FOR PLANET AND PEOPLE

Who’s Cheering For YOU!?

Jess: A BIG Happy New Year to you ALL! We've had a rough ride, all of us, but we need to give ourselves some praise for getting through this. We did it, we lived it, we took control of our lives and made the best of it in relentlessly anxiety-inducing times. Some of us ducked for cover, others went out and fought for their community, some on the front line, some behind the scenes. Some enjoyed the simple things, others grieved for those they lost and missed. We have all lived through a history not to be repeated, we've all suffered in the hands of 2020. Let these experiences, however different, unite us. Allow community to thrive, efforts to be rewarded, joy in simplicity, seeking positivity wherever we go, love to those we care for. Communicate, put energy into those relationships which feed and inspire us. Be kind and thankful. 2021 is here - hurrah! Let's do it, make the best of the time we have.

Bethia: I got rejected recently. It’s the worst feeling! I approached someone I know very vaguely to ask if they would help us sell a product. It took me two attempts to ask - the first time I went to her shop I ended up buying loads of things I didn’t need as I lost the nerve to ask her. The second time, I finally plucked up the courage to ask for her help. She was polite enough. It wasn’t her “no” that got to me. It was her version of “no”. It was an excuse. I understand that people can’t always help - there are really good reasons why. But your “no” can still be full of support and encouragement and leave someone feeling buoyed up. Her “no” made me feel squashed.

In the light of this experience, we have been thinking about how Planet & People can build a supportive culture. If that’s what we need from others, then let’s be a catalyst for it. We are going to commit every other blog to telling you about someone or something that we want to boost up. The idea is not for marketing - you can buy if you want to, but that’s not the aim. The aim is simply to put their idea, efforts and work in front of you and say “isn’t this great”. The aim is to support and spread a culture of lifting others up because it is hard to be a small business owner, a parent, an environmentalist, a local grower, anyone in any sort of minority situation and a million other efforts and slogs that people are doing out there that we want to applaud! So. Watch this space. We absolutely need people cheering for us and so we are actively making sure that we are doing it too.

Jess: If you are keen to be part of our eco-clan, to support each other, to give and to promote one another, please let us know who you are! We are developing our eco-friendly community pages and we'd love you (and your business) to feature. Whether you are a small business owner, a community champion, or someone who's just got a real passion for planet and people and wants to share it, drop us a note and we'll add you to our eco-collective.

hello@planetandpeople.co.uk

FOR PLANET AND PEOPLE is a weekly blog conversation by ‘Planet & People’ to reflect our values and behaviours and encourage open conversation on topical eco-issues.

We are the creators of 'Planet Action Kit', inspiring kids to LOVE the Earth. PAK is an educational resource and subscription activity box providing personalised learning resources engaging budding planet-friendly kids. The activities focus on the four main themes: Love, Observe, inVolve and Enjoy and are centred around matters of environment and sustainability.

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