Category: Tellus Blog

So what a funny world we find ourselves in. There is a high level of uncertainty in the air and an anxiety for the future. All the structures we thought protected us; whether it be money, our jobs or our health system have now been threatened which makes us realise the fragility of these once-seemingly safe constructs. This pandemic has proved the things we already knew – here in the UK the National Health Service (NHS) needs a better reallocation of resources and the more financially vulnerable people of our society need a better system in place. It is little consolation to see health services and societies elsewhere (e.g. USA, Italy, Spain) seem to be in similar or greater difficulties. So what better time to consider what do we want to see for a cultural/societal, or even, a global-wide change?

When this pandemic first started becoming major news, I couldn’t help but chuckle at how we react in such extreme measures (albeit necessary) when it comes to our immediate health but yet we’ve been grappling with the extremity of planet destruction, animal extinction and social in-balances for ages without any apparent urgency or effective action.

But that makes sense as after all, current Western society relies on the presence of ego in order to continue; the idea that YOU is important, YOU are someone deserving and YOU are unique. A consumerist culture will thrive when it’s built on individualism and looking out for oneself. So now when we’re in mandatory isolation, the world seems a more hyperbolised version of what it already was. It made me think about what we prioritise and what we take for granted in our current culture, and often these are the structures that really matter. Family, health and community. When the pandemic could easily make us react selfishly, now more than ever this is time to re-group, re-evaluate and re-construct.
We can look to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals as a guide for what needs changing. When it comes to new business and infrastructure as a result of bankrupt businesses, I would like to think there will be no tolerance for new companies who are not conscious and ethical in their practices. We just don’t have space for them anymore. We’ve decreased our consumption of unnecessary products and are using less carbon emissions from not travelling. When life becomes more precious, suddenly our consumption and production becomes more responsible, this here is one step towards more sustainable living.

So we’re all in our homes, what’s happening outside? Since the strict quarantine measures, there has been an evident effect on pollution, reports revealing a significant drop in nitrogen dioxide concentrations all over the world. Satellites overlooking China reported much clearer skies after the isolation rules. Even more, Life Below Water (SDG 14) came back to reclaim the waters of Italy with shoals of tiny fish surfacing, crabs and colourful plant-life alongside dolphins, swans and other wildlife on land. So turns out, natural life can continue quite romantically without us hoarding this space. A friend said to me a beautiful phrase which was, “mother earth wants to rebuild herself”, so why don’t we let her in our everyday lives – see image below from The Guardian showing the pollution drop in China.

When what we thought we knew has gone, we have to look to more consistent things in life. This will be looking to nature and dare I say it, love. Love for our family, our neighbours or our wider community. More than ever, we can feel part of a global civilisation as we are all interconnected through this experience, when one person takes action, it benefits everyone. This time in lockdown could just be a blessing in disguise, maybe a pendulum swing leading towards a fresh start hopefully bring about a deeper sense of the wider collective, you, me, them, and us.

Let’s hope for a more harmonious future, if you feel this has resonated with you, talk to your friends about it, maybe volunteer or at the very least, have a look at the 17 Sustainable Development Goals project and think about what small steps you personally could take to help us all to reach a fairer, safer World and a brighter future.

Open your hearts and take care of your bodies! Let us know how you’re spending your time.

Take care, keep well!

Blog: Eliza Pitkin
April 2020

tellus@whatcanyoudo.earth

“tellus” is a Latin word meaning “Earth” e.g. Tellus Mater the ancient Roman Earth Mother Goddess

‘We Do Not Inherit the Earth from Our Ancestors; We Borrow It from Our Children’
– Native American Proverb

I recently visited the ‘Wellcome hub’ at Euston, they had a free exhibition called ‘What it is to be human.’ It was a small collection of artworks and interpretations around the fundamentals of being human. One particular piece was a sculpture by a British Nigerian artist called Yinka Shonibare, the sculpture was a refugee astronaut, wearing a spherical helmet, moon boots, a one-suit made from Dutch fabrics, tubes for an oxygen tank and a netted backpack full of possessions. This piece stood in the middle of a spacious gallery and was undeniably engaging and at the same time incredibly haunting. This explorer seemed to be a reflection of ourselves in a dystopian interpretation of what’s to come. I think this is made abundantly clear when the sculpture is faceless, we can easily put ourselves in that situation. The artist has since discussed how it was related to rising water levels and the displacement of people.

