 Carbon offsetting is a controversial topic; on the one hand, it seems to offer workable solutions to the climate crisis, allowing people to use their services and reduce carbon emissions; on the other hand, it can be used as a gateway to greenwashing and false advertising. The reality lies somewhere in the middle; carbon offsetting has some merit when coupled with Net Zero efforts.
Key Takeaways: Carbon Offsetting
What is Carbon Offsetting? Carbon offsetting is a simple concept, CO2 produced by industry, transport, and markets goes into the atmosphere and contributes to the greenhouse effect, but this carbon can be reabsorbed back into the earth with additional trees planted in forests, investments in renewable energy, and supporting people in the Global South to develop sustainable communities. It’s quite a nice idea. The trouble is carbon offsetting is difficult to measure and often ineffective; at the same time, it makes individuals and businesses feel as though they are doing something to support Net Zero efforts when the opposite could be the case. Research by ProPublica has shown that many of the additional trees planted for carbon offsetting were planned to be planted in forests anyway. Tree Planting is Inefficient Many of the world's major carbon-heavy brands, such as Shell, BP, and EasyJet, passionately support carbon offsetting programs in the forests of Brazil. That’s not surprising since carbon offsetting allows them to continue their business-as-usual model sustaining profits by selling products to ethically-minded consumers. Tree planting can reduce carbon, but only a fraction. The earth’s forests are critical to maintaining the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but planting trees to offset carbon is not the efficient machine the world needs to slash carbon emissions and reach Net Zero targets. A newly-planted tree can take up to twenty years to absorb the amount of carbon promised in the carbon offsetting programs people buy. Issues With Climate Justice Climate justice - or climate injustice - is the dynamic between countries with high carbon emissions and countries affected by climate change. Climate justice can take other forms, too; it’s estimated that people born today will have to emit eight times less carbon than their grandparents to stay with the 1.5-degree target. Climate justice is an important consideration. It is easier, cheaper, and more effective for big-name brands to set up carbon-offsetting programs in the Global South, but this comes at the expense of the local communities who might use the land to serve their own needs. These carbon offsetting initiatives can compromise the rights of indigenous people and depose them of their ancestral land in the worst cases. Carbon Offsetting and PR Carbon offsetting is excellent PR; it allows companies to present an ethical front and continue with business as usual. At the same time, carbon offsetting gives consumers peace of mind when transacting with companies since they get a service and make a green contribution. While it’s not completely ineffective, decisive action is needed to reduce carbon emissions directly. It is now time for companies to move on from carbon offsetting arrangements in favour of carbon-reduction trajectories. The upside is that these efforts are also good for PR in the modern world. Businesses need to define low emissions thresholds and create workable decarbonisation strategies, with continued support for reforesting and rewilding communities. Alternatives to Carbon Offsetting When it comes to the climate emergency, every little count, even the small efforts people make on a daily basis to reduce carbon emissions, make a difference. There’s no doubt that carbon offsetting has a part to play, but consumers need to be aware of the dangers and alternatives. If you are unsure about the green credentials of a company, you can always pursue your own offsetting agenda and source a transparent and responsible company or charity to invest in. In short, it’s always better to reduce personal carbon than to hand responsibility to the big brands. Some Final Thoughts Whether you are a business or an individual, you need to think about your carbon footprint and the impact your lifestyle is having. Small changes can make a big difference to your personal carbon emissions on the global journey to Net Zero in 2050. Find out more about how to make your business Net Zero by attending a Net Zero workshop or partnering with a climate mentor. Image Credit  If you are worried about the climate crisis, you are in the right place. Many people have concerns about what businesses are doing to achieve Net Zero and how they can contribute with personal lifestyle changes. Equally, there is an overpowering sense of anxiety that comes from changes to the natural world. Connect with others at one of Surefoot’s free eco-anxiety workshops. Discover New Inspiration If you have made it along to an eco-anxiety workshop, chances are you’re feeling stressed and a little bit pessimistic. Don’t worry; not only can the climate pressures be leveraged as fuel for positive action, but you will encounter new inspiration to enhance your wellbeing and lifestyle. As part of Surefoot’s free eco-anxiety workshops, you will have the chance to listen to daily readings from community members. They take the form of poems, short fiction, and excerpts that help to illuminate how people in the network feel about the climate crisis. New members can contribute. Learn Resilience Strategies Do you ever feel overwhelmed by your life and the world, and you don’t have the resources to meet the challenges? You are not alone. This is a common experience for people trying to balance working life, family life, and some of the existential pressures inherent in the crisis. Attending a free eco-anxiety workshop helps you to develop the skills and strategies needed to navigate a personal crisis, a collective crisis, or both. These strategies include mindfulness training, self-care planning, community resilience, and solidarity sharing personal experiences. Self Care Planning A crisis, such as a panic attack, an anxiety attack, a low mood, or something else, can strike at any minute. In relation to the climate and ecological crises, someone might simply read their social media feed and suddenly find themselves triggered into a crisis mode. That’s why self-care planning helps. Self-care planning is all about becoming more aware of the patterns of your personal crisis and putting the pieces in place to navigate the crisis effectively. A free eco-anxiety workshop can help you to ask the right questions and build a self-care plan that has your back when needed. Connect With a Community One of the best parts of attending a free eco-anxiety workshop is the chance to connect with a like-minded community and enjoy a sense of solidarity and shared experiences. In the workshop, you will have a chance to talk about your experience of climate anxiety, and you are sure to recognise the experiences of others. It should leave you with a sense of optimism. Image Credit  Around 61% of UK consumers consider themselves conscious consumers, who are either concerned or very concerned about their consumption choices. For this reason, many businesses are “going green”, but how accurate and responsible are the claims? Greenwashing is a problem, but conscious consumers are starting to see the reality, causing it to backfire.
Greenwashing undermines the brand Making bold claims about green credentials, such as materials and supply chains, might shift a few units in the short term, but when the business is found out, there is a backlash that can seriously damage the brand's image affecting sales and even the future of the business overall. There is a growing desire amongst consumers to buy sustainable products, so if someone finds out that a product has been mis-sold, they will abandon the brand; not only that, they will leave negative customer reviews online and share the negative customer experience on social media. Conscious consumers support genuine Net Zero progress Consumers are more and more ecologically minded, which is good news for the 2050 Net Zero targets; it’s not such good news for businesses and brands who might cringe at the expense of going greener. Still, with nine out of ten consumers on board, it could be worth the investment. Capitalism primarily values profits which is why businesses are tempted to cut corners with sustainability in a process called greenwashing. But conscious consumers are not blind to this and will quickly abandon a business that claims to be green in the interests of greater profits. The business spreads misinformation The effects of greenwashing on a business go beyond the sales figures; it can also lead to legal issues when a false advert is reported to the relevant consumer protection authority. In this case, an investigation will be launched to determine whether the business advert is legitimate. An investigation like this might lead to positive outcomes; the authority might determine that the business advert conforms to standards and accuracy claims, but that is unlikely to remain in the minds of conscious consumers who only remember the business was strung for greenwashing. The business can struggle to find investment When a business greenwashes, it does not only affect itself; it also affects partner businesses and investors. Businesses and investors may not wish to engage with a business that greenwashes attempting to protect its own reputation, so partners and investors can pull out. Not only can a business lose investment thanks to greenwashing, but it can also struggle to find new partners. Investors and businesses are affected by brand affiliation - in the same way as conscious consumers - meaning a damaged business can find it hard to rebuild its reputation. Greenwashing isn’t needed - find out why! The capitalistic mindset values profit over people, but making a business more sustainable is now in the best interests of a business. Due to greenwashing, truly sustainable brands are enjoying better growth making it more sensible to transform business protocol. Find out more about making your business more sustainable, profitable, and protecting it for years to come. Image Credit Thinking about growing your own this year? Here's some inspiration. We all need food. Preferably food which is healthy for both people and the planet. However, lots of our food goes through a long process chain from sprout to packaged product and transport, before reaching the dinner plate. This chain often has a detrimental impact on the planet and the produce. Since not everyone has the space, time and capacity to grow one’s own fruit and vegetables, getting together in locally accessible gardens can lead to eco-friendly crops - and new friendships as a byproduct. Daily activities and obligations consume a great deal of many people’s lives. Finding space, time and resources to grow fruit and vegetables is not always an (easy) option. But when involved in local gardens with appropriate pace and energy, it is possible to grow green fingers and food with a low carbon footprint. A local, environmentally friendly approach to production, processing, packaging and transport of food reduces carbon emissions. Furthermore, experiences from John Miller at Braehead Community Garden, and Muriel Whitfield and Chris Steedman at Stirling Allotment Association, also show us that communal benefits and social connections can grow out of sharing the garden work and pleasure. Community connections Braehead Community Garden is a two-acre facility located central in Stirling. The place was established with funding from the Big Lottery Fund. The community garden was established in 2015 and gives local residents an opportunity to rent a ‘micro plot’ for growing fruit and vegetables. There are 88 outdoor beds and 48 indoor ones. Of the outdoor ones, 73 are generally for members, 12 for market garden and 3 given free for community use. With community spirit and social connections at its heart, the community garden also engages people in polytunnels, an apiary, hens, a wetland, workshops, clubhouse and events. The social beds allow local school classes to join the gardening.  