cried the owl. But the little hummingbird persisted. She flew to and fro, picking up more water and dropping it, bead by bead, onto the burning forest.  Finally, the big bear said, “Little Dukdukdiya, what are you doing?”  Without stopping, Dukdukdiya looked down at all of the animals. She said, “I am doing what I can."