With the spacesuits and traveller items, it reminds you of the nostalgic adventure stories of conquerors’ discoveries and intergalactic space travel. Images such as the flag on the moon, The Famous Five, Gulliver’s travels and Columbus all come to mind. The artist even included a NASA badge on the shoulder of the astronaut. However it’s contrasted with fabrics that are reminiscent of Africa, a fashion of cultural heritage. Something is exciting and child-like about its references yet there is nothing is exciting about this figure. What came to my mind was America, the land of ‘opportunity’ with its more capitalistic and individualist nature. The traditional perception of an ‘explorer’ and colonialism has generally been a white endeavour, usually reclaiming land that wasn’t theirs to claim. This is still an attitude shared by many around the world.

When we live in a first-world country, where we have access to a laptop to read a blog about climate change it is digestible, we can sit in and have time to form an opinion. But everything that we do here; every single-use plastic we throw in the bin affects our neighbours on the other side of the globe. One thing that particularly stands out is the jumble of possessions including a family photograph, binoculars, tinned food and classic literature amongst other things. Some items necessary for a journey and others for sentimental value. It was as if this person grabbed the most important things before an emergency escape from their home. The artist himself said, “It’s not immediately graspable. That’s why things are very slow politically. People see they can still get their breakfast. It doesn’t feel urgent. Whereas if you’re in a war situation you can see your house being destroyed and that you have to respond very quickly.*” It can’t help but make you think that everything else we own is just unnecessary clutter, just an extra, just greed.

We have to face it, the “modern-day explorer” is a refugee. Except they’re not trying to ‘discover’ or conquer new land but instead re-habitat to a place of safety when their home has been destroyed. The ‘future’ explorer will be our children that are trying to survive on a planet that is no longer safe or natural. We can already see the early stages of this now. For example, there have been growing numbers of people suffering from asthma as pollution causes a huge threat to respiratory health along with airway inflammation and damage to lung tissue amongst other diseases*.

As I see it, the planet itself is all land with just lots of water between us. We share the sun, the water and the air we breathe. But we have polluted our oceans and air, for what? Those extra items? This idea of nationalism, borders, and walls, is the attitude of fear; the fear of losing one’s own identity, the fear of sharing, the fear of change. When there is fear, there is a perfect place for bad decision-making and ultimately destruction. The idea of identity is to limit oneself to an idea when your identity can be redefined to one that is part of this natural world and we should treat it and everything in it with more respect and humility.

We are so much more than the borders we were born within, we’re all nomads and wonderers, we are all exploring the land and experience of life itself. Perhaps it’s a more spiritual outlook but if we see ourselves as one race; the human race; then we see ourselves as part of a bigger idea; we are everyone and everything. We can operate within this beautiful planet by only taking what we need, being more responsible for our decisions and taking care of ourselves and each other a lot better, I know we can. It all starts with you, and then slowly we’ll steer further away from this dark representation of our future.

Blog: Eliza Pitkin
December 2019

*Interview with Yinka Shonibare https://wellcomecollection.org/articles/XYofFREAACQAp-Vl
*Amato G, Cecchi L, Amato M, etct. Climate change and respiratory diseases. European Respiratory Review. 2014; 23(132):161-69.
*Amato G, Cagani Ca, Cecchi L, etc. Climate change, air pollution, and extreme events leading to increasing prevalence of allergic respiratory diseases. Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine.2013:12 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3598823/pdf/2049-6958-8-12.pdf