Climate Emergency

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Tips on how to stay motivated and positive in light of the climate crisis

There is a catch when it comes to educating yourself about climate change. As so many have discovered, often the more we find out, the more despondent we become. From the lack of ambition in the <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2017/05/156947/paris-climate-agreement-information-us-withdraw-essay" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paris agreement</a> to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/fires-map-tracker.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wildfires across the USA,</a> and the decimation of the Amazon, to the risk of <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/when-nature-harms-itself-five-scary-climate-feedback-loops/a-43649814" target="_blank" rel="noopener">irreversible tipping points</a>, it can all feel a bit hopeless.
But, if you are reading this article, you may not quite be ready to throw in the towel just yet. Here are some tips from history, behavioural psychology, and mindfulness for staying cool, calm and collected, as we do the work that needs to be done.

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Although bad news abounds, it doesn’t constitute the whole truth. Unfortunately, while disaster and tragedy sells, consistent, steady progress tends not to. As the<a href="https://www.wired.com/2011/03/why-do-we-tell-stories/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> psychological literature</a> points out, it’s just how our dramatic, story-craving minds are wired. We piece together a narrative from the sad or sensational stories we hear and form a picture of the world as a whole, concluding we are all doomed. But deep, systemic change is happening all around us, from <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesellsmoor/2019/06/15/renewable-energy-is-now-the-cheapest-option-even-without-subsidies/#696f8aba5a6b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">renewable energy becoming cheaper than oil</a>, to the <a href="https://business.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0300b5532c917bd63846a4fa2&amp;id=0d331c55cc&amp;e=a0a03d19f1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Climate and Ecological Emergency (CEE) Bill</a> being discussed right now to keep warming to 1.5 degrees, to <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90536607/bp-wants-to-become-the-worlds-largest-renewables-producer-but-still-pump-a-lot-of-oil" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BP’s transition to being a renewable energy producer</a>. Just as we fear negative feedback loops (such as the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/sep/19/the-tipping-points-at-the-heart-of-the-climate-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">melting of the Greenland ice shee</a>t causing it to sink, causing it to melt more due to warmer temperatures below) sending the climate spinning out of control, we should maintain hope for positive chain reactions; whether that’s mass divestment from fossil fuels by the world’s <a href="https://www.blackrock.com/corporate/investor-relations/larry-fink-ceo-letter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">biggest investors</a> heralding a new investment landscape, or <a href="https://hbr.org/2019/03/young-people-are-leading-the-way-on-climate-change-and-companies-need-to-pay-attention" target="_blank" rel="noopener">growing climate awareness worldwide</a> becoming the default political and social position.

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Be intentional about the information you consume

We should not avoid bad news entirely, however, as it is essential to a rounded perspective. But we can be more aware of the information we are consuming. If the first thing you read when you wake up in the morning is that <a href="https://www.mylondon.news/news/zone-1-news/see-your-street-underwater-2050-17212413" target="_blank" rel="noopener">London will be underwater</a> in 25 years, that’s probably not the most inspiring way to kick off your day. Behavioural psychology tells us that the order in which we consume information and the<a href="https://www.behavioraleconomics.com/resources/mini-encyclopedia-of-be/framing-effect/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> manner in which it is presented to us</a> profoundly affects how we process and memorise that information.  Similarly, mindfulness techniques teach us that our most precious resource is our attention and where we choose to place it, since this is how we navigate the world. We have two choices: to take charge of how we perceive reality or let random events seize our attention. Which means we need to be more intentional about the news we consume. So, how about trying <a href="https://www.tortoisemedia.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slow news</a> for a less reactionary, longer-term perspective on things; looking out <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/in-practice/201301/what-is-catastrophizing-cognitive-distortions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">for catastrophising</a> headlines; and framing the information you consume by asking: ‘will this help me stay motivated to tackle climate change?’. If the answer is that it won’t, there’s really no reason to give it your time.