John Miller, trustee and treasurer at the community garden, explains the different kind of memberships, “The growing members have access to their own raised bed, and social members can attend garden events. Both groups can join activities at the shared market gardens.” John adds that the gate is also regularly open for the wider public. For example, there’s an open stall, volunteer days and most Tuesday and Saturday mornings, when there will be someone in the garden to greet visitors who are interested in knowing more about the place. Social aspects are at play via organised workshops, for example when there have been events about how to prune trees and maintenance of gardening tools, as well as when working together. “Recently, we have gotten a new hen roof for our 15-16 hens. The material was covered via the garden’s fund, but all the work was executed by volunteers,” says John. Challenges are also faced together. If the collected rain water runs out in the driest of months, John and others bring water to the place. There’s a high demand for water, among other things to prevent tomato and chili plants drying out in the polytunnels. John explains that community gardens differ from allotments by offering smaller beds for individuals, and have social arrangements and shared spaces at its core. The community garden’s individual plots require less time to maintain but are known for being more expensive in rent than allotments. The raised beds in the community garden come with access to gardening tools and a clubhouse where people meet up to chat and share tips and ideas on gardening. A community garden aims to provide planting areas to people living nearby, without a long waiting list. John has been involved in the community garden since it opened seven years ago. It is notable that societal changes which were unknown when it was established, may affect access to the spaces. He reflects on their prices for renting individuals plots in the light of the energy crises and concludes, “It’s worrying if the fee puts people off from getting involved. We aim to be as inclusive as possible.” Even though the garden is able to cover its basic costs from membership and sales of produce, any new developments and maintenance of the infrastructure require funding. For example, solar panels have been installed with grant funding. As a new initiative, the community garden has engaged a development officer who is reaching out to people. In that way eight people from The Thistles Shopping Centre in Stirling got engaged in the garden over four days. Other groups are involved in regular activities, for example apprentices from Stirling Council spend a few hours per week at the place. With working groups on different topics there are plenty of opportunities to get involved and learn skills at the community garden, whether it’s tree nursing, taking care of the chickens or take part in the bee hive group. Compost is also a topic and is one of John’s favorites. What got him started was his gardening passion and skills. The development of many friendships was a highly appreciated surprise. If you are interested in knowing more about Braehead Community Garden check out their Facebook site. Allotment alliance From the Stirling Allotment Association there is a view of the Wallace Monument and Stirling Castle. The more than 70 allotments on the banks of the River Forth are located quietly beside the railway and the river. In a poly tunnel sheltered from torrential rain, Muriel Whitfield and Chris Steedman shared their experience on working together on her allotment.  When asked what Muriel likes about having an allotment garden, she answers, “Everything! It can be as simple or as challenging as you want. It was a major lifeline for me during the pandemic. I could come down for the day, bringing a flask and a sandwich and spend time safely outside, still meeting distanced, like-minded people/friends. It is such a healthy hobby both mentally and physically. As everyone knows – fresh air and physical exercise are good for you but also the surrounding countryside, hills and open green spaces lift your mood and improve your mental health. There is such satisfaction in developing and caring for “your space”, deciding which type of plants to grow, watching the growth and - if not very successful, as can happen - researching how to improve year on year. The level of input is your choice.” Some challenges Muriel identifies in the allotments are – keeping the allotment rabbit free, spells of extreme weather and doing some maintenance jobs on her own. To get around the latter issue, Chris helps out occasionally in Muriel’s plot.  Chris Steedman and Muriel Whitfield in her allotment in the summer time. The two of them met at the Transition Stirling Tool Library where Chris volunteers and Muriel borrowed tools with Chris’ helpful guidance. Chris has an interest in growing fruit and vegetables but doesn’t have a garden. He heard about a charity-run garden, but it was next to a petrol station and they needed more time than he was able to give. Then Muriel suggested he could come and help in her allotment, when his time allowed, and he could benefit by having a share of the produce in return.
“It actually transpired that Muriel did the growing and I did the woodwork and repairs around the plot. We also worked on some big and unwieldy jobs which would be difficult and frustrating for one person. This is an arrangement which benefits both of us,” Chris clarifies. This arrangement started in the beginning of 2022, and Chris aims to be going at least every two weeks. After a couple of years on the waiting list in the same association, he recently got a starter plot, but still wishes to help and work with Muriel. The best outcome of this arrangement, although not surprising - Muriel underlines - is their genuine friendship. Chris applauds, and also mentions the enjoyment of learning about gardening and growing. When walking around the site he chats with people and gets a look into how different people go about maintaining their plots. Tenants often help each other in various ways and share skills, ideas, surplus produce or materials. You get to know people of all ages and backgrounds in your community and are sure to learn something and to find like-minded people. If interested, contact the allotment committee [email protected]. The Allotment Association is a self-governing constituted association and run on a day-to-day basis by an elected voluntary committee. Rentals are paid on an annual basis and depend on the size of the plot. Allotments have become very popular in recent times but any access to a garden or to some land for ‘growing your own’ is a great idea and as they say, “Local food always tastes better.” Do you have any stories to share about local or community food growing? Please send an email to [email protected] Text by Gazelle Buchholtz, Surefoot associate.  Eco-Anxious? Join us for a series of free online workshops to learn and share resilience strategies. Do you worry about Planet Earth, biodiversity loss and global warming? Are you struggling to take action, or campaign, to mitigate the nature and climate emergency? Most people who are gripped by fear, sadness, anger, confusion, powerlessness and other strong emotions are vulnerable to episodes of burnout or hopelessness. Strong emotions drive change, and Earth and society are undoubtedly made better by compassionate people doing what they can to act on these issues. But constructive progress can often seem out of reach. At times like these, self care, and connecting with resilient peers, is an effective way to re-empower yourself to continue striving for the just and enlightened society you aim to help bring about. Meet others who share your concerns to discuss personal resilience and empowerment strategies to help. Simply sign up for one or more of the free group workshops we’ve scheduled between now and 30 March 2022. Dates for your diary Monday 16 January 2023 Tuesday 31 January Thursday 16 February Tuesday 28 February Monday 13 March Thursday 30 March All workshops are at 7pm - 8.15pm on Zoom. You are very welcome to join us at all, or some, of the sessions listed below. We only ask that you help us to reach out to others if you know anyone who could benefit. PLEASE BOOK YOUR PLACE VIA OUR EVENTBRITE LINK >> Some feedback from our 2022 workshops: “Great to connect with some people who love Earth” “The planning tool was a useful prompt, even just as a guide to help discussions with other people, or make connections to things I am already doing.” “The self care planning tool feels like a great way to spark a conversation or share with someone who is struggling.” “I enjoyed the breakout room as we had a bit longer to talk together. I would be interested in an ongoing group if that becomes possible. I enjoyed reading the readings. The self care planning tool helped me …..” “Very useful to be exploring this, I feel a bit lighter already.” “Meaningful connections made through discussing our emotions through the use of creative writings.” More about Eco Anxious Peer SupportIn the meantime, please find out more about Eco Anxious Resilient Peer Support. Read our first 'daily readings' and check out a self care planning tool which are core parts of the project.
