Positive steps together

I love the British countryside, its endless variety, its moods, its people and, most of all, its wildlife. It gives me a fundamental joy that has carried me through all sorts of crises.

But I have long known that our land, our environment, our life-giving planet is in a crisis of its own and it’s time to return the favour. We have a multi-layered problem caused by human exploitation and consumption. We’re trying to take too much from too little, and we’re not giving enough back to the land and its wildlife that so generously provide us with food, clean air and water.

The biggest challenge, of course, is climate change, which threatens to run out of control and make large parts of Earth uninhabitable. But there are other issues, such as pollution, waste, energy production, travel and overdevelopment.

It is a daunting list – terrifying, even – and it can make us feel helpless. But none of us who cares is alone in this fight. Millions of brilliant scientists, farmers, activists, politicians and ecologists around the world are confronting the issue. And there are many things we can do, in our lives, to reduce our impact.

This isn’t a guide to saying “no!”. Nothing will be achieved by a hairshirt mentality. We don’t have to “go back to the stone age” as many unhelpful commentators claim. We can take positive steps that enhance rather than diminish our quality of life. Inside this magazine you’ll find stories of hope, great advice and a sense of community. Take heart – we can win this one.