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Cleaning up the information we process is a good start then, but, as the saying goes: hope without action is hopeless. We have to answer the question: ‘How do I fit into all of this?’ therefore, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because, without taking action, we risk quickly losing whatever hope we have carefully generated. This can be tricky though. In the rationalistic, analytical society that we live in, we are often advised to identify a problem and then figure out how we might solve it. But many of us do not have the skills we need, to invent cheap renewable technologies or remap green economies, and even if we do, we can quickly become demotivated when we fail to make progress in such complicated and deep-seated issues. 
The writer and philosopher Henry Thurman, a huge influence on Martin Luther King Jr and the black civil rights movement, noticed the need to find your own unique role, no matter how massive the movement. Based on his own experience of affecting change, he said: ‘Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.’ Why? Because when we come alive, we begin to interact with the world on an intuitive level, understanding instinctively what is required of us and unleashing the creativity and ingenuity we all possess. Climate change is connected to every area of our lives: how we shop, how we travel, how we work, how we play and how we view the natural world around us. Every action taken with the right intention has its value, but you yourself have more value than whatever actions you choose to take.

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Once you have decided on how your unique skills can be brought to bear, here are some tips for getting stuck in:
As anyone who has ever tried to quit something or adopt a new habit will know, we should only take on one new thing at a time. We have to practice behaviours consistently, over a period of time (which ranges from one-two weeks of obsessive consistency to 66 days<a href="https://www.developgoodhabits.com/long-form-habit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> depending on your source.</a>), in order for them to become habits. When thinking about what specific actions to begin with, again behavioural psychology can help. Firstly, we should reduce ‘Friction Costs’, and make our tasks as easy-to-follow as possible. This means being very specific about the task which we plan to carry out (‘speak to ten people about food waste recycling on my street’, rather than ‘talk more about climate change.’) Confusion is the enemy of action. We should also start small (‘Lowballing’) and then build up to a bigger action (‘Foot-in-the-door’). Because we are more likely to comply with easy requests: once we have taken our first action as an environmentalist, we are more likely to continue since not doing so creates <a href="https://www.elephantjournal.com/2017/07/the-underlying-reason-why-people-hate-vegans/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cognitive dissonance,</a> which we strive to avoid at all costs. We can also look to gamification, the process of turning everyday activities into games in order to make them more fun or lightly competitive, which again helps to motivate us. You could for instance set up a climate champion leaderboard with your colleagues or family or friends and compete for who can be the<a href="http://www.greenga.me/#works" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> greenest. </a>
So remember, when it all feels a bit overwhelming, close those clickbait tabs, remember what feels good, and start small. You’ll feel a lot better, and the world will too.

Updates

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At Ecologi we’re often reaching for the celebration klaxon for our community’s impact milestones, but it’s a little different this time around.
Today, we’re pleased to announce that we’ve taken on £4m ($5.7m) of investment led by <a href="https://www.generalcatalyst.com/">General Catalyst</a> to follow our dreams and grow Ecologi to the scale needed to take on climate change in a significant way.
General Catalyst has a knack for turning their investments into household names: AirBnB, Deliveroo, Snapchat, Stripe, and Monzo to name just a few.
We know there’s room for the Spotify of Sustainability, and it’s with the resources of a leading investor that we can make this a reality, in a timeframe suitable for turning the proverbial Titanic around and reversing climate change over the critical decade ahead.
Before we started Ecologi, the idea was that we’d be set up as a non-profit organisation. Our mission is altruistic and that non-profit model aligned with our vision. As half of the world’s emissions have happened within the <a href="https://ieep.eu/news/more-than-half-of-all-co2-emissions-since-1751-emitted-in-the-last-30-years">lifetime of a 30-year-old</a>, there isn’t the luxury of time to grow traditionally through donations and slower ‘organic growth’. But, it didn’t take long to understand that to achieve Spotify-level scale, then you need Spotify-level capital to fulfil our potential impact.
It’s not just a sum of money that we were looking for, but a partner who wholly understands the delicate conditions which Ecologi needs to thrive: putting the planet first; complete transparency; keeping operational costs minimal; and staying ethical (see our decision to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/withdrawing-tech-nations-net-zero-elliot-coad/">withdraw from TechNation</a>).
Amongst 50 or so investors we spoke to, it was General Catalyst who fully understood this ethical tightrope with our long term plans to raise the bar on what it means to be a social enterprise. They gave examples of supporting one of their investments to donate over <a href="https://www.warbyparker.com/buy-a-pair-give-a-pair">eight million prescription glasses</a>; they set up a non-profit fund with excess profits from an ethical investment; also they understood that the future of Ecologi should be part-owned by our community via crowdfunding &#8211; an exciting development to own a stake in Ecologi and our planet too (more details at the end of this post).