Find out more by emailing [email protected] Inspired by the spirit of Glasgow’s 2021 Climate Justice protest and with a £10k grant from The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland - Together for Our Planet programme, EAR Peer Support is funded until March 2023.  The climate crisis is here to stay; it’s the greatest challenge of the 21st Century, and everyone has a part to play, even individuals with climate worries and no climate support. The good news is there are plenty of practical ways to respond to climate concerns. Making small changes in our lives is not only beneficial to our emotional wellbeing and the planet; it can inspire change.
Petition Local Political Leaders The climate crisis can leave us with a feeling of paralysis, especially when we hear about some countries at the UN Climate Talks stating that the 1.5C target is unrealistic and should be increased - needless to say, low-lying countries like the Maldives disagree. It is not time to abandon these ambitious targets; it is time to step up and make an effort to achieve them. If this kind of news leaves your stomach feeling knotted, you might be experiencing eco-anxiety. Eco-anxiety is unpleasant, but it’s also an indication of where your passions lay and can be used as a source of motivation. In Scotland, you can attend political party workshops to express opinions or create a petition to be debated in the Scottish Parliament with enough signatures. Joining a local community group is a good way to start. Attend Eco Anxiety Workshops Eco-anxiety can be defined as extreme worry about the present and future harm to the environment caused by human activity during the industrial age; it is a kind of extreme fear that is existential in nature and needs to be taken seriously. The good news is that eco-anxiety - sometimes called climate anxiety - can be treated in ways that are empowering and productive. There is no need to start a course of medication for your climate fear; instead, attend an eco-anxiety workshop, and connect with like-minded people. Eco-anxiety workshops create a space for individuals to explore fears, worries, and grief about the loss of habitats and species; they are also a chance to meet a community of activists and become another agent of change. Change Energy Consumption Habits There’s no doubt about it the dangerous levels of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere generated by various industries. In fact, the vast majority of energy use comes from heavy industries, transport, and energy use in buildings, so while individuals are not to blame for the crises directly, we can have a significant influence in the economy by changing our habits. The economy operates on a system of supply and demand, with capitalistic marketing efforts creating demand where none existed before; however, the economy will adapt to a change in supply, meaning that consumers have agency and power within the system. This is worth keeping in mind when we make everyday choices about how we use energy and transport. Change your Commuting Patterns Each year the UK government must report the country’s carbon emissions to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), outlining the Co2 emissions from transport. In recent years there have been promising signs, with estimates suggesting that emissions from 2020 are 22% lower than figures from 1990. But there is room for improvement. If you are feeling eco-anxious and you want to empower yourself to make a difference, changing your commuting habits is a simple and effective strategy. Although private vehicles are more eco-efficient these days, it helps to reduce carbon in the atmosphere if you use public transport or car share. All of these eco-choices take pressure off the system and help to reduce carbon. Switch to a Vegan Diet and Lifestyle Nowadays, it’s generally accepted that a plant-based diet has fewer carbon emissions than one that contains beef and other meats. It’s not hard to see where this idea comes from since raising cattle requires huge amounts of carbon and releases methane into the atmosphere. That said, a vegan diet will still produce carbon emissions but not on the same scale as an omnivorous one. At one time, a vegan or plant-based diet was a novelty, and those who followed one needed to be deeply connected to their ethics to make it work, but that is no longer the case. Again, the economy has changed to accommodate the demands of consumers; as more people made plant-based choices, more companies started to produce plant-based products reducing carbon. Some Final Thoughts Eco-anxiety can make us feel guilty, regretful, and powerless, or it can make us feel empowered and optimistic; either way, it’s important to take action to resolve the inner crises we experience and make a positive contribution to the world. Every practical step you take towards making your life greener helps dissolve the tension of climate fear and inspires the people around you. Image Credit  It can be hard to figure out why we are feeling unwell at times; is it the stress of overworking, financial stress, or the lack of time we have for self-care? Eco-anxiety can affect us in the same way as Cold War fear in the twentieth century; it is a cultural fear that is realistic and valid. Feeling worried about the planet's future Anticipatory anxiety is very common; it's the feeling of worry and stress we experience about a future event, such as a job interview, an encounter with a difficult person, or the outcome of a situation. In some cases, the anxiety motivates us to act; other times, we feel powerless with it. Eco-anxiety is an extreme form of anticipatory anxiety; it is a future-based fear that exists in the present moment. While concern about the future based on rational analysis is helpful, eco-anxiety is likely to reduce life quality. The best response is present-moment awareness. Feeling as though you are not doing enough The human brain has a strong negative bias which can be helpful to some degree, but the negative visualisation must lead to positive outcomes. If you feel as though you are not doing enough for the planet or your carbon footprint is too high, it's time to focus on the positives. Reflecting on what you are doing helps to bring the brain into balance and grows positivity. Feeling worried about your past choices One day you are scrolling through your social media newsfeed, and you notice a post about plastic pollution and its devastating environmental impact; as you read it, you feel an overpowering sense of guilt and regret about the single-use plastic you have recently used. While regret can lead to rumination and more anxiety, it can also be a helpful way for us to change our habits and adapt our lifestyles. Sometimes, regret is the psyche's way of stimulating positive change, so if you feel continually regretful about plastic use, it might be time to switch. Ruminating on internet newsfeeds A brain is a problem-solving machine, among other things, and while this is good news for solving the daily Wordle puzzles, it can be unhelpful in the face of climate catastrophe. When the mind is stuck in problem-solving mode, you might start looking for answers obsessively. If you find that you are scrolling your social media newsfeeds for the latest information on the climate crisis and it is affecting your quality of life, it is a warning sign of eco-anxiety. Notice that you are becoming stuck in a pattern and set some limits on your daily consumption of eco news. Feeling paralysed by existential dread Eco-anxiety can be compared to Cold War anxiety in previous generations; it’s a real fear about the future of life on the planet, coupled with a feeling of powerlessness in the face of it. Again, the feeling of paralysis is a warning sign of eco-anxiety, and the best response is to notice the underlying fear and respond with emotional resilience, perhaps by contributing to a collective.  How to respond to eco-anxiety symptoms
Now you have some warning signs to look out for; you need to know what action you can take to alleviate the symptoms. Anxiety is uncomfortable, but it is very common. The good news is that many forms of anxiety can be treated in a variety of ways that don't require any medication. Discover your personal power to take action Eco-anxiety is an arresting experience that can make us feel powerless in the face of the challenge presented to us; there is little we can do about the wheels of industry or the decisions made by politicians, and this only serves to fuel the sense of paralysis that is gripping us. In reality, we have mountains of personal power to discover and express in the world, and even small things can make a huge difference. Find your core values and live them more truthfully, calculate your carbon shadow and make lifestyle changes; you are not the only one doing this. Learn to build up your emotional resilience Emotional resilience is someone's ability to handle stressful situations with integrity, so while feelings of anxiety can arise due to the climate crisis, they don’t have to derail everyday life. There is a difference between pain and suffering - see parable of the arrow. This shows there might be little we can do about our pain for the planet, but we have agency over suffering. Find a climate community and connect with them There are many ways to find solidarity in the world; one of them is to live our values and thereby connect with others in the world with the same ethics; this is like linking up with a community of engaged people. Another way is to find some people who are dealing with eco-anxiety to connect with. If you are feeling eco-anxious, you are not alone; there are people all around you with the same concerns, so why not join a local group online through The Surefoot Effect, a local allotment project, or trash collecting? Connecting with like-minded people can improve your wellbeing. Open up the topic of realistic climate concerns Fear is a feeling, but it can become a distressing emotional state when it goes unexpressed. Climate anxiety is like this; it develops internally and festers because it does not have an outlet for expression. Talking about climate fears to a friend, therapist, or working on projects with local community members gives expression to the fear and validates the concerns you have when you feel you are listened to. Practice mindfulness and nature appreciation Mindfulness can alleviate the suffering caused by climate concerns; it can also help us to create emotional resilience and strength to address the challenges in our personal lives and in the wider world. Mindfulness is very easy to learn and practice; start by noticing the body breathing. Nature appreciation is also helpful. Whether you travel to a local country park for some forest bathing or simply appreciate the music of bird song in the garden, you are reminding yourself of the joys and pleasures to be found in nature and in being alive. It is this we are trying to protect. Main Image Credit Jigsaw Image Credit  Eco anxiety is starting to affect business productivity and consumer habits meaning that companies that don’t address the rising issues will be less productive and less competitive moving into the second half of the 21st century. If you’re unconvinced, read on; this article covers 5 ways eco anxiety is affecting businesses across the board, and what can be done.
