You can’t heal the earth. You can only heal places.

The last days with the release of the IPCC report were full of pictures of flames and fires. In my Instagram feed, in the news – everywhere we were shown the catastrophe on the horizon if we don’t act together in the next 15 years to avoid the climate collapse.

It left me with a heavy feeling. How should I, as an individual, be able to change this? To stop the madness? When I see these pictures I feel powerless. It doesn’t encourage the change we need. It makes me drop dead and feel absolutely overwhelmed.

But… what if we instead create beautiful images for a future world worth living and changing for? A future with clean air, a moderate climate, and an abundance of life and nature. A resilient, connected region. Like the ecopolis of Herbert Girardet which I shared lately.

Talking with Ashley Scarborough yesterday evening about sustainability, system thinking, and creating a positive image for a new (local) food system gave me this feeling. 

Something to be excited about. Something to make me think „Oh, hey, I know how to support this journey from what I am doing at the moment!“ 

The big picture for the cultural change we need might be overwhelming. But what can you do in your local context? In the context of your profession, your ambition, your energy?

Start with the system you know best.

Start where you are.