I’ve seen a lot of conversations online and offline championing environment awareness but I still used to wonder what I would write or talk about the environment when I don’t have the expertise it needs. In recent times I thought of diving a little deeper into this topic to learn more and do better. As a result, I came up with a few insights that helped me have a more conscious relationship with nature.

Content around environment:

One of the best ways for me to learn about the environment has been watching shows and other forms of content that educate us on how nature works, the different species of plants, animals- how they function, the endangered ones, their habitats and the ecosystem we live in, how we’ve been polluting the environment, what has been the result, so on and so forth. We’ve of course read about this and every now and then. When a species gets endangered, or there’s a forest fire we hear about it in the news but to really connect the dots shows such as David Attenborough’s Our Planet and How The Universe Works are two of my favourites. Episodes of Our Planet was in fact made available for free on YouTube by Netflix for educational purposes during the pandemic. The movie Mother! is an artistic metaphorical piece that shows the harsh reality of how we treat Mother Earth.  A few animated movies such as The Red Turtle, Princess Mononoke, Wall-E and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind are ones with deep messages on ecological awareness.  

Best way to reconnect:

It was during the 2020 lockdown that I took gardening a bit more seriously. One of the best ways to reconnect for me has been to be around plants. I’ve got plants in my room and outside the window I sit at to paint. To listen to the fluttering leaves when the wind blows, sometimes bringing in the fragrance of flowers and to watch plants thrive as you nurture them with care is a source of comfort, peace and can be very healing. Sometimes you get to see a withered plant grow back to health, its bright new leaves teaching us to persevere even in difficult times.

 You can start anywhere and in the smallest possible way:

We look at large scale goals for the environment and wonder what difference we can make. Maybe not much as a single person, but when all of us pick up a torch and walk, we could light up the world together, couldn’t we? It could be the switch to cloth bags, clay water bottles, steel straws or supporting sustainable businesses online and offline. It’s the little things, always.

We impact each other:

Remember the quote We’re all star dust? Well, as it turns out, it isn’t just a poetic line. Oneness is more than a philosophical statement meant to bring us together. We are made of the same matter our Universe, billions of years old is made of. Our body, in fact 93% of it is made of atoms that came from star explosions, ages ago. A bit of the stars is found in you and me. If that isn’t magical, what is! This is a beautiful way to understand how deeply we all impact one another.

Doesn’t it make you want to embrace the Universe and all its creation with humbled gratitude?

This post is part of Blogchatter Half Marathon and CauseAChatter’s Environmental Talks.