Motivation Issues Some businesses are more aware of climate change than others due to consumer demands or internal climate change remits, but the clock is ticking and it is only a matter of time before businesses everywhere notice the increasing pressure to take action and protect their futures. Eco anxiety is not as well understood as social anxiety or general anxiety, but it is just as important and can affect the productivity of the business. Eco anxiety increases with awareness and affects the motivation of employees, so it is something to look out for in your workforce. Productivity Issues In recent years there has been a shift towards more compassionate workplaces as businesses recognise the productivity gains that can be made from looking after employees in the right ways. In the past, the issues were pain from long periods of sitting, but now it is mental health. Looking after employees mental health is not only the right thing to do, it is also the best way to ensure your business stays productive and profitable. As the issues around climate change become more prescient, business owners can expect lower productivity due to eco-anxiety. Meaningful Work Young people aware of the climate crises and worried about the future are changing their lifestyles, habits, and expectations in line with current beliefs and attitudes. In some cases, people will even avoid starting families because of a bleak world view and lack of life meaning. Such extreme world views are becoming more common in a workforce that should be motivated to find solutions to the present-day climate challenges. When businesses make efforts to support climate initiatives, it makes workplaces more meaningful and reduces climate anxiety. Consumer Habits Eco anxiety can affect a business internally, but it can also affect it externally. As the effects of climate change become more visible in the natural world and the conversations become more frequent and prescient, consumers are thinking seriously about the effects of their buying habits. Again, this is a result of eco anxiety. It might seem as though there is little a business can do to alleviate the effects of eco anxiety in their customer base, but that is also incorrect. In fact, internal changes to the structure of the business and supply chains affect consumer mindsets. Future Resilience Businesses that don’t take action on climate change today could be setting themselves up for a difficult time in the near future. Net Zero efforts are to be stepped up in the next few years making non-compliant businesses less competitive; not only that, consumer mindsets are changing with more support for businesses that address eco anxiety internally and externally. Image Credit  As well as businesses and private properties, churches, community centres and schools need to be part of the climate change solution and journey towards a Net Zero world. The UK has 300,000 public buildings that contribute 3% of carbon emissions to the atmosphere, but reducing this can be a challenge because of the way traditional buildings have been designed.
Community Spaces Community spaces include community centres, libraries, parks, community gardens, and more. While there is no need to worry about thermal comfort in a community garden - at least not the kind that requires carbon emissions - it is a concern for indoor community spaces of all kinds. Public sector bodies as well as businesses need to quickly embrace Net Zero targets since 3% of the UK's carbon emissions come from its 300,000 properties. But balancing thermal comfort with Net Zero can be tricky as old buildings are not energy efficient, nor is their general usage. Thermal Comfort Of course, community spaces are crucial to the wellbeing of society, they create a place where local people can connect, communicate, plan, and resource themselves for the present and the future; but often, these spaces have inefficient energy usage for their infrequent gatherings. It’s important that community members are comfortable during meetings and gatherings so the buildings need to sustain their heat and lights for longer than is strictly necessary; so focusing on decarbonising community spaces is a key feature of Net Zero efforts in the UK and beyond. Net Zero Efforts In order to reach Net Zero by 2050, global carbon emissions and greenhouse gases need to be reduced by 45%. If the greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by 45% in this time frame global temperatures will remain at 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels societies in the late 1800s. Achieving this goal will help the planet and its citizens to avoid the worst effects of climate change, but it won’t be easy. In order to reduce emissions by this substantial margin, the world of commerce, public bodies, and individual people need to unite and support Net Zero efforts. Energy Efficiency One of the fundamentals of Net Zero efforts is energy efficiency. Every time someone switches on the heating in a home, office, or public building they are using energy in the form of heat or electricity that requires carbon to produce. It’s important that we use this energy economically. Community spaces are an indispensable part of local societies, but they also need to contribute to Net Zero efforts and the drive towards the UN’s 2050 target. The good news is, there are several ways that community spaces can do more to reduce emissions and save on energy. Partnership Projects Traditional buildings like churches, community centres, and schools can be hard to move to Net Zero because of their designs; that said, partnering with The Surefoot Effect and HeatHack is a practical way forward. The Surefoot Effect and HeatHack are offering a program to community operators to help them create energy efficiency practices and thermal comfort in their buildings. Image Credit  What does future-proof mean? That is a question on the minds of business owners everywhere when faced with the looming spectre of climate change and the need to create more resilience going forward. Future-proof means your business is aligned with Net Zero protocol, supports the mental wellbeing of employees, and has the right strategies in place to handle systemic shocks.
Net Zero Strategy Governments around the world are starting to put pressure on businesses to create a Net Zero strategy that supports global efforts to curb the worst effects of climate change. The last few decades have had more natural disasters globally and record-breaking temperatures in the UK. Creating Net Zero carbon emissions for your business isn’t straightforward; a holistic approach is needed to create a balance of Net Zero carbon that doesn’t affect your productivity or bottom line. Find out about these strategies at Net Zero week or get involved in Net Zero for Teams. Mental Health Support Health and wellbeing have always been important factors in business productivity and employee morale. In the past, much attention was paid to the physical condition of workers, the lower back and neck can become strained and lead to productivity losses, but there is more to think about. Mental health issues, such as eco-anxiety, are causing productivity and morale issues in the workforce, especially in companies that have a remit for climate change protocol. Future-proof your business by making sure your workforce has the mental health support they need at work. Future Proof Training If the global pandemic has taught us anything - and it taught us quite a lot - it’s that no business is immune to unexpected shocks. Coupled with the uncertainties caused by climate change and geopolitical events, there is a clear need to protect businesses using some future-proof training. Future-proof your business by retaining more customers, creating a Net Zero strategy that works, making your workforce more resilient by addressing eco-anxiety and other mental health concerns, and by adopting future-proof technology such as remote working conditions and cloud-based networks. Of course, there is always more to learn, but these give you foundations. Remote Working Jobs The global pandemic accelerated conventional business processes by around five years, according to analysts. It was expected that most businesses would switch to remote working or hybrid environments in the next five years, but these systems are now in full operation. Remote working jobs for employees help to future-proof the business because it reduces the need for office infrastructure and creates a flexible working environment that can sustain shocks more easily. Adopting a cloud-based network is also an effective way to future-proof a company. Paper Free Office Going paper-free in your business or organization is another way to future-proof your business. It might sound surprising, but adopting digital formats instead of using conventional documents supports Net Zero carbon and improves your bottom line. Not only that, a paper-free office means you have easy access to important data from a range of locations whenever you need it. Image Credit  The Wellbeing Economy is a movement for transforming the existing economic systems to support the wellbeing of people and planet, instead of wealth creation and environmental depredation. This theory of change can also be a powerful driving force towards Net Zero success. Find out more about the elements of the Wellbeing Economy and why it matters.
Circular Economy Until recently, the world used a linear economy predominantly, which is a system of production and waste. In the linear economy, raw materials and collected and turned into products that are sold through supply chains to consumers. When they are used, they move to landfills as waste. The linear economy is wasteful and carbon-heavy; it is not in line with people and planet and does not support Net Zero efforts. Although it is not perfect, the circular economy is more sustainable. A circular economy values sharing, reusing, recycling, and reducing consumption. Energy Efficiency In order to reach the UN's target of Net Zero by 2050, individuals, businesses, and public organisations have a part to play; at the same time, the Wellbeing Economy needs to maintain dignity and ensure that everyone has enough resources to exist comfortably on the planet. When it comes to energy efficiency, it's the responsibility of governments to ensure that renewable energy and other Net Zero technologies are funded and accessible to the general public; that said, individuals and businesses can support Net Zero efforts with internal choices. Eco Anxiety Eco anxiety is a fear about the future of the planet based on what we now know about climate change and the effects of carbon in the atmosphere. Eco anxiety can affect anyone, but it's more likely to affect people with more knowledge of the climate crises and the realities facing us. While eco-anxiety sounds adverse, it can also be used as motivation to support Net Zero efforts, sustainability, and the Wellbeing Economy. Eco-anxiety can be challenging to manage and affects productivity; that's why businesses and organisations can benefit from peer support. Sustainable Food Food is a necessary part of the economy, but the ways it is produced, distributed, and consumed have an impact on people and the planet. Large-scale food production accounts for one-quarter of greenhouse gas emissions globally, including distribution and refrigeration. Again, creating a more sustainable food system requires structural changes like sustainable farming practices, food waste reduction, and animal welfare, but individuals have a part to play in the choices they make when they visit supermarkets to support more ethical food production. Mental Health While eco-anxiety is part of mental health in the Wellbeing Economy, it is not the only factor. Society has unfolded in ways that support consumerism and wealth accumulation, not physical, emotional, and mental wellness. The Wellbeing Economy is about changing these dynamics. Putting the welfare of people and animals at the heart of society is the best way to adjust priorities and create a fairer, more sustainable world. When people are valued over wealth, it changes society's mechanics, improves mental health and harmonises the people and planet. Image Credit  Have you experienced feelings of worry and fear about the future of the planet? This is called eco-anxiety, and it's becoming more common. Eco-anxiety is a newly coined term, but it is relevant to the experience of individuals and organisations in the modern world. Find out more about eco-anxiety and why it matters at The Surefoot Effect, along with our net zero offering.
