I’m no eco warrior. I can’t lay claim to that title. I’ve never attended a demonstration or been a member of an environmental organisation. No one could label me an environmental activist.
But I do care deeply about the welfare of this planet.
It wasn’t always the case. I wasn’t brought up as a nature lover. If we took a trip to the countryside as a family, we never ventured out of the car. We never set foot in a field. We didn’t even have pets. There was a total disconnect between the processed food on my plate and the field and ocean that it had come from.
But then as I grew up, the internet happened. The world became smaller overnight. I started to become aware of the people who made my clothes and grew my food. I watched documentaries about the damage humans were wreaking on the natural world. My eyes were opened to the atrocities of intensive farming and animal testing. And once you see these things, they cannot be unseen.
I’ve lived for many years ‘doing my bit’ for people and planet. I’ve vacillated between the hope that I am making a difference and the despair that the little I have done is a drop in the ocean. In bringing up a family, I’ve made compromises I did not want to make, so that my kids could fit in. Now I don’t want to fit in any more, because I know that the little that I have done has not been enough. I have to do more.
So if an eco warrior can be described more broadly as ‘a person actively involved in preventing damage to the environment’, then count me in.
At the start of this new year, I do not find myself writing a long list of resolutions that I will abandon before the end of the month. I’ve done that too many times. External changes are not enough. What I need is a change of heart. And so I find myself reflecting on some truths that have risen to the surface and resonate deep within my soul.
- Knowing and talking and writing about environmental issues is not enough
- The fact that these issues affecting people and planet are complicated is not a valid excuse to do nothing
- Focusing on one issue is not the solution – it’s a whole lifestyle change that’s required
- I have everything I need
- It’s all about less, not more – use less, consume less, waste less
- If my lifestyle choices make others feel uncomfortable, then so be it
- Living with compassion for all living things is the right way to live, the way we were created to live, and therefore will lead to a more fulfilled and contented life
- Self-care is wrapped up in living life in the most natural way
- I am prepared to sacrifice my own comfort and pleasure – there is very little that I cannot do without
- This matters more than anything else in my world – and this is yoga
Where will I start? There’s such a lot to go at, isn’t there? Plastics in the ocean, palm oil, deforestation, climate change, intensive farming, GMO, animal rights, fair trade, pollution, fast fashion, landfill…So many issues that it feels almost paralysing, like where can I possibly start?
And so I’m starting with an intention. An intention to live differently, to make better choices for me and for this wonderful world in which I am privileged to live. I intend to step up and play my part, take responsibility for my choices. I intend to be transparent and accountable.
I’m pretty sure that this will involve mistakes. Occasionally one step forward and two steps back. That’s life.
One of my main focuses initially involves tackling that disconnect with the natural world. I need to get out in nature more. I need to connect with the natural rhythms of the universe. I need to respond to the seasons. I need to celebrate and protect this incredible creation. I need to breathe in fresh air and feel the sun on my face.
Less screen time, more green time.
Go ahead and groan, it’s corny I know, but just imagine if I can make this work…
Feeling inspired, take a look at our Eco Yoga Mat Collection here.