Every day is Earth Day (or it should be!)

All actions, no matter how small, can make a difference

Today is Earth Day which has been designated to remind us of the importance of protecting the Earth (our home).  It allows us the opportunity to pause and reflect on the ways that our activities as human beings affect the Earth.

Unfortunately, our environmental impacts are so severe these days that we are now reminded of the costs of our actions daily which can feel incredibly overwhelming.  I saw an article in the last 7 days that states that more and more of us are avoiding watching the news due to the miserable headlines and I have to be honest and say that I am one of them – endless stories of war, genocide, impacts of climate change – are not easy to stomach.  Its important to stay informed and rely on credible sources for our information but being bombarded by endless misery can leave us feeling hopeless.

So what can we do about it?

Firstly, and I think this is true of most areas in our lives, think about what you have control over and what you can directly influence.  Don’t be fooled into thinking that small actions don’t count – they absolutely do.  I have a fantastic yoga teacher who often talks about the ‘ripple effect’ of our actions – if you drop a small stone in a pond it creates ripples that extend out much wider than just the size of the stone itself.  Our actions have the power to do this.  Think about where you are spending your money – which businesses are you choosing to support?  Find out what the sustainability policy of your favourite businesses are.  Are they contributing to the degradation of the environment or actively doing everything to reduce their impacts.  Boycotts of companies that abuse the environment (and communities in other countries) are effective if done widely so encourage your friends and family to do the same!  Be mindful of greenwashing – lots of companies talk the talk but dig beneath the surface and its all nonsense. 

In terms of natural health – more and more of us are turning to natural remedies to help support us when we need them but how sustainable are a lot of remedies that can be purchased from the big online shops?  How are the medicines sourced?  If you are purchasing herbs – where do the plants come from?  Have they been sourced sustainably?  Are these plants at risk in the wild?  Are the natural medicines that we are purchasing contributing to the destruction of the environment in other countries (where many herbs are sourced?)  These are things that we should always consider when purchasing medicines from plant sources.  There is more information that can be sourced here: https://www.herbalreality.com/insights/herbalism/sustainability-social-welfare/

At Oxleas Herbal Apothecary, all the herbal medicine is sustainably sourced.  I follow the following approach to all the plants that I buy:

·       Has the plant been grown (cultivated) or wild harvested?  I always try to buy cultivated where possible and all the herbs I use are organic.

·       If I can’t find the herbs I need from a cultivated source, I look for suppliers who have transparent supply chains and can provide evidence that the herbs they sell are sourced ethically (both for the environment and for communities affected)

·       I avoid all plants that are at risk in the wild unless they can be obtained through cultivated sources e.g. grown on farms rather than wild harvested.

It’s important to remember that whilst we feel that we may not be able to affect what is happening globally we can make changes to the way we live and the things that we buy. This can make a huge difference not only to the environment but also help to reduce the sense of overwhelm and helplessness that we feel when thinking about the Environment.  Its never too late to make these changes.  Make this your pledge for Earth Day.