Anxiety Types Anxiety affects everyone to some degree; some have occasional worries and fears, while others suffer from chronic and debilitating conditions. Medical professionals have separated these anxious feelings into categories that include general anxiety, panic disorders, OCD, and others. But we don't have to have a disorder to suffer from anxious feelings from time to time; in fact, most people experience some worry, stress, or fear, on a daily basis. Thanks to our biological evolution, our brains are encoded to search for life-threatening dangers, even in a home office. Eco Anxiety If you're feeling anxious and don't know why it could be due to the condition of the world at the moment and your fears about the future of society and the wellbeing of future generations; this is considered a form of eco-anxiety according to the American Psychology Association (APA). As with all anxiety, it affects different people in different ways, but it's clear that people with eco-anxiety have a greater awareness of the climate challenges faced by the planet and a realistic view of where we stand. As with other types of anxiety, it can range from mild to severe. Affected People Climate change is the biggest challenge of our generation, thanks to a legacy of inattention and profiteering in previous decades. Today, it is hard to find anyone unaware of the impact of climate change in local communities and on a global scale. That's why eco-anxiety is growing. The more information and awareness a person has about the effects of climate change, the more likely they are to experience the symptoms of eco-anxiety; these include stress, sleep disturbances, nervousness, and in severe cases, it can lead to depression and hopelessness. Affected Business Eco-anxiety is an existential condition arising from reflection on recent political changes, environmental challenges, and general attitudes in society; it can lead to despair about people’s lives and future. Employees might start to question the usefulness of their roles in the company. Employees affected by this kind of anxiety can be less motivated and less committed. On the other hand, if a company is committed to climate action in the form of net zero practices like green supply chains, the opposite is the case. Eco-conscious employees respond to the call. Surefoot Services Have you experienced eco-anxiety, or does it affect the quality of work in your business? It's easy to access support for eco-anxiety through The Surefoot Effect, which offers workshops and a peer support service to individuals and companies. We can only serve the planet if we have the strength, resilience, and motivation to make a difference in workplaces and communities. Image Credit  Does your business have a Net Zero strategy yet? If not, it’s only a matter of time before you have to think seriously about implementing one. The UN has stepped up its efforts to meet global targets and small businesses have a big part to play. Becoming part of the solution not part of the problem improves brand recognition, revenue expectations, and future resilience.
Net Zero Targets Net Zero - the point at which the levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted across industries and other greenhouse gases (GHG) - is the same as the emissions captured by the planet and various technologies. The UN hopes to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees C by 2050. In 2015, The Paris Agreement was signed by 193 countries that committed to the UN's target, in 2021 the same parties agreed to step up efforts and meet every year instead of every five. Data shows a downward trend, but we are still on track for 2.5 degrees C by the end of the century. Climate Change Conference Cop 27 in Sharm el-Sheikh Egypt built on some of the commitments and ideas discussed a year earlier in Glasgow. It is the largest gathering of political leaders, climate activists, and business CEOs in the world, and it’s important for all businesses to take action. Some of the critical issues covered in the climate conference include reducing greenhouse gas emissions, building resilience in business communities, adapting to the impacts of climate change, and finding finance to fund climate action. It’s clear more action is needed for results. More Action Needed Digging into numbers is useful for official figures but it doesn’t help businesses at a grassroots level, how can ordinary businesses implement the right changes and measure them to be sure they are on track? First, they need to commit to creating a progressive Net Zero strategy. Implementing a Net Zero strategy is not always straightforward, much of the success depends on understanding the nature of the business and what is needed to achieve Net Zero results. To achieve Net Zero status a business must have emissions reductions of 95% and offset the rest. Business Benefits Research shows that while 50% of UK businesses are aware of the government's Net Zero targets 76% of them have yet to implement a Net Zero strategy. It’s concerning because 50% of UK emissions are generated by small businesses. So what is their motivation to meet Net Zero? Apart from the obvious planetary consequences of “business as usual” there is also a commercial gain. In a changing marketplace where consumers value ethical products and green supply chains, businesses can improve their reputation, reduce costs, and create resilience. Net Zero for Teams Implementing a Net Zero strategy is not as simple as it sounds, it requires transforming the internal workings of the business to align with government standards. Net Zero for Teams is a program that can help your business implement solutions to achieve Net Zero in the short term; this makes your business more sustainable, resilient and helps to improve your bottom line. Image Credit ‘Carbon credits’, ‘carbon trading’, ‘cap and trade’, ‘carbon neutrality’ and ‘carbon offsetting’. The technical, complicated and distant words might have been created with noble intentions when put into plans at government and corporate levels. But one might question if the various terms come down to finding ways to keep emitting carbon and other greenhouse gases even though the ‘environmental waste bin’ is overflowing. How to find effective approaches to tackle climate change in a jungle of abstract measurements?  Photo: Pixabay. Have you ever been offered to carbon offset when travelling or when buying things? Be aware that many of these can’t equal out the polluting effect. We have to view it from a planet view, the ecosystem we all are a part of, not through economic regulations.
