The Ninebarrow Woodland
The climate emergency is an issue so huge that it can at times seem totally overwhelming. At least, that's how we feel. What can we actually do on an individual level that will have an impact? Is that even possible?
Well...we've got a few thoughts on that. Ultimately, this is just our take on the situation - but we wanted to try and articulate how we feel, just in case it helps anyone else who finds themselves in the same boat.
Over the last few years, we've looked at many infographics like the one below (click on it to view it full screen, by the way!) and we've come to a few conclusions.
The first, possibly slightly depressing one, is that as two individuals, we CANNOT single handedly make change on a scale that will have even the tiniest impact on the direction of the climate crisis. Not even with 1000 trees.
The video on the right is from a Youtube channel called Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell and it's one we absolutely love. We'd highly recommend watching the whole video - but if you've got limited time, skip to 9:30, where it articulates exactly how we feel about things - in a far better way than we ever could!
The (very simplified) nub of it? The biggest impact that we as individuals can have is to make our feelings known. We can do that with our voices - by talking about the issues; we can do it with our wallets - by supporting companies who approach business in a sustainable way that doesn't contribute to climate change; and we can do it at the ballot box. Using the excellent words from the video itself: "Politicians need to know and feel strongly that the people care - and that their own success depends on tackling rapid climate change...and while you do that, you can also promote your priorities through your own behaviour and your own actions...not because you should feel guilty if you don't - but to do your tiny, tiny part for the systemic change we need."
And that's really what the Ninebarrow Woodland is all about. Yes - it's about offsetting our touring carbon footprint, but not in the naive belief that we alone can make change on a global level. Rather - it's about starting conversations and about raising awareness of an issue that we feel passionate about.