Havering Friends of the Earth

New Year Reflections

by Ian Pirie; first published 20-Jan-2023

"The Blue Marble" - NASA/Apollo 17 crew (1972)

As we start a new year, it is natural to look back at what we have tried to do in the year that has just passed. We hope that the columns written by members of Havering Friends of the Earth have given you some ideas as to how to protect our planet and our local environment - how to think globally, act locally. Here are some of the themes our columns have touched on over the past year.

Health and wellbeing: close contact with nature brings a sense of calm, as many of us discovered during lockdown. Trees provide shade, prevent flooding, and absorb carbon dioxide (more trees = less global warming), so please support tree-planting initiatives. Flowers provide pollen for pollinators such as bees and other insects, and we depend on pollinators for much of our food, so grow flowers and flowering shrubs. Walking and cycling (rather than driving) are good for people and planet!

Remember the 5 Rs: Refuse goods that are bad for the environment. Reduce our consumption of goods, as the planet does not have an unlimited supply of resources. Re-use rather than throwing away and adding to rubbish dumps and landfill. Repair, and encourage people with the skills to repair things like electrical goods. Recycle to conserve resources. Havering Volunteer Centre is encouraging many of these activities.

Look after your garden, and our parks. Of course, not everyone has a garden, but even a window box can provide food for pollinators. Please avoid using pesticides as these are likely to kill or harm other, useful living things. Rather than artificial fertilisers, make a compost heap to provide rich organic soil. Try re-wilding, by leaving some plants to grow and produce seeds for birds, or by not cutting your grass until it has seeded ("No-mow May" was promoted last year) - insects, butterflies and invertebrates will flourish! Maybe join the "friends of" your local park (quite a few of our parks have "friends of" groups).

Of course some problems, like climate change, seem beyond our control - but all the above ideas do help, even on a global level. So, finally, why not join a group of like-minded people to do something about the environment? Not only is it worthwhile, but research has shown that it helps your mental and physical wellbeing as well!