“We cannot offset our way out of climate change,” states John Oliver in his satirical program Carbon Offsets. Behind the light-hearted, sarcastic approach the British-American comedian, writer, and political commentator has a serious message: Corporates can’t keep polluting with greenhouse gas emissions under the concept of offsetting. The expression ‘carbon offsetting’ is not only integrated into the corporate world, but we are now getting offers to join in on an individual level. But there’s simply not enough room on the planet for planting ‘good deeds’ like trees, elsewhere on the planet, to compensate for the way we live. The offset system puts profits over the natural world and its dynamics and functions. The equation does not add up, we have to focus on reducing greenhouse gasses. Planetary or economic rules? We have lived on borrowed time for a while, based on the rules of free-market economics and consumption. But how much more deforestation and climate change stoking can we do with one hand, while offsetting with the other hand via schemes often not as efficient as claimed? As Greenpeace writes in the article ‘The biggest problem with carbon offsetting is that it doesn’t really work’ that to be serious about tackling climate change, carbon emissions need to be stopped from getting into the atmosphere in the first place. As they say, “A newly-planted tree can take as many as 20 years to capture the amount of CO2 that a carbon-offset scheme promises. We would have to plant and protect a massive number of trees for decades to offset even a fraction of global emissions. Even then, there is always the risk that these efforts will be wiped out by droughts, wildfires, tree diseases and deforestation.” It doesn’t help that the system isn’t transparent and standardised, “… there is no standardised way to trade carbon credits and no way to verify the compensating activity behind them,” as the article ‘What’s wrong with carbon offsetting?’ in The Week points out. Developed countries’ exploitation of lesser developed countries’ natural resources have been known about for some time. The 2014 article ‘The carbon World Bank and UN carbon offset scheme 'complicit' in genocidal land grabs – NGOs’ states that, “Between 2000 and 2010, a total of 500 million acres of land in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean was acquired or negotiated under deals brokered on behalf of foreign governments or transnational corporations.” The article points out flaws in the UN's Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) programme, including ‘financing REDD+ readiness activities.’ In this programme, companies in the developed world purchase carbon credits to invest in reducing emissions from forested lands. This is viewed as carbon emissions’ reductions. ”In practice, however, REDD schemes largely allow those companies to accelerate pollution [via their own industry] while purchasing land and resources in the developing world at bargain prices.” These schemes also reduce indigenous peoples’ access and rights to their forests. Furthermore, the goal of carbon offsetting isn’t functional in practice. According to the article ‘Cop26’s worst outcome would be giving the green light to carbon offsetting’,“… offsetting doesn’t stop carbon entering the atmosphere and warming our world, it just keeps it off the ledgers of the governments and companies responsible. According to the Institute for Applied Ecology, about eight out of 10 offsetting projects rich countries relied on to meet their climate targets under the Kyoto protocol were deemed unlikely to have delivered any climate benefit. Offsetting has been tried and it has failed – to pursue this as a solution now is nothing more than greenwashing and would blow a huge hole in the Paris agreement.” Economic aspects are often given attention in the media and on political agendas. We wish to bring focus on balancing the way humans live with the rest of the natural world, which supports us in so many ways. This could be the interwoven connectedness which is explored in deep ecology, an environmental movement regarding human life as one of many equal components of a global ecosystem. It’s not just a philosophical approach, but it’s the physical world and its laws we live with. A Global Footprint Report from WWF-UK and 3Keel’s concludes, “… the UK must reduce its global footprint by three quarters by 2030 to meet planetary limits.” In the article ‘Carbon offsetting is not warding off environmental collapse – it’s accelerating it’, the Natural Climate Solution Campaign is mentioned as a tool to draw attention to the need of revival of ecosystems in a time of climate breakdown. Focus on reducing emissions where you are Even though it might feel out of our hands as citizens when the frame for climate change actions needs to be set on a societal level, we can still contribute. Being critical, choosing your products and lifestyle carefully and writing your elected representatives, encouraging action, are some of the things we can each do. In Scotland the majority of people acknowledge that climate change is related to human activities, but is that always taken into account when voting? When looking into election material, the standpoint of politicians on the matter is not always clear. Could it be that MSPs and MPs need a reminder from us on why climate change is important for us and our vote? Not only do we vote at elections. What we put in the shopping cart, our means of transportation and where we go on holiday are also choices which influence market forces, and they are directly linked to the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Net Zero is another term often used on a societal level. It’s “…a state in which the greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere are balanced by removal out of the atmosphere.” (https://netzeroclimate.org/what-is-net-zero/) The Scottish Government has a goal of reaching Net Zero on a national level by 2045. There are governmental supported initiatives such as funding opportunities, but how to get to Net Zero can still seem unclear. It’s a path not yet rolled out but still in the making as we go forward. At Surefoot, when we work toward Net Zero with organisations, the focus is on how to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions and to build resilience to thrive at the same time. Read more about Net Zero with Surefoot, or please get in touch if you want to hear more. Please contact us, if you have a story to share about dealing with reducing greenhouse gas emissions in your community and how you strengthen your ability for resilience. On Insights we share opportunities and examples, to inspire and motivate each other in climate friendly activities. Write to [email protected] if you have story to share. Text by Gazelle Buchholtz, Surefoot associate.  The European project Sustainability, Heritage, Health, or SHH for short continues with partners in Greece, Lithuania, and Spain.
Partners have already finished compiling 10 recipes from each participating country to focus on ingredients with a lower environmental impact, those which are locally produced, plant-based, and organically grown, but also that have a connection with their country's cuisine and can be considered heritage recipes. The team will be meeting in Cantabria, the north of Spain near the cities of Santander and Bilbao to train at the Spanish project partners' premises, AbrazoHouse. Participants will put into practice some of the recipes of the book and the connections of the food we eat to energy, and resource consumption, and biodiversity protection, both locally and globally. The team will also have the chance to learn about the passive house building where the AbrazoHouse is based, the use of recycled materials for building and will also visit the famous natural protected area the Santoña marshes. Surefoot's Sustainability Heritage Health Project page gives you more background.  The European project "Breakthrough for Resilience: People, Places, and Communities" came to an end in August after 3 exciting years with our partners in Greece, Italy, and Sweden.
The partners met in Stirling for the last time. They had the chance to have a short taste of Scotland and know the work of The Surefoot Effect, the coordinator in this Erasmus+ project. In these 3 years, the project has researched 90 resilience tools and has delivered 12 workshops, 3 in each partner country for individual resilience, community resilience, and place resilience, and nature conservancy. You can access all these materials at the project platform: www.resilienceproject.eu For testimonies and experiences of participants of our workshops and interviews with key resilience speakers, please see the videos that the project team has created. Also Surefoot's Breakthrough for Resilience Project page gives you more background. If you live in the UK and want to visit a rainforest, you don’t have to catch a flight to find one. Scotland is home to its own Atlantic rainforest. “The west of Scotland is home to one of the most important remaining rainforest sites in Europe, with its rich diversity of species making it internationally important.” Rainforest action, Scottish Government. Last year, the Scottish Government decided to support the restoration and expansion of the rainforest and is engaging with the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforests. Like most natural habitats these forests are also in need of protection. Nitrogen pollution, exotic conifer plantation and other factors put pressure on the habitat including its plants and animals. Facing a climate emergency, the government also acknowledges the importance of forest and woodland capabilities to absorb more than 6 million tonnes of CO2 every year. This is equivalent to almost 10% of Scotland’s gross greenhouse gas emissions, states the Minister for Environment and Land Reform, Mairi McAllan in the Scottish Governments Rainforest Action. Furthermore, Mairi McAllan says: “As world leaders commit to end deforestation by 2030, we are planting 80% of the UK’s trees and making bold commitments like this to protect and enhance Scotland’s own temperate rainforest. “Our ambitions do not stop there. We have increased our new woodland creation targets from 12,000 hectares a year to 18,000 hectares by 2024/5. By then, we will be planting 36 million new trees every year in Scotland.”  Photo: Inversnaid. Every action counts - also outside the rainforest At Surefoot we welcome the initiative and are looking forward to seeing the outcome of the plans. There’s certainly a need to support the natural world, high biodiversity and areas with tree cover to prevent temperatures rising - in short to take care of the living beings and resources we have on the planet. In other areas - including in our daily life - there are several ways to reduce CO2 emissions and aim for Net Zero. If you would like to know how your organisation can reach Net Zero, check out Surefoot’s Net Zero for Teams or get in touch with us. Scottish Renewable’s Energy consumption by sector points to building heating as the highest energy consumption in Scotland which causes a large amount of CO2 emissions, so improved energy efficiency in buildings is critical. If you are involved in a community building, you can apply for free help from HeatHack and Surefoot. Read more here: Energy Efficiency in Community Buildings. When we reuse, repair, recycle and rethink ways of handling our personal resources, we are also supporting the Planet’s capacity, natural habitats and resources. We recently ran a workshop in partnership with Transition Stirling to show how being creative (in this case with reuse) can build both individual and community resilience. For more about building resilience for your community, please see our Resilience workshops which have been informed by both our recent Erasmus+ Breakthrough for Resilience Project and National Lottery funding for a previous project.  Text and photo by Gazelle Buchholtz, Surefoot associate.