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As we approach our 2nd birthday, we enter a new chapter with Ecologi that will be characterised with scale. Up to now, everything has been done on the tightest of budgets with our wonderful but tiny team. We look forward to progressing our climate impact exponentially as we race towards our target to reduce 50% of global emissions by 2040.
There is plenty we have in store. We want to actually show you the impact you’re making through storytelling and technology. We want to support projects that rewild our planet and fund innovative carbon removal technology. We want to show you your carbon footprint in real-time. We want to make good on the opportunity that can come out of rounding up the world’s pocket money and putting it into the world’s most impactful climate solutions.
Now we can, so no excuses! Let’s grow. 🌿
From Elliot, Lucy, Alex and the team here: thank you for your part in supporting this ray of climate hope 💚

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We showed a draft of this announcement to a few of our Ecologi subscribers and friendly critics and asked them what questions they had:
What will you spend the investment on?
Now’s the time to scale up our teams to enhance the platform, grow our climate projects procurement and reporting team, and expand our marketing and partnership teams. We’ll be a company of 40-60 people over the next 12 months. 
The investment will also allow us to buy larger quantities of certified carbon offsets and tree purchases upfront meaning we can plan better, get access to some projects we’d otherwise not be able to, and sometimes access better prices.
Some of the existing staff will be now paid the going rate for their level of expertise. None of the investment is to go on bonuses or dividends. 
Will we still operate Ecologi as we have done?
Absolutely yes.
If we are to be massively successful in our objectives it’s because we took on board everything that you needed us to be.
Is the source of the investment from profits of fossil fuel or high carbon industries?
No. It’s from a combination of pension funds that make investments in technology, and previous technology company profits. 
What is the investor expecting in return?
They will be looking to make a return on their investment, multiple times the amount they put in. And this is something that we can achieve and be entirely compatible with our journey. 
At some point in our future we’ll expect to come to the end of investment rounds and have a few options to suit us: be acquired and taken under the wing of a major future sustainability company; float on the stock market and be publicly owned; or even Ecologi makes their own investments in early-stage climate projects which yield their own returns. It’s far too early to say which financing route will come into effect but be assured that it’ll be a decision made with our mission in mind.
Investors will be expecting no dividends during this journey as any profits are to be reinvested back into the company.
How is Ecologi going to stay ethical?
As we grow, we will have the resources to upgrade our <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dACvzjE5nBE1cKZBAhYzsUa7rIiLJqCWXVgY4bNS8_Q/edit#gid=1742437033">transparency docs</a> and be a lot more verbose about what we’re up to. A quick run-through of what’s coming up: 
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<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">In the queue to be B Corp certified, all prep governance work is complete; </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">A bonafide social enterprise with mission locked into our company documents; </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Increased detail on our quarterly financial reports such as director salary info; </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Regular “our door is always open”-style drop-in to chat with Elliot, the CEO, over Zoom;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Lifting the lid on what we’re up to with a “Building Ecologi” blog series.</li>
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Every person on the team and now investors included knows that we have our hearts fully set on creating a company that reimagines what it is to be a social enterprise. 
It’s going to take some doing, and bear with us as we get there. But please <a href="https://ecologi.com/pages/contact">drop us a line</a> on how we’re doing, as well maybe subscribe to our new <a href="https://medium.com/building-ecologi">Building Ecologi</a> series where we’ll talk about our plans out in the open and welcome your thoughts.

