Post-Earth Day thoughts

Another Earth Day has come and gone and it has got me thinking, do I prioritise the environment as much as I used to?

A day to celebrate environmental protection, Earth Day is a global event that brings people together and the message is pretty clear - think about our place in the environment and how we can protect it. Only this year I realised, I have never felt more disconnected to environmental activism. It has become a real challenge for me to admit that. Environmental protection is an idea that I would consider to be at my core beliefs and values. So, what has changed? 

I had a big think about what has changed my outlook and connection to environmental conservation.

• Have things gotten better? Well, no. Definitely not.
• Is it no longer a topical issue? Well, no again. It is more topical than ever.

I think the only thing that has changed over time is me. The issue has stayed very much the same and I have felt the impact and contribution that I can make drift further and further away. I have seen more green activism undermined by products and brands than ever and it has got me feeling more disconnected to the issue than ever before. What I am finding increasingly difficult is how to be involved in environmental conservation in a proactive way that isn't tokenistic. Perhaps I am turning into a bigger and bigger cynic but I can't shake the feeling that impactful environmental action is hard to come by. 

Ultimately, while some of my outlooks have change, I still try to consider my personal actions, life style choices and where I put my voice politically. These factors are at least within my control: who I vote for, and how I live my life. These are still two ways that I feel in control when it comes to considering the environment.

How do you connect to environmental protection?