July 🦋

A bit of news and some ideas for action for the month of July.

Today marks Earth Overshoot Day for 2025, the day when humanity has used up all of this year’s annual budget of natural resources. Only 7 months into the year. This is sobering news. The greed and constant want of our economic and social systems have pushed us to live well beyond our natural means, using up future resources as if today is all that matters. This landmark day, as well as the rest of the news, can make for depressing reading and exacerbate feelings of hopelessness. But there is potential for change. The #MoveTheDate campaign highlights how many days we can move the overshoot date by implementing different solutions, such as expanding renewable energy, preventing food waste and improving women’s reproductive health. We can take this news as another reason to despair, or we can use this to fuel us into moving the date back for 2026. If we humans have created this problem, it only serves that we can create the solution too 💪

Right, let’s do something positive now, shall we? If you are looking for something to do this weekend which is fun, free and quick to get involved in, make sure you get involved in the Big Butterfly Count. Running until the 10th August, all you need is 15 minutes to observe the butterflies in your garden or local space and submit your results online or via the app, to contribute to data on these beautiful creatures and help protect them. I did this last Friday, and saw 10 different species in my garden! It was so exciting to observe some new species and a very joyful 15 minutes to be surrounded by so many colourful butterflies and see the impact of the bounty of wildflowers in my garden. Looking to improve butterfly habitat in your own garden? The Butterfly Conservation website has plenty of information on planting for butterflies. My advice – Grow a Buddleia plant, butterflies and other insects adore this plant, and it also looks fab and smells amazing! And be messy – a joyful mix of wildflowers in your garden creates a mini meadow, fantastic for pollinators and a gorgeous sight in summer.

Quick fire actions for July…

• Leave a dish of water out for wildlife – in hot weather finding water can be more challenging, so make sure as well as the good work you are doing creating habitats to leave out a shallow dish for drinking purposes 💦
• Put the laundry on the line – If you have one at home, leave the tumble dryer firmly switched off and dry your clothes outside. Save the energy and let the sun do the job for you ⛅
• Get off the phone! – Summer is here: Go on a bike ride, sit in the garden, take a walk in nature. Rewild yourself and let these principles guide you for the rest of the year 🌿
• Mid-year check-in – If you set sustainability goals for yourself back in January, check in and see where you are up to with them. If you’ve slipped off track, what can you do to bring your focus back? If you’ve achieved your goal, how can you now expand that action? Be kind to yourself and reflect on what can help you be more sustainable as the year goes on 📝

A mixed bag of a post here! But the essence is, there is a huge amount of work to be done, but we don’t have to be the problem, we can be the solution. Everyday we can choose to have a good day, be kind and make a difference. Happy July 🌞