And finally, we’re thinking of running a crowdfunding campaign later this year. We’d love to <a href="https://ecologi.typeform.com/to/DMMimqA9">ask you five questions</a> that should take less than a minute to answer.

Blog

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Do you remember, somewhere in the fog of 2020, that period where the pandemic had seeped into every area of our lives but its exact contours and consequences hadn’t yet been established? That point after the initial panic was over, where people had begun to accept this new reality, and had started to consider where we might go from here? Somehow, amidst the horror of news screens filled with ventilated bodies and death counts scrolling ever upward, hope began to spring. Thoughtful, poetic articles began to emerge online about the deeper meaning of this event. Humanity had been given a chance to pause, to reflect, and perhaps &#8211; against all odds &#8211; change course. There was a cautious, quasi-spiritual sense that the planet was sending us a message, as if Mother Nature had realised that humans were not going to bring themselves back from the brink and was now taking the matter into her own hands. These visions of a better society were complemented by a raft of personal resolutions towards self-improvement: goals were set and new habits were inculcated, with the aim of returning after the pandemic a better you in a better world. It was as if we were all given the opportunity to zoom out, from our own lives but also society as a whole, to decide what was really important.
This sense of optimism seemed to be supported by palpable changes in our environment. Global emissions were down 7%; flights had dropped 96%; there were dolphins in Venice! These cracks of light in the gloom sustained us, made us feel as if the pandemic was really for something (beyond, well, surviving a pandemic). That is, there seemed to be a goal we were working towards, by which we could orientate our present reality, giving it some sense. And this was important. Hope sustains us in times of difficulty. It is the voice which reminds us no pain lasts forever, that the sun also rises.

But it seems that somewhere along the way, this optimism began to give way to something else. Weariness. Disillusionment. As lockdown 2 almost imperceptibly melted into lockdown 3, as the term ‘wave’ began to lose all meaning because the Covid tide had never gone away, darker realities began to set in. Not only did we witness our governments continue to vacillate and send mixed messages, we saw huge opportunities to restructure our economy missed, the same old mistakes from the 2008 financial crisis repeated as ‘too big to fail’ industries such as aviation and steel were bailed out, with no climate-change mitigation requirements built into the rescue packages. Rather than being <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-leveller-trfn-idUSKCN21R30P" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘The Great Leveller’</a>, we saw this pandemic exacerbate existing inequalities, the wealth of the top 1% rising by $8 trillion during the pandemic whilst many ordinary people were reduced to government handouts. Working from home also removed access to an equal workspace and put increased pressure on those facing challenging circumstances in their home environment. And everywhere we looked we found ourselves adrift in a sea of plastic: the take-out diets triple-plastic wrapped to avoid contamination, the delivery packages ordered to punctuate the boredom of lockdown living, and of course the proliferation of that once unknown acronym: PPE. And perhaps most deflating of all, it turned out those dolphins had never been in Venice, that it was a piece of <a href="https://www.2oceansvibe.com/2020/03/23/sorry-but-the-dolphins-that-appeared-in-venice-is-fake-news/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fake news</a> exploiting the sense of hope in the air.
What happened here? Were we deluded to dream of a better future? Did we imagine something that never really could have been? 
No. It is never wrong to hope. And it did sustain us in those interminable lockdown months. Our error was in putting our hopes on an external event, in this notion that Covid had come to save us, as if it were some sort of geo-biological defense mechanism, the natural arc of history correcting itself. But an event can only be as significant as the responses which it generates. Which is to say, the significance of the pandemic was in the million daily acts of kindnesses which it elicited: the grocery collections for elderly and infirm neighbours, the selfless bravery of the frontline workers putting themselves and their families at risk for the greater good, the proactiveness of those who organised events and other forms of support for the most vulnerable. Without even realising it, without waiting for a sunny day where we would have the type of society that we wanted, we were building it in front of our very eyes. One based on solidarity, equality and community concern (all of which happen to be the very characteristics needed to pull us out of the climate crisis &#8211; since we are all sharing increasingly limited space and resources on this planet). What we needed wasn’t a deus ex machina to solve the problem. What we needed was to see that the world around us is a result of the values we hold as a society, and it is this we need to change. This means remembering that the same essential ties that bound us through the pandemic persist and it is along these ties that change is effected, not some grand narrative happening out there. After all, the planet doesn’t care &#8211; it is humans that will perish, not nature.

