I remember a time when the last item on the nightly TV news was introduced with: “…and finally” and it was always a really uplifting piece. It gave you something heartwarming to smile about as you headed off to bed: I think we could all do with a daily dose of that.
Did you know there are online news platforms that exist specifically to deliver wonderful news? Good News Shared is one such platform and they’re featuring a piece penned by our CEO, Tracey West. Here’s a taster:
OK, hands up, I confess: I’m an optimistic environmentalist.
With the constant barrage of sobering news stories that pop up on a daily basis about the existential threat we’re facing, it’s hard to imagine how anyone can retain an upbeat disposition, but I do.
I’ve been a writer and broadcaster on sustainable living for more than 2 decades and there have been countless gut-wrenching pieces in the media during that time. As a creative writer, I’ve always tried to take the freaky out of eco and encouraged people to lean towards the green.
I’ve met some illuminating visionaries over the years. The ones I feel a greater affinity towards share my optimistic view that together, we can make an incredible difference to ourselves and the big, squishy blue ball we all live on: our beautiful planet earth.
Back in 2017, my wonderful husband Simon and I founded The Word Forest Organisation, a small international reforestation charity based in Dorset. We plant trees, build schools, facilitate education and support women’s empowerment in rural Kenya. We plant there because trees in the tropics near the equator can grow up to 10 times faster than anywhere else in the world: in terms of mitigating climate chaos, they’re absolute beasts!
A mango tree for example, in a tiny handful of years, will have drawn down and locked in around ¼ of a tonne of CO 2 and other pollutants. At 5 years old, it’ll be around 12ft tall and bear 100 pieces of nutritious fruit. These deep-rooted evergreens provide a simple solution to our global crisis and are also able to put a serious dent in hunger and poverty too.
Strangely enough, the mango trees in Boré, Coast Province – one of the main areas we’re planting in – seem happier when Kenya suffers particularly hot years! As creatures and humans buckle under the pressure of drought (as they have many times in the past decade) the mango does its thing, undeterred. In fact, its beautiful flowers only burst forth when everything else is wilting in the heat.
If a mango tree had human traits, perhaps it would also be an optimistic environmentalist, saving its optimum output for when it was needed the most.
Want to read the rest of the piece?
Click here to visit Good News Shared, check out our story and many others that will help you keep a smile in your heart.
Tracey West and The Team
