What Can You Do as an Individual? – Simple Solutions
Often people feel overwhelmed, telling themselves that one person can’t make a difference, I am here to remind you that we can. Every action creates a ripple of change.
Everything we chose to say or do and consume and buy has an impact. We can start by being aware that everything comes from somewhere, ask yourself where and how was it produced. Ultimately, we need to consume less of the Earth’s resources.
As Mahatma Gandhi once said — ‘The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed.’
The moral of our current story is that western consumption and the idea of continual growth means more mining, more deforestation and more destruction to produce ‘stuff’ which we really don’t need.
So no more waiting for government, business or someone else to fix the worlds numerous problems, let’s all take some action now.
We live in a world of supply and demand; your voice and actions make all the difference. You may be a teacher or a CEO, an artist or a government minister whoever you are it is you we are waiting for. Each one of us has a part of the jigsaw, what is yours?
Whether you can grow a window box of wildflowers for the bees and pollinators or rewild your estate or create change in a school, a business or your own home here are some ideas. Rather than fighting against what we don’t want, let’s move towards the world we wish to see.
ACTIONS WE CAN TAKE TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE
★GET INVOLVED – Join a charity, conservation group or community garden and support them with your time or money. If you are a professional, please donate some time to a charity through Reach Volunteering. From picking up litter to sowing wildflowers, laying hedges and planting trees to helping fundraise and promote good work through social media the world is waiting for you.
★ENSURE YOUR MONEY IS WITH AN ETHICAL BANK.– Money makes the world go round! Most large banks invest your savings and pensions in fossil fuels and large scale deforestation. HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds and Santander are the worst. Banking with ethical banks and choosing Impact investment really drives positive change. For more visit Ethical Consumer How and Who?
★USE AN ENERGY COMPANY WHO IS A RENEWABLE PROVIDER. Let your house be powered by the sun, wind and water rather than fossil fuels. If you can, get solar panels and a heat pump if not a renewal provider. And INSULATE and retrofit to save money and energy.
★SPEAK UP ! Contact your MP and local councillors and have a meeting with them. Ask what they are doing about the climate and ecological breakdown, and what else can you do together? Contact companies and corporates who are a part of the problem. We live in a world of supply and demand. They are waiting to hear from you.
★THINK WATER AND CHEMICALS – If you don’t understand the ingredients of what you are flushing down the drain please don’t. Chemicals in toiletries and detergents are an environmental hazard. Use natural, biodegradable products. Friendlier for You, the Earth, Water and all Life. Be aware of the water you use, it takes a lot of energy to get to you. Try and use less.
★PREVENT FOOD WASTE – Sadly vast amounts of energy and embedded carbon is in food. We urgently must address this problem. There is no need for food waste, buy less, make soup or compost.
★SUPPORT SMALL, LOCAL, INDEPENDENT, ORGANIC, FAIR-TRADE BUSINESS and the bees and insects, soil and farmers will thank you. https://www.ethical-company-organisation.org/
★BUY LESS STUFF and REFUSE PACKAGING – Find a zero waste shop or open one. Return non-recyclable packaging to the supermarket. SAY NO TO TETRA PACKS AS WELL AS PLASTIC. They are a mix of non fsc wood pulp, plastic and aluminium.
★GROW SOME OF YOUR OWN FOOD, even if it’s just on your window sill and get your hands in the dirt. Join a community garden and plant some trees and wildflowers. Encourage the edges to be wild. Grow nut trees and orchards if you have space. Eat delicious wild food (commonly called weeds!)
★EAT LESS INDUSTRIAL MEAT AND DAIRY AND HAVE FEWER KIDS AND PETS. Every one of us demands food. Most crops currently grown are fed to animals, taking up too much land which could grow other food. Industrial farming creates methane and pollutes the water. Support grass fed meat and organic dairy which can be beneficial to the environment as well as improving conditions for the animals. Remember less is more and deer and squirrel if you want to eat meat is the best option.
★THINK ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL TRANSPORT. Limit flying and driving as much as possible. Burning fossil fuels contributes to climate change. Sorry…. but it’s the truth. Encourage your council to improve public transport. Cycle, carpool or buy a second-hand electric car.
★THINK INSULATION. Turn down the thermostat and put on a jumper. Ensure heat is not going through the windows, door and up through the roof. Let’s try not to heat the atmosphere any more than already.
★CHANGE THE LAW – Talk about what is happening, and name it…Ecocide https://www.stopecocide.earth/
★POWER DOWN – A request to ChatGPT uses about 1 bottle of water and around 10 times more power than a Google search. Unwanted emails, junk, photos, endless messages all take energy. Be aware. Take time to power down which is not only great for you but great for the world.
★GO OUTSIDE AND ENJOY NATURE – Lastly but most importantly take time out to enjoy the beauty of the natural world, so you remember why you are doing what you are doing!
Feel free to download the What Can You Do flyer to pass out wherever you can or make your own with your own logo. People want to know what to do!
Stay in touch with me
Subscribe to my Newsletter
I am currently offering 3
standard presentations but can
adapt to the audience and requirements.
BIOMIMICRY AND NATURES INTELLIGENCE
Billions of years of evolution and nature has worked out what works and what lasts. This awe-inspiring presentation shows examples of some of the ways nature can help us. From architecture to materials, the macro to the micro, we discuss natures designs, systems, and processes. How life builds using on-site resources without toxic chemicals, uses shape and form and intelligently replicates and communicates. We will look at some of the species’ business is learning from and how and what the future could look like.
AMAZON ADVENTURES AND A SOLUTIONISTS WORK
This presentation covers some of the work I have initiated and coordinated in the Ecuadorian Amazon over the past 20 years. From living deep in the jungle and traveling down the Amazon river to the impacts I discovered of the oil industry on the people and environment. These projects include building hundreds of family’s rainwater systems so they may drink clean water, bringing scientists together to study how fungi can clean up oil spills and initiating the agroforestry project to prevent deforestation.
THIS IS WHAT BIODIVERSITY LOOKS LIKE!
We often think of the Amazon as being super diverse but after being locked down in the Choco cloud forest I discovered it is these hidden gems that contain even more biodiversity. This is a stunning photographic journey of the Los Cedros Reserve , home to numerous critically endangered species, bears, mammals, felines and still largely unstudied with species still yet to be identified. Over 400 kinds of orchids and 800 species of moths, 300 kinds of birds and incalculable fungi.
Inspiring Business
Nicola Peel is a highly acclaimed international speaker on the challenges of environmental sustainability and the creation of grassroots solutions to problems left behind by global corporations.
Sharing her extensive experience in working collaboratively with the scientific, entrepreneurial and local communities around the world, Nicola brings to life the challenges of indigenous people living with the effects of global pollution with wry humour and deep empathy expressed through practical solutions.
A lifetime spent exposing the effects of globalisation allows Nicola to reveal the true nature of the impact western culture is having on our precious planet, environment and people, but she also offers hope, positivity and workable solutions to our challenges in an increasingly person-centred world.
Nicola can bring expert knowledge to corporate conferences without confrontation, she can can help to expand awareness to the possibility of positive outcomes through new sciences like biomimicry, and can enthuse, entertain and inspire us all to work more creatively to achieve results that bring benefit to all.
Inspiring Students
Are you looking for someone to come and speak to and engage with your students about the Amazon, Environmental issues or ecological design? Nicola has spent 15 years facilitating a variety of projects in the Amazon. Her current talks also cover the field of biomimicry and closed loop systems. This shows exciting ways of learning from nature and teaches us how to vision another reality and move towards a more sustainable world.