The Eco Engine

​I am not enough. 
I am not doing enough for the planet. 
​My existence here is wasted.  
​
I am locked in this mode much of the time. A black dog cloud hangs heavy on me, and my limbs are slow to move. I’ve been feeding too much on the cheap time-saving stuff, packets that come from abroad and make their way to me by plane, train, and boat. There must be a better way!

I make a footprint in the mud, then stop to look. I’ve come to the park for some inspiration. How much carbon was generated making these boots, I wonder? And these clothes I’m wearing? There is no escape from the commerce machine, from cheap foods, and from ultimate doom! 
 
Then I see something, and the wheels of my mind switch gears, so to speak. 
 
An oak tree. They can stand for a solid 1000 years, about as long as the Roman Empire. How will the world look when this one drops its final leaf? Will we still have rainforests and coral reefs? Will we still have glacial ice? Will New York be aquatic, and Great Lakes empty craters?
 
I think of gears, and systems, and operations. Human beings are good at these things. We’re industrious, organised, always machining away at something. Our capitalist economy is a fine example: both efficient and destructive, at least for now. But what if it worked for the planet?   
 
I leave the park and walk. I feel as solid and green as a giant oak. I spend on eco-things only.   

Are you inspired to write?​
If you are inspired to write a page based on keeping well and active in an age of climate and nature emergencies, we would be pleased to hear from you. We're looking for a maximum of 380 words for each reading and it must be an original piece written by the person submitting it. All entries that are published will be anonymous.
For more information, or if you have any questions, email audrey@surefoot-effect.com

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