M.A.D. Get Back To Nature

There's something very energising about getting back to nature.  The feel of the warm sunshine on your face, the wind in your hair - even the rain can be revitalising.

Image by . SantiMB . via FlickrWe spend so much time shielded from it in our cars and air-conditioned offices, walking along streets and pavements full of cars and people, surrounded by brick, concrete and metal that it's easy to lose track of the changing seasons.

Here in the UK the hedgerows are full of berries, the fields full of mushrooms and the colours are changing from Summer to Autumn.

Many of us could benefit from getting out into the fresh air and closer to nature more often.  Not only does the fresh air do us good but it has a calming effect if you're feeling stressed.  It can also have an uplifting effect on your mood.  It's hard to feel depressed when you're surrounded by beautiful scenery and wildlife.

- Take in the scenery on your way home.
- Get out to a local park in your lunch break.
- Go for a walk or cycle when you get home.
- Get out into the countryside at the weekend.

Even if you don’t think you have the time, make the time. It’s worth it for the physical and mental boost you’ll get.

Take up gardening it's a great way of getting outside on a regular basis and a perfect way to watch the changing seasons and keep things in perspective.

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• Eat your greens: September is foraging month and there's a way for city-dwellers to enjoy edible flora (independent.co.uk)

Daylight And Autumn Leaves

Apparently this Monday is one of the gloomiest in the year because here in the UK we switched to daylight saving time this weekend. We get an extra hour in the morning but the evenings are darker earlier.

However, the number of daylight hours is the same - it's just shifted. So, why would it really make a difference. I have to admit, I don't like getting up in the morning when it's dark but then you do get a chance to see the sunrise or to experience the quiet of a morning as the dawn breaks and the sky brightens, before everyone else gets going.

Even in the dark evenings, there's something cosy about glimpses of light through windows. Make the most of the daylight hours to get out during your lunch break or to enjoy a walk at the weekend.

Notice the changes all around us as we switch from one season to the next. We miss these when we're enclosed in a car or shut away in the office day after day. At this time of year the summer migrants have left and the winter visitors are starting to arrive. Enjoy the sights, smells and sounds of the Autumn. It's less than two months until the winter solstice, when the days will be getting longer again.

Pay attention to your own internal seasonal cycle - there's no reason to feel gloomy - adjust to the shorter days and the change in temperature.

Do what you need to do to nurture yourself.

Getting Back To Nature

It's been a glorious weekend here in the UK and no better time to get out and about and enjoy the sunshine, fresh air and nature bursting into bud in every corner. The summer visitors are on their way - swallows, cuckoos and the nightingale. The spring flowers are in bloom - carpets of bluebells and clusters of primroses.

We spend so much time in our offices, sat at computers, breathing recycled air that when the opportunity arises, we should get outside into the fresh air and re-acquaint ourselves with the cycle of life that goes on regardless of the state of the economy, falling property prices and the rising cost of living.

When you're shut away in an office, apart from noticing that it's now light when you leave work, it can be difficult to notice the passing of the seasons unless you're looking forward to your summer holiday in the sun or your winter skiing trip.

Sunshine is good for us. Going for a walk in the fresh air revitalises tired bodies and minds. Make a point of spending time with your family and friends at the weekend and enjoy a bit of nature - it's free and it's better than either spending the weekend indoors ... still working on the computer or trekking round the shops buying things you don't really need.

If you really want to enjoy nature - how about growing a few vegetables? Anyone can grow tomatoes, you just need a large pot (or two) and there's nothing better than picking them straight from the bush. Beats anything you buy in the supermarket. More people are growing their own these days and you don't need a lot of space to get started with just a few salad vegetables.

I'll be doing just that again this year in my little patch of Edible Garden. Not only will you have the pleasure of eating something you've grown yourself but you'll find a great way to unwind after a busy day.

Time For A Spring Clean

Spring is most definitely in the air – we’re now into March and in the northern hemisphere at least, things are starting to change, as the days get longer and warmer. It’s a time for fresh starts and new beginnings in more ways than one, as nature comes out of it's winter dormancy.

• What new perspective could you take on things?
• Do you need to throw out the old and bring in the new?
• Have you been stuck with old habits that no longer serve you?

Look at the different aspects of your life, both personally and in business, internally and externally – what works, what doesn’t.

• What do you want to change?
• What do you want to do differently?

Assess where you are now by completing the Life Balance Wheel or taking the Time Audit and decide what you’re going to change and when. Think about the difference it would make to your life if you made these changes and then resolve to do something today – however big or small, to take you one step closer to making that change.

Sometimes just doing something is better than doing nothing at all and if you feel stuck, overwhelmed or lacking in energy, even a small thing can make a big difference.

Get Out And About

It’s been another holiday weekend here in the UK and of course being a Bank Holiday – mixed weather. However, there’s nothing quite like getting out into the Spring sunshine when it’s there, whether just to relax in the sunshine or to enjoy some fresh air and exercise. Many of us could benefit from getting out into the fresh air and closer to nature more often. We spend so much time shielded from it in our cars and air-conditioned offices, walking along exhaust fume filled streets, that we lose sight of the changing seasons.

One great advantage of working from home is that it’s a lot easier for me to get out and experience the seasons – even if they do seem to disappear at a rate of knots – or is that just a sign that I’m getting older?

If you work in an office all week, the evenings (in the northern hemisphere) are still getting longer and there are good couple of hours of daylight to get outside and enjoy it.

