MyEnviroMind

"If the current destruction of the rainforest continues, then I have absolutely no hope that any orangutans will remain in the wild." Alan Knight, Chief Executive, International Animal Rescue. As Summer draws to a close, so does my Palm Oil study. And wow, am I grateful for what I have learned. Yet, before I rush into my next adventure, I find it important to remind myself that this is not the end of the story. The tragic biography of the world's rainforests has not yet concluded and continues to be rewritten by one species alone. The wise (wo)man has just begun to realise the immense scale of her or his own footprint on this world. The need to act to save the orangutan's native land, shared with our sisters and brothers of indigenous tribes, becomes ever-increasing. So much so that if we fail to commit to the duties of this planet, the consequences, scarily unknown to us, will bring the entire life-system closer to breaking point. Mother Earth is being pushed...

We're caught in a trap. Going in circles. Repeatedly being warned by the same sinister depictions of an increasingly luming dystopia whilst simultaneously failing to embrace a new plastic-free, organic and environmentally friendly way of life. Psychologists would say this is because we fail to accurately judge the future and prefer instant satisfaction to a chance of an even more satisfying event which may or may not happen later on. Do you want to go to the gym today for a healthier you tomorrow, or do you want to watch a film? Do you want to heat your home today or heat it tomorrow? Do you want to be able to heat your home today or live sustainably in 2050? As someone who is only 18 and will be 50 years old in 2050, that point in space-time seems far beyond my me. So many uncertainties; it is a future I cannot depict with any degree of accuracy.  Now, though, why do you think we are failing to remove ourselves from the road of 'business as usual?' If I asked you t...