Real Ideas are dedicated to One Planet Living principles, we look for ways to build sustainable practice into what we do, and support local businesses and environmentally focussed initiatives along the way.
This Earth Day we asked Thurstan Crockett, who is working with us on our Sustainability Action Plan, to give us some pointers on how to get involved and be more mindful this Earth Day:
Spend some time in nature; find a spot and stay for long enough that the wildlife comes (nearer) to you.
If you’re a lark, try getting up at dawn or early in the morning and finding somewhere to listen to the birdsong.
I camped out last Saturday near Stithians (in the frost!) and woke enough just before dawn to hear a pair of tawny owls calling to one another, then a crow rasping, and finally the most amazing dawn chorus. Then it was ear plugs in and back to sleep in my thick sleeping bag!
Want some solid ideas about how to make a difference and live more sustainably? Here’s some good places to start:
- Work out your carbon footprint or “ecological footprint”: footprintcalculator.org.
- Make your own One Planet Living Plan, across the: ten principles;
- See what herbs or salads you could grow at home from seed, on a windowsill or in a window box. There are some good tips here: https://www.lovefood.com/news/56781/guide-to-growing-your-own-herbs-and-salad-plants
- Set aside some time to get up to speed with the science and latest thinking on climate change and the ecological crisis with these programme on the BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09dp1b8 (If you missed them, you’ll see the first of Simon Reeves’ two fabulous programmes about Cornwall linked from this page too.)
- If you’re an owl, not a lark, stay up late and listen at 11pm to “Singing with Nightingales” on Thursday 22nd – it’s magical. You can connect on Youtube, and register here for a reminder and to get the link: https://thenestcollective.co.uk/events/nightingales-earth-day-2021/
- Surfers Against Sewage have launched their Million Mile Clean campaign, why not get involved and help be a caretaker for a section of coast near you?
- And if you are super keen and really want to connect with other activists for Earth Day, connect online through this https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2021/ – but mind the time difference with the US East coast!