Hey there! This week, we’re taking the opportunity to introduce you to some of the team behind the emails and articles you receive in your inbox and social media feeds every week.
Curious Earth is made up of a bunch of curious (green) beans, who do lots of cool stuff for our planet, besides regularly contributing to this newssite! So we thought we’d take the opportunity to turn the tables and make the interviewers the interviewees, taking this word count to share with you some valuable environmental insight from the brains behind the articles. We hope their thoughts and recommendations continue to inspire you and help you to feel more connected to the environment and environmental causes.
So, Curious Earthers – two important questions….
- What have you been doing recently to connect with nature?
- What creative outlets have you seen/read/watched recently that you’d recommend for our readers? (besides Curious Earth OF COURSE)
Conrad Langridge – Co-founder of C.E
- What have you been doing recently to connect with nature?
I’m a keen surfer, and so being down on the UK coast is always a really important way for me to escape the city and enjoy our natural world. With so many local beaches promoting sustainable practices for tourists, being able to combine a hobby and my environmental beliefs is the perfect weekend for me.
2. What creative outlets have you seen/read/watched recently that you’d recommend for our readers?
I’ve read Non-Violent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg twice now and have learnt so much both times. The book makes no reference to climate change but talks in great lengths around conflict resolution. There is already climate-related conflict on many levels, the big one being climate-versus-capitalism, so reading this book gives some insight how we will need to understand everyone’s needs in any transition we make. For example, understanding that cattle farmers need security, and so a plant-based world looks very scary to them, so they might not be as receptive to a green evolution in their industry.
Vix – Features writer and social media guru, C.E.
- What have you been doing recently to connect with nature?
As I don’t have a garden I have been building up a collection of house plants. Not only do they help bring a bit of nature into my home, they also help to clean the air – peace lilies and spider plants are both particularly good for removing toxins and are also super easy to look after.
- What creative outlets have you seen/read/watched recently that you’d recommend for our readers?
Not exactly environmental news, but it’s in the sort of area… Despite my sad lack of a garden, I’m addicted to Gardeners World! It has started to include a lot more content on wildlife and pollinator friendly gardening, as well as tips on growing your own food, and coverage of the campaign for peat-free compost. Also a shout out for another BBC treasure – Springwatch (and all the year-round watches!), such a joy to see them showcase beautiful nature and a great way to learn more about our environment and wildlife.
Sian – Features writer, C.E.
- What have you been doing recently to connect with nature?
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to recently move to the countryside and I’ve benefited hugely from the lack of signal in my garden for my morning coffee. As naff as it sounds, it’s started teaching my townie-born senses to awaken to the nature interconnecting around me. When I was living in a city, I’d started curating my Instagram feed to inject both images and awareness about gardening and ecology on my morning commute. Some of my favourites suitable for fellow-beginners include…
- Garden thirtythree – a self taught gardener with a love of bees and butterflies
- The Hackney Gardener – tips for a greener city life
- Steve Williams – a wild garden expert, often an designer on Your Garden Made Perfect on BBC Two
2. What creative outlets have you seen/read/watched recently that you’d recommend for our readers?
As a green finance specialist, I’m a huge fan of “Impact” by Sir Ronald Cohen. In this very accessible piece, the reader is walked through investing for positive social and environmental outcomes. It’s a noisy sector, riddled with greenwashing, but Cohen leaves his readers able to asses and inspect the various approaches, products and narratives out there.(see his Ted Talk here for a snapshot!)
Likewise, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus’s first book, ”Banker to the Poor” is an approachable and enjoyable introduction into financial inclusion and the invention of micro credit. Part-memoir, part-handbook, Yunus takes the reader on his journey to reach the poorest of the poor in his approach to eradicate the ‘unbanked’.
Lorna – Features writer, C.E.
- What have you been doing recently to connect with nature?
This might seem a bit of an odd one, but bear with me! Nature isn’t always the easiest to access, especially if you’re in built up area. But, I’ve found that no matter where I am, there’s always birds. Even in a town/city there’s pigeons and seagulls if not other species. Its pretty cool that wherever we are, we share the space with birds. There’s not much other wildlife we do that with. So, I’ve told myself that everyday I’ll listen to bird song for a few minutes, or if I can’t hear them I’ll at least be on the lookout to spot one and observe it’s movements for a moment. It’s a great mindfulness activity and can be really relaxing, and it can be as brief as you’d like it to be. Plus, it’s entirely free and I’ve not found a location yet where I haven’t seen at least one type of bird in a 24 hour period!
- What creative outlets have you seen/read/watched recently that you’d recommend for our readers?
The Yikes Podcast has been a firm favourite of mine for a while now, and season 5 is now here! The podcast approaches environmental issues in an accessible, intersectional way. They’ve started an ‘On The Frontlines’ mini-series similar to ours here at Curious.Earth, allowing individuals and community groups to share their stories directly. The podcast is a really great way of learning about the climate crisis and how we can take action together.
Camille – Social media extraordinaire, C.E.
- What have you been doing recently to connect with nature?
I live in a big city but I love running in the parks near my home. In Montreal, we are lucky to have a mount in the middle of the city that allows us to recharge our batteries. I also have a lot of plants at home, it allows me to connect with nature and learn more about it. I regularly like to go for a day in nature not far from home to hike and disconnect.
- What creative outlets have you seen/read/watched recently that you’d recommend for our readers?
I recently read ‘Digital Hell: the inner workings of a like’ by Guillaume Pitron, it’s an investigation into digital technology and the carbon footprint it leaves behind and it blew my mind. I also follow a lot of activists on Instagram to stay up to date with the latest environmental news.
Helen – Content manager, C.E.
- What have you been doing recently to connect with nature?
I live in London, which is a surprisingly green area – it really does have small pockets of nature all around. One of my favourite activities is to visit the local cemetery, which is also an ecology park. It sounds morbid, but the park is quiet (you can’t hear any traffic) and is filled with less common birds, plants and (most excitingly) frogs and newts!!! Noticing the small seasonal changes in flora and fauna is an excellent switch off from the hustle and bustle of the landscape and is slowly turning me into an amateur twitcher/wildlife watcher. It shows you don’t need to visit a ‘nature park’ in order to experience nature.
- What creative outlets have you seen/read/watched recently that you’d recommend for our readers?
I love reading fictional books that intersperse characters’ lives within a natural landscape. It helps to reinforce the connection between human lives and natural landscapes in a personable and engaging manner. I read The Outrun by Amy Liptrot recently and loved it, and a while ago read Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson. Both are genuinely great fictional reads, where the narrative itself is not focussed on the environment they inhabit. Their descriptions of nature are incredibly evocative and remind me of the interrelation between people and our planet.
Be curious!
Check out our suggestions above and get in touch @curious.earth.hq with your favourites!