SAT 20 AUG, 11am-4pm Drop-in to the Transition Stirling ReUse Hub and learn about how being creative helps build resilience in free crafting sessions.  Surefoot's Erasmus + 3 year adult education project, Breakthrough for Resilience, has helped us learn a lot about building resilience. One of the themes that became very obvious was that working creatively, individually or in groups, is key to our well-being and therefore key to building our resilience as individuals and communities. So what better place to hold our final event than the Transition Stirling ReUse Hub where community comes together to reuse creatively? During the day, there will be several makers on hand to help you explore a craft technique using materials that would otherwise have been discarded. And, we will be sharing the insights gained on this project about building individual, community and place-based resilience. So please drop in to find out more and to reuse creatively, building both your resilience and that of the community. Register here to help us gauge numbers and have enough refreshments. Find out more and book your place >>    Join Surefoot for two FREE and fun storytelling events on Thu 22 Sep in London and Mon 26 Sep in Stirling. Open to people working within community groups, these engaging events will showcase storytelling techniques to envision and explore positive futures and increase resilience. About the events An exploration of storytelling as a tool that can be effective for guiding groups into thinking about needs and overcoming obstacles. The tools you will learn at this event can be especially useful for those at the forefront of the fight against climate change as a way to envision and explore positive futures and increase resilience in the journey through the difficulties that we all face in the present. Covered during the event:
sign up on eventbrite so we know the numbers for lunch. Book your place Read more and sign up to the event in London, London, Thu 22 Sep 2022, 11:00-3:00 PM Read more and sign up to the event in Stirling Stirling, Mon 26 Sep 2022, 10:00-2:00 PM Project background This initiative is part of the Erasmus+ Once Upon Your Time project . In early 2022, participants from Iceland, Slovenia, Spain and the UK met up for a week’s training. The purpose was to create ways to support young people at risk of social exclusion. The group went through a wide range of exercises to explore Joseph Campbell’s technique Monomyth, also called The Hero’s Journey. As a follow up, Journey to the Inner Hero, Surefoot’s participants share their experiences on how The Hero’s Journey works on body and mind, and reflect on what directions to take with the acquired skills and knowledge. APPLY NOW! Do you want to improve energy efficiency, thermal comfort AND move to net zero in your community space? HeatHack and The Surefoot Effect are offering a programme for community groups to help plan for the futures of their churches, halls and community centres.
Tackling heat loss and energy efficiency in community buildings, Surefoot working in collaboration with HeatHack is delighted to announce confirmation of an Ingenious Public Engagement Award from the Royal Academy of Engineering. For this project, a small team of people from across Surefoot and HeatHack will be working together to deliver a programme to help UK-based churches and community buildings to understand what a net zero future means for their premises. It will help them not just understand energy efficiency and thermal comfort in difficult buildings, but also to think about how their buildings should be used in their local contexts and how to make this change happen. Groups will emerge from the process with a shared vision, the knowledge and confidence to work well with architects, heating engineers and other professionals, and the evidence of community need that grant funders require. APPLY NOW! We are recruiting community groups and volunteer engineers NOW for sessions starting September – December 2022. Find out more and apply >> More about the programme Key elements
Please contact [email protected] to arrange a conversation about how you can get involved, if you would like to participate either by forming a group or as an assisting engineer. The project is funded by Royal Academy of Engineering Ingenious programme.  We recently had a meeting for our Erasmus+ Sustainability, Heritage, and Health project in Athens. Looking out at the Parthenon and thinking about the ecological emergency, Euri had some thoughts:
The Parthenon is Greece’s most iconic building, and it is also a symbol of Antiquity and democracy in the world. The building was finished in 438 BC, and it is dedicated to the goddess Athena, after which the ancient city is named. For almost thirteen centuries, the Parthenon overlooked the Athenian city almost untouched. In the final decade of the 6th century AD, the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. After the Ottoman conquest, the Parthenon was turned into a mosque in the early 1460s. It was only in 1687 when general Francesco Morosini of the then Republic of Venice invaded the Ottoman-controlled city and bombed the building, where the sitting army had stored gunpowder. One of the architectural marbles of history collapsed in a single event, and with it, a gem of human History. From 1801 to 1803, Earl of Elgin removed some of the surviving sculptures which are now in the British Museum. For most of its history, it was desecrated, forgotten, and ultimately destroyed. It only became celebrated quite recently. The Parthenon is now a symbol of democracy and Western civilisation, celebrated as one of the most important buildings in the world, with millions of tourists visiting every year. Celebrated when it is too late. Does nature have the same fate of the Parthenon? The WWF states that between 1970 and 2016, wildlife populations have declined, on average, by 68%. Terrestrial populations have declined 38%, while freshwater populations have declined by 81%. The rapid loss of species we are seeing today is estimated by experts to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate. These experts calculate that between 0.01 and 0.1% of all species will become extinct each year. Will people look back in several hundreds of years and ponder over how could anyone be so reckless and careless as to fail to protect the wealth of the nature world, a symbol of life, unique in the universe? Will people dig up the remains of the natural world like we dig for dinosaur bones today and take them to museums, the only places where people will learn about the massive biodiversity that once thrived on the planet until the 21st Century? Through deforestation, the burning of fossil fuels, land and ocean pollution, mindless consumerism, humanity is stacking up its own gunpowder inside the ancient marvel that is nature and that took billions of years to be what it is today. As we can attest from the history of the Parthenon, it does not take very much for all of it to go away. Will nature be celebrated only when it is gone? Surefoot associate Euri Vidal is working with Abrazo House on a project entitled “Biodiversity Outdoor Learning.” On a recent visit to the Laurisilva forest on the island of Madeira, the eerie forest and the ancient trees showed a picture of the resilience of nature, a resilience in which people may also find inspiration.  Laurisilva typifies a previously widespread laurel forest, a gem of the past, which covered much of Southern Europe 15-40 million years ago. The cover in Madeira is the largest surviving area of laurel forest, and it is believed to be 90% primary forest. The forest contains a unique ecosystem of plants and animals, including many endemic species such as the Madeiran long-toed pigeon, and it is for this reason that the forest is a UNESCO protected site. Not only does the forest have a unique biodiversity value, it is also visually compelling. Many of the trees contort, twist, and grow in inexplicable ways and have stood there for thousands of years.
Winds in Madeira are notorious to the extent that pilots need a special training to land on this rocky, mostly solitary island that is seven hundred miles off the coast of Portugal and that rises almost 6,000 feet into the sky. Looking at the trees in this eerie landscape, one can see how the wind has tried to uproot the trees, push them down, and make sure they don’t grow much, possibly for hundreds of years. But you can hear them whisper “This is not over yet.” The trees have managed to withstand the challenge, their roots stubbornly stuck in the ground. Some trees grow horizontally to better cope with the gusts. Or roots have grown wide and deep in case some parts of the root system became weak and died away. You almost see the trees smirking, laughing at the elements, telling the wind, “Come and get me. If you can…” I can’t think of a better way to think of resilience. Determination wins all. When hardship comes your way, be a laurisilva tree. Please see the work Surefoot is currently doing with resilience on Resilience Workshops and Breakthrough for Resilience. Surefoot announces its new free-to-access peer support for people experiencing eco-anxiety. Nothing makes more sense than protecting the planet that gave us all life and everything we have. But, do you find yourself unable to keep going in the face of the relentless dire news about the state of the world?  Surefoot’s Eco Anxious Resilient (EAR) Peer Support is a new project which aims to develop free-to-access peer support tools, materials, training and workshops for campaigners, activists and others experiencing eco-anxiety. We will share insights from people who are managing to safeguard their own mental and emotional wellbeing, while also constructively engaging in the fight against global warming and biodiversity loss. Inspired by the spirit of Glasgow’s 2021 Climate Justice protest and with a £10k grant from The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland - Together for Our Planet programme, EAR Peer Support is funded through to March 2023. Find out more about the EAR Peer Support Project >>>  Besides our food-harvest, we also harvest lots of wonderful moments in the forest garden, and we get to know lots of interesting, kind and dedicated people who come and visit us to learn more about forest gardening.  Once upon a time – around 10 years ago – I participated in the first online experimentation with Carbon Conversations facilitated by Pam Candea. That was the starting point of a journey that has changed everything in our lives.
