Recommendations and tips to regenerate our relationship with nature

It is my personal purpose to ensure that we are all working with and for nature, and that we remember it’s importance for our planet. I took the time to celebrate Earth Day by offering recommendations and tips to regenerate and improve our relationship with nature.

Invest your time

Earth Day – or any day – is an excellent way to learn about the wonders of our planet, all that threatens it, and some of the people working to preserve it. Below is a list of some of the best environmentally conscious documentaries, movies, series and books that will awaken and inspire you:

1. The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis, by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac (book)
2. Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist, by Kate Raworth (book)
3. An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power (film)

Nurture your connection to nature

Get outside! Whether it’s to be alone or with your friends or family, being outside is a great way to reconnect with nature. We are a part of the natural world, so immersing yourself can help boost wellbeing. Engaging the senses to notice the beauty in our planet, through touch, smell, taste or sound; feeling compassion or looking after plants or animals and finding meaning in your experiences is important to remember our place in the world.

At home, you can boost your local biodiversity by planting native species that attract birds and pollinators, you could have fun with a DIY project that aligns with the 3Rs Rule: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. If you want to explore, you can go to a local botanic garden to learn and educate your kids about nature, look at birds, or you could head to the coast to enjoy Britain’s beautiful beaches.

Reduce your personal impact with a sustainable diet

The food that we eat not only affects our own health, but also the environment. Food production is at the heart of many environmental issues – it is a significant contributor to climate change because of greenhouse gas emissions associated with current agricultural practices and is responsible for almost 60% of global biodiversity loss. Here are some principles that you can use to reduce your personal impact and to help increase demand for sustainable food production: moderate your meat consumption by replacing it with other sources of proteins (such as plant-based, organic vegetables), buy locally sourced produce and waste less food.

One of the best ways to control every step of the growing process – from seed selection, soil and pest management all the way to harvesting and composting – is to grow your own food. Plus, a garden or allotment can provide a relaxing way to connect with fuelling your body.

Courtney Holm

Vice President

Courtney Holm has worked in sustainability for 21 years with experience across all aspects of sustainable development and leads the drive to build sustainability solutions as a strategic capability for Capgemini Invent UK.