- Take in the scenery on your way home.
- Get out to a local park in your lunch break.
- Go for a walk or cycle when you get home as a way to unwind instead of collapsing infront of the TV.

Even if you don’t think you have the time, make the time. It’s worth it for the physical and mental boost you’ll get. If you’ve read my nature blog – you’ll know that I regularly get out for a run, walk or just to sit outside in the garden. Open your eyes and be more aware of your surroundings, especially where nature comes into it.

P.S. If you want some inspiration – sign up for Monday Moments from the RSPB - http://www.rspb.org.uk/moments/

Get A Different Perspective.

When we do the same thing day in day out, we often take things for granted and get into the habit of just going through the motion, not really concentrating on what we’re doing as we go into automatic pilot. We become desensitised and just focus on getting from one place to the other.

If you’ve just got back into work after the holiday break than perhaps things are feeling a little different anyway. It’s like starting a new term back at school – when you’ve had some time off things can look different, fresher, jaded, in need of a change.

Do you always take the same route to work or to the shops? Sit in the same seat on the bus or train? Do you always shop in the same store, drink the same drink, have the same sandwich filling?

If you’re a creature of habit, don’t just fall straight back into the same routine. Change things around a bit. Take a different route to work, so what if it takes a few minutes longer. Take the bus instead of the car. Go by foot instead of driving – you’ll have a different, slower, richer view of things. Do your shopping somewhere different - ok, you won't know where anything is

I recently walked down a road I often cycle down. I had more time to notice the houses and gardens, the space between them and the way the road had more curves and undulations in it than I'd been aware of.

Do something differently - even if it's just having coffee instead of tea. See how many things, however small you can do differently. After all, variety is the spice of life.

Get Fresh Air AND Exercise

Your countryside needs you. I was out yesterday volunteering with the local wildlife trust again, clearing scrub to allow the Downland plants to recolonise the area.

Much of the English countryside has been farmed for many years and so it isn’t in it’s natural state. Grazing of sheep, cattle and ponies has an impact on the variety of plants and animals that inhabit a particular area. Grazing here on the South Downs has resulted in the chalkland fauna and flora, much of which would disappear if it wasn’t for the grazing and the work of volunteers keeping the scrub down.

Most local councils and wildlife trusts do not have the funding and resources to manage the land, so they rely on the work of volunteers and there is always far too much work to be done and not enough volunteers.

If you’d like to get involved, it only involves one day a month and most working parties don’t work over the summer. You get out into the fresh air for a few hours. Work hard, there are always a variety of tasks for different physical strength and abilities. It’s very rewarding even if you only feel your scratching the surface of what needs doing. We started at 10.00am and were finished by about 2.30pm but carried on chatting, admiring our handiwork and sitting in the sunshine for another hour.

If you work for a company – why not organise a day out for your team. Most companies these days get involved in the community as part of Corporate Social Responsibility so why not do something worthwhile and make a difference to your local countryside.

Local Wildlife Trust Volunteering
British Trust for Conservation Volunteers
RSPB Volunteers

OK ... I'm sorry this is very UK centric but I hope that our European/International members can find something similar in their area.

I found this for the US - National Wildlife Federation

Feel free to add any other useful links to this post.

Have A Green Christmas

I dread to think how much some people's electricity bills are going to increase over the Christmas period as they light up their houses with an annual display of lights varying from pretty, traditional, tacky to downright over the top with all manner of santas, snowmen, christmas trees etc.

There's a road not too far away where they all compete with each other to raise money for charity but I don't suppose it's helping the environment much.

Here are a few tips for a greener Christmas.

Shopping - if you don't want to jump on the mass consumerism bandwagon this Christmas, why not buy presents from charities or fair-trade sources and where possible don't buy over-packaged goods. Think about what you're buying and why - don't buy just for the sake of it. I've picked several eco-friendly ideas this Christmas - wind-up torches, something for the garden. There's a wide range of 'green' gifts available from adopting and endangered animal to 'buying' a sheep to support your local wildlife trust.

Christmas Lights - switch them off when you go out and don't have them on all the time. Use energy efficient bulbs in the rest of the house to at least offset some of the energy used. One low energy bulb will save as much energy in the coming year as 30 strings of fairy lights over 12 days. LED lights are brighter and use a lot less energy than traditional bulbs.

Wrapping paper - most of this can't be recycled as it contains little actual paper and too much foil and plastic with added sticky tape and labels. Save as much as you can for re-use next year. Use ribbons and string to tie up packages.

Cards - save money and resources by sending electronic cards to colleagues and give the money saved to charity. Recycle cards to local charities or cut up into gift tags for next year.

Festive spirit - recycle all those bottles in the nearest bottle bank or in your kerbside collections.

Trees - if you have a real tree - make sure it's from a local, sustainable source. Thousands of Christmas trees and grown, cut and dumped each year. Most councils will take trees for recycling after Christmas so they can be composted or chipped for local parks and gardens. Buy a rooted one and plant it out in the garden - if you're lucky you can re-use it next year.

Decorations - deck the halls with boughs of holly - well at least see what you can harvest from your garden to decorate the house - holly, ivy, berries and evergreen plants provide a more natural display and can be composted at the end of the festive season.

Christmas Dinner - buy locally at your farmers market and steer clear of intensively produced food which stresses not only the animals but the environment. Farmers markets can be cheaper than supermarkets, have a wide range of seasonal produce, reduces the food miles and tastes far better.

Check out some of the other energy saving tips here that apply year-round and not just at Christmas.

Clare