Hi all - Jamie here.
So, today (April 22nd) is Earth Day! (and also National Jelly Bean Day but… That’s beside the point). It’s actually Earth Day’s 50th year running today too, so a big one!
First things first: starting today I’ll be trying to showcase a piece of work from a PCA student in every blog post and I encourage everyone to do the same! In whatever ways we can, let’s support and build each other up.
So, here’s our first excellent piece of work from second-year BA(Hons) Illustration student Amy Baker (@amybaker_illustrations on IG) encouraging us all to ‘go green’!
‘Go green’, Amy Baker (@amybaker_illustrations on IG).
// What is Earth Day? //
Earth Day’s mission is, in their words, ‘...To build the world’s largest environmental movement to drive transformative change for people and planet...’ ‘... Growing out of the first Earth Day in 1970, Earth Day Network is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 75,000 partners in over 190 countries to drive positive action for our planet.’
Now, that’s a pretty big task but I’m a big believer in the idea that small tasks done every day can have just as meaningful an impact as great ones.
// So what can I do about it? //
Here are just a few small tasks you can do every day to help combat climate change:
Reduce, reuse, recycle.
Volunteer (for cleanups etc).
Conserve water (shorter showers etc).
Choose sustainable (less plastics etc. where possible and, if you eat meat, only buy sustainably-farmed meat. vote with your wallet!)
Use long-lasting lightbulbs and turn them off when you’re not using them.
Buy and look after plants. Not only do they look nice, not only do they improve your mental health, but they also improve the health of the planet!
Use cars as little as possible. Walk or ride bicycles where possible (bonus: you’ll get fitter and feel healthier). PS. I have to admit I’m a bit bad at this one… but getting better.
// Okay… But how can I celebrate nature while in isolation? //
If you live in the countryside or, like me, in the city but near a park, use your one-a-day piece of exercise to walk/cycle/jog there and just be around nature for a bit! (please, of course, remember to follow all gov. guidelines while doing this).
I know I go on about it a bit but mindfulness is a really great way to appreciate nature. A simple way (so simple that it sounds a bit silly) is just to notice each tree or each plant or each blade of grass as you walk past them. Just literally notice them and be in the moment as you do so. You might find it more difficult than it sounds - give it a go! There’s no way to ‘fail’ mindfulness.
Luckily, even if you can’t get access to nature for whatever reason, there are tonnes of wildlife and nature documentaries available on TV and online (many of them for free). My personal favourites are Blue Planet II and Planet Earth II (make sure to wait until the end for the ‘how-it’s-made’ clips too).
Lastly, I’d like to link a few things here that I found interesting:
Our artist of today, Amy Baker’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amybaker_illustrations/
Official Earth Day website: https://www.earthday.org/
Earth Day livestream 2020: https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-live/
Leonardo DiCaprio’s documentary about climate change (highly recommend): https://www.beforetheflood.com/
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