Railholiday

Reslience. It’s the buzzword when it comes to talking about adapting to climate change. But how resilient are we?  I’m sure readers of this column will remember the shopping frenzy that was sparked by Covid. Supermarkets were stripped of toilet paper and shelves laid bare, particularly in urban centres. Panic buying ensued. We do tend […]

My mother, Frankie Lister, died unexpectedly six years ago, and I usually like to find ways of honouring her at this time of year. She was a teacher and an environmentalist who loved to share knowledge, but one of her most endearing characteristics was her ability to share joy; whether pulling faces, gifting jars of […]

There’s a saying that goes “If you can’t find ten minutes to spend in nature, spend a day.” We need nature; it’s as important as food and water. Without access to nature our mental health suffers and the air we breath is less healthy. Immersing in nature and observing nature will help to reinforce the […]

It’s been a busy time for protests. In late May a friend and I took part in a Surfers Against Sewage protest against water pollution, standing on the pontoon off the Tinside in Plymouth, waving a banner with a simple message; clean oceans. Clean water is enormously important, both from our taps and in the […]

To create change usually requires some sort of financial pressure or incentive. The phrase “put your money where your mouth is” is very apt. In the past mass boycotts of products have been used with success. Money talks. The biggest impact banks make comes from the companies and projects they chose to provide loans, insurance […]

I’ve just come back from a weekend in London, where I, plus my husband and son, took part in a weekend of climate change action organised by Extinction Rebellion, raising the profile of the crisis and talking to people about what we can do. Because Saturday’s action included an Earth Day march, we chose to […]

Although we are often offered pie-in-the-sky carbon capture schemes, the truth is we have only one tool against climate change; ecological growth. Despite this knowledge our natural economy is still taking a battering; trees are felled for little reason, ancient woodland is destroyed for housing estates, HS2 and roads. It’s hard not to despair. There […]