After the Carbon Conversation-sessions I considered if I should translate the concept to Danish and started looking for a Danish organisation to team up with – and found the Danish permaculture association. I never translated the concept, and I am not a member of the permaculture association, but I became, together with my husband Steffen, completely engrossed by the concept of forest gardening, which is an integrated part of permaculture. Carbon Conversations covers – as most readers here will know – the fields of energy in houses, transport, food and commodities. I had already worked a lot with the energy-issues both professionally and in our home, but really got caught by the food-issue. At that time, we had a holiday home in the deep forests of Småland in Sweden, where we enjoyed being so much closer to nature – plants, birds, animals, air, water – than in our city-life north of Copenhagen in Denmark. The idea of combining nature with the production of food simply caught us both. Now we have sold the summerhouse and our house in Copenhagen and bought an old farmhouse, still in Småland but a little closer to Denmark and our children and grandchildren. Here we experiment with all the Carbon Conversation-issues – and with extra energy dedicated to the production of our own food, in a plot for annual vegetables as well as in our 1000m2 forest garden. What is a forest garden? A forest garden is a food producing ecosystem that imitates natural ecosystems, being rich in biodiversity and much more resilient than a traditional vegetable garden where you grow annual vegetables like carrots, potatoes and lettuce. In a forest garden you grow a diversity of perennial food crops mixed in a diverse, polyculture system with several storeys. In the top you have trees with fruits and nuts, next storey houses the berries, then comes the larger perennial vegetables and in the bottom, you have cover plants. All mixed with each other to avoid the risks and disadvantages of monocultures – exactly as in the fringe of a forest. In a fully developed forest garden, most plants are perennial. They are part of a balanced and relatively stable ecosystem that doesn’t start from fresh every year. The plants stand stable with their roots deep into the soil where they participate with fungi in an exchange of nutrients and energy. That makes them much more resilient against heat, drought and wind. Most plants in a forest garden are food-producing and the rest are either insect plants or nutrient collectors. Some (most) of them are very pretty as well – but the purpose of a forest garden is not to look good (like in a flower garden). The purpose is to produce food while at the same time supporting biodiversity and carbon sequestration. The polyculture-mixture of trees, bushes and herbs is important for several reasons. Most important is it to create lots of hiding places and lots of different food sources for many different insects. With a very biodiverse food-producing ecosystem, you get a much more resilient system, with lots of predators to balance the number of vermin. Furthermore, biodiversity is decreasing globally, and we should all do our utmost to provide living spaces and food for as many insects, birds and wild animals as possible – also in our food-production. In a forest garden you don’t have naked soil. In a full-grown forest garden, the soil is covered with plants, and in a developing forest garden, we cover the space between plants with organic material. Naked soil is very vulnerable to drought and erosion, and life in the soil – micro-organisms, fungi and bacteria – has much better chances to live and thrive if the ground is covered with either plants or organic material. The soil stays moist and the organic material composts into humus which contributes to the life of both animals and plants. And carbon in the form of CO2 is sequestrated and stored as different carbon-connections in the stems, branches and roots of the plants and the humus in the soil. Our experiences with forest gardening We started developing our forest garden in 2016 and now only six years later we are harvesting lots of fruits, berries and vegetables, from early spring till late fall. We get many visits in the forest garden by people interested in a more sustainable life and food production. You are also welcome – either if you come to Sweden some day or on our website (unfortunately so far only in Danish – but with lots of photos): https://gammelgaard.se/skovhave/ By Christina Meyer  Participants from Iceland, Slovenia, Spain and the UK met up for a week’s training through the Erasmus+ European funded project Once Upon Your Time. With the purpose of creating ways to support young people at risk of social exclusion, the group went through a wide range of exercises to explore Joseph Campbell’s technique Monomyth, also called The Hero’s Journey. Surefoot’s participants share their experiences on how The Hero’s Journey works on body and mind, and reflect on what directions to take with the acquired skills and knowledge. To access hidden treasures within – The technique and training A group of 23 people got together in Caravaca (Murcia), Spain in the springtime. All the participants were already engaged with teaching or in other ways with a profession supporting young people and learning processes. With the use of storytelling techniques, the training conducted by Juan Pedro Romera focused on methods to increase resilience in children and teachers. In everyday life it’s easy to get caught up in (over)thinking and letting thoughts running in loops with fixed narratives about ourself and the world around us. To let go of a constrained mind with the purpose of letting the body “speak”, the training was not only based on writing but also included physical games, dancing and drawing self-portraits. Joana Avi-Lorie, researcher at The Edinburgh University, Story Weaver at Scottish Communities Climate Action Network and a creative practitioner, explains the techniques as a package of creative writing exercises with different length and different prompts placed strategically to allow subconscious thoughts and emotions to emerge through the writing. Combined with the physical activities it opened up for “Working without thinking,” as Callum Arthur, a maths teacher from Scotland points out. Keeping the pen in flow on the paper without thinking, was a core principle in the writing exercises. Euri Bartlome Vidal, associate at Surefoot where he runs international workshops about resilience and sustainability, explains some of the actual exercises, “Shorter exercises led up to longer writing sessions. For example, a 10 minutes writing task was based on a card with an illustration of an animal. I got a card with an orca together with three words to incorporate: fertility, strength and power. We didn’t get much time to think, it was all about writing what instantly came to mind. For the final exercise, we had three hours to write a tale with a few guiding elements: The text had to be in a fantasy story, it should be about our own life journey and have a happy ending. I was surprised how many words I kept pouring out. At the end of the training week, I felt more energised and like something within was unlocked.” The outcomes of feeling energised, unlocked, liberated, unleashed and empowered are some of the benefits echoed by the participants. To reach this point, participants also faced challenging times - mainly to be confronted with oneself. The group activities built a basis of trust to work together even though some exercises could make one feel vulnerable at first. For example, by sharing a drawn self-portrait, or reading one’s text aloud to the group. Suzanne O’Donnell who is community educator, volunteer at Climate Ed, and from the Climate Hub Wandsworth in London (part of the Climate Emergency Centres) notably felt the inner confrontation, “When writing, things you didn’t expect can come up to the surface. It was a good surprise.” Being in a safe space with the group, to share and listen to others, gave an opportunity to grow stronger by the vulnerability, “I gained self-confidence in speaking to others, and I learned to reflect and respond in a deeper way to what other people share,” Suzanne elaborates. “While each of the techniques we learned in the week individually helped to unlock some creativity, being able to spend most of a week working through the series of exercises allowed me to express myself in the final writing exercise in a way I have not had the luxury to do in many, many years,” muses Pamela Candea, Surefoot associate. “I used the structure of the Heroine’s journey for my final piece of writing as I feel this model is in line with my core belief that deep connection with nature and service to all beings are crucial to supporting the essential paradigm shift needed to protect people and the planet.” Expanding the world through cultural meetings Working with storytelling across countries and cultures adds a depth in how the methodologies work. As Joana expresses: “How who we really are is or isn’t deeply interconnected with our culture, the nature vs. nurture paradigm. It was fun to learn new things about places where I haven’t been before through the stories of their inhabitants.” The value we put into words via the constructure of our language becomes clearer when exploring stories through multiple languages. As Suzanne illustrates, when we in English say, “I like…” it would be expressed from another angle in Spanish, “It pleases me …”. As much as differences were explored, similarities also stood out clearly. As Callum noticed, teenagers are facing many of the same challenges across country borders. The journey further on Based on The Hero’s Journey training, the project Once Upon Your Time will include the creation of a manual which will be available in all four languages of the participating countries. Also, participants have the opportunity to work further with the subject, to apply and tailor it to each person’s work life. Joana will look into including the method in the qualitative inquiry from her PhD project and to use it in her practice as a story weaver. She points out the strength of the method, “Writing around your emotions and thoughts, dressing them with a story, in a safe and gradual way whilst ultimately being able to identify and communicate them. Being attuned with these emotions and thoughts is crucial to be able to self-regulate them as part of building resilience and they are a great fun way of building trust within a group and between children and educator, social worker or therapist.” As Callum underlined, the method is a different approach from his typical maths teaching. It has provided him with new tools too – both for himself and in the future for his students. The actual shape of how to use the tools is finding its ways as the project progresses including subsequent meetings with Pam and Euri from Surefoot. Suzanne looks forward to using the new skill set when working with children in Climate Ed on climate change topics, and with people in the Climate Hub Wandsworth. It’s close to her heart to let storytelling become a tool for valuable voices to be heard. “Some children are scared of putting down words in their homework. They can struggle with hurdles like dyslexia or confidence, which can reach into adulthood. The method is useful to provide people with new ways of expression, where there is no right or wrong. It’s connecting them with the magic they have within themselves,” Suzanne states and thereby sums up a central powerful aspect of The Hero’s Journey. Additionally, she emphasises that working this way moves the participants out of the typical fixed societal context and makes everyone equal. Euri and Pam will add some of these tools to the techniques and tools in Surefoot’s individual, community and organisational resilience building workshops. For videos, next steps in the project and access to the future manual, keep an eye on Once Upon Your Time on Facebook and Surefoot’s social media, Facebook: @TheSurefootEffect Twitter: @SurefootEffect Instagram: surefoot_effect Sign up for the Surefoot Newsletter Your next step? Are you interested in knowing how you and your organisation can build resilience? Check out Surefoot’s areas of expertise: workshops, net zero for teams, training and mentoring or get in contact via [email protected].   |
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