The pandemic certainly has and will create short term change. The US government has just initiated an unprecedented $1.9 trillion stimulus package which stands to halve national poverty for example. But if we forget the lessons that Covid taught us about our own ways of life, such socially-minded policies will quickly fade into memory. No cataclysm will prevent business as usual from returning. As the Cree Indian saying goes, “Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish been caught, and the last stream poisoned, will we realize we cannot eat money.” We cannot wait for further wildfires, droughts and floods to jostle us into wakefulness. It is only through a wave of individuals coming together into communities, into a global movement, encompassing economics, energy, agriculture, and politics, that a truly sustainable way of life will be achieved. Outward events can point us in the direction, but we must walk the path. The steps need not be huge, but we must continue to take them. Reading or sharing this article. <a href="https://ecologi.com/plan">Subscribing to offset the carbon we produce</a>. Reducing meat consumption, <a href="https://ecologi.com/articles/blog/one-small-step-for-you-one-giant-impact-for-humankind">greening our finances</a> or <a href="https://ecologi.com/articles/blog/activism-how-the-drops-inside-the-ocean-are-breaking-down-the-dam">joining a movement</a>. Every step counts. But never question that it is you who must walk those steps. Far from being a lonely journey, the more you do, the more you will find the others who are walking it with you.

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Looking for some more info on our George The Poet video? You’ve come to the right place! It tells the story of the importance of sowing seeds of hope for the future generations and inspiring people to be part of something bigger: a community, a movement, a change… 
 
Lots of work went into the creation of this video &#8211; 11 crew members were involved in the overall production, through the creativity of Bristol-based agency <a href="https://www.enviral.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Enviral</a>, who helped turn around this project in just 14 days.

George The Poet was our first choice for this campaign. He’s a firm favourite of both the Ecologi and Enviral teams, and we were so excited at the possibility of working alongside him. Putting aside his ability to produce and deliver incredible spoken word pieces, and the huge body of work that he can put his name to, he is a true champion of sustainability. 
That&#8217;s why we loved working with the team at Enviral on this project; because of their storytelling abilities. They understand the importance of conveying a genuine, engaging narrative. They knew George would be able to create something amazing, which oozed purpose and which reflected the passion of our Ecologi team. 
Having a lead who truly cares about the planet was vital. We wanted to inspire viewers to take action, and we couldn’t think of anyone better to get this across than George The Poet.

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With limited time, finding a suitable location was a bit of a challenge. We knew that the audio was the lead in this film so we had to find a location away from roads and airports so we could ensure crisp sound. Whilst we can’t reveal exactly where the film was shot, the countryside between London and Bristol proved to be perfect!

The video was directed by the Envival team, a sustainability-focused agency who were stoked to be working on a campaign they were so aligned with. The full Enviral production crew was brought together for the shoot including Joss as the Director, and their camera crew, audio team and photographer.

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What we did to comply with Covid regulations

Covid is real. Whilst we&#8217;re so happy to be back on set again, it&#8217;s super important to make sure that everyone is safe and comfortable. By following the industry guidelines, ensuring that everyone wore masks, respecting social distancing, and by shooting outdoors, we were able to mitigate the risks as much as possible and ensure a safe and successful shoot.

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<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">George did 12 takes over the course of just 2 hrs</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">We had 11 crew on set in total</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The final video took 6 hours of colour grading to make it look perfect! </li>
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Finding balance in a burning world: how to stay positive and motivated to take climate action

Be aware of the good as well as the bad

Be intentional about the information you consume

Figure out where you fit in

Get going

More posts

Ecologi, Chapter 2

There is no vaccine for the climate: connecting Covid-19 to climate change

Behind the scenes of the George The Poet video

We send good things