Lungs

Bathing in the morning light at West Shore, the cool North Sea wind filling my lungs, it’s hard to comprehend that on the other side of the world, our rainforest, ‘lungs of the planet,' is burning. It’s hard to believe that I’d just been thinking of throwing out my pine furniture because it’s cheap and dated, even as trees that take decades to grow are being hacked down all over the world, taking with them biodiversity and the air we breathe. And then comes the shame of wondering if there’s any point in caring, of compromising, followed by the shame of not doing nearly enough, and of writing about it because it helps my ego and heart feel useful. And on it goes. Still, the tide keeps rolling in, without judgement, again and again. Breathe in. Breathe out. So, I pick up a plastic wrapper that had been caught between a rock and a hard place, find a bin, then walk home. The music washes over me, and a new day begins.

‘sometimes i feel like throwing my hands up in the air, 

I know I can count on you,

sometimes i feel like saying lord i just don’t care

but you’ve got the love i need

to see me through.’

- Florence & The Machine, You Got The Love

Album: Lungs

11 Ways To Protect Our Lungs...

1 switch to #renewables @ecotricity 

2 drive less, in a smaller or electric car

3 take the bus, train or walk 

4 wave goodbye to air travel …and enjoy more #staycations

5 ask what the new clothes, furniture, whatever, are worth to us - do they cost the earth? 

6 choose more and more #plasticfree

7 choose home grown, local, organic, sustainable, fsc, reclaimed

8 eat more plants 🌱, less meat/dairy

9 switch to a bank with ethics as standard

eg @triodosuk and @thecooperativebank

10 live more simply, leave smaller 👣 

11 speak 🔈 out and act up 💕

Learn more via Greenpeace.