GETTING INVOLVED AND MAKING A DIFFERENCE

We can work together for a better world with men and women of goodwill, those who radiate the intrinsic goodness of humankind. (Wangari Maathai, The Greenbelt Movement, Kenya)

Every day we are pulled in so many directions that often it is a challenge just to find a few minutes of quiet time to think and reflect, to be alone without any disturbances so that we are ourselves, for a short while. Because of this frenetic pace, and even though many of us feel passionately committed to a whole range of issues, often it is just too much effort to get involved hands-on in making a difference, and sadly this then presents its own dilemma, in that we are left feeling redundant and part of the world’s problems, rather than contributing meaningfully towards innovative solutions.

My advice to you would be to consider becoming an armchair activist - in that way, you are participating in important conservation work, making a difference, yet still managing to balance the pace of your life with minimal disruption to the flow. Every week I willingly add my name to campaigns and petitions, following my passions and supporting other people in their endeavours to protect animals, biodiversity and wilderness; and each time I submit my entry, I feel a sense of being part of some collective energy that is striving towards a better tomorrow, for ourselves and for all those souls still to come.

CAMPING IN AFRICA is about moonlit nights and the call of an eagle owl echoing across the dry plains, of smokey fires and the faraway heckling of hyenas; it is about the land, the people, the endless space, it is about wild life and wild places, it is about the hunter and the hunted. What is an African night without the roar of lions far beyond one’s campsite, reminding us of our shared place on earth, of a time long long ago when we walked fearfully amongst the great predators of the night, ever-mindful of our place in the community of life. Yet today, lion populations are diminishing at alarming rates and in all probably, free-ranging lions will disappear from Africa within the next few decades. In South Africa, the canned lion industry heaps insult on these, the greatest of Africa’s carnivores, by breeding and habituating animals and then killing then in a cruel and ruthless manner. Please support all efforts to oppose this insiduous trade.
Go to http://www.hsi.org/news/news/2010/07/south_africas_dark_side_072110.html and add your voice to this campaign that opposes the commercial racket of canned hunting. You can find out more about the industry at http://www.cannedlion.org/

Dereck and Beverley Joubert have recently launched the National Geographic Big Cats Initiative - to find out more or add your name to this crucial cause, visit http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/big-cats/

OURS IS A FREE-RANGE HOME. We do occasionally eat free-range chicken, but I am fastidious about where I buy the chicken as often even supposedly reputable stores don’t necessarily source true freerange produce. A great campaign well worth supporting is the UK-based Chicken Out! which was started by the incredible Hugh (not Laurie!) Fearnley-Wittingstall, who says: “I launched the national Chicken Out! campaign because I feel so strongly about the welfare of our chickens. My River Cottage TV series on Channel 4 has highlighted the unacceptable conditions in which most table birds are reared and I’m putting pressure on the UK industry to raise their standards.” To join this hugely worthy campaign, go to http://www.chickenout.tv/home.html and sign up as a Chicken Out! supporter. Ideally I would love to see the campaign being introduced in South Africa - I have put the word out there, so let’s see where it leads.

For updates and info on raising hens ethically visit the British Hen Welfare Trust at http://www.bhwt.org.uk/

ON THE SUBJECT OF FREE-RANGE PRODUCE, we live in an era where the consumer can to a considerable extent dictate trends in the retail market - if we buy, they produce. To this end, if you sense that a store is not purchasing or selling ethically, make a stand by contacting store management and if this is unsuccessful, visit http://www.ncf.org.za/ and find out more about your consumer rights - you can help put an end to unscrupulous activities that threaten our health and natural resources.

And likewise, if we make a collective stance against foods that are grown and packaged using the unhealthy technologies available today, we can work towards a healthier life for all. A simple analogy when it comes to the foods we eat is this - would you consciously choose to spray poison over your family’s food? In effect, modern agricultural practice does just that to most of the food we consume but because it is invisible and therefore insidious, we remain oblivious of this fact until over time, we become ill.

The journey is the reward. (Taoist proverb)

Years ago I lived in Chiswick, London for a few years and one of the retail stores I now enjoy browsing online is Eco Age who are based in Chiswick High Street. Established in 2008, they set out to promote sustainable, fair trade products that are funky and fun and created using ethical, responsible business practices. Visit their online shop at http://www.eco-age.com

The ever-industrious Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall, of River Cottage fame, recently launched a new campaign called Hugh’s Fish Fight that is looking into the wastage generated in the worldwide fishing industry. The website http://www.fishfight.net is the campaign hub accompanying Hugh’s Fish Fight and will be continuing its work over the coming months. Here you can find out more about the issues and lend your support to the campaign.

Read a Message from Stephen Fry

The escalating global ecological crisis – characterized by loss of natural habitat and ecosystem services, increasing species extinctions, and rapid warming of the planet – has demonstrated that conservation efforts to date have not been sufficient to sustain life on earth. If you believe that at least half of the planet needs protecting, in an interconnected way, join the WILD Foundation’s NATURE NEEDS HALF at http://natureneedshalf.org/home/

What is happening to our global society, that in today’s enlightened world where we have such an in-depth understanding of pain and suffering and an awareness of the millions of creatures great and small that have been eradicated in recent years through the relentless human footprint, that we can stand back and watch news broadcasts of rhino poaching, matriarch elephants being gunned down and their ivory hacked from their faces with pangas, and other appalling atrocities, and then just do nothing about it? These are global problems, they affect not only the well-being of individual animals, but also the well-being of our planet earth, they touch on the soul and collective spirit of all sentient beings who share the same land, the same breath, we are all interconnected, even though the thread of connection is intangible, indecipherable to the common eye. We are still joined together by a common ancestry, we are destined to live together on the earth until the very end. Please take a moment and sign the Forever Wild Campaign petition at http://wildernessfoundation.co.za/savetherhinos/

One of the organisations I have long-supported is GREENPEACE and especially their anti-whaling campaigns. Their ships are used at the forefront of anti-whaling campaigning, often sailing to remote areas to bear witness and take action against environmental destruction. “Greenpeace exists because this fragile earth deserves a voice. It needs solutions. It needs change. It needs action.” You can sign up and support their work at http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/My/sign-up/

In the US, the HUMANE SOCIETY do incredible, brave work on behalf of our animal friends. Visit their website at http://www.humanesociety.org/

In Kenya, my spiritual home, I follow with interest the work of WILDLIFE DIRECT which is a US registered charitable organization founded and chaired by well-known conservationist Dr Richard Leakey. WildlifeDirect was established in 2006 to provide support to conservationists in Africa directly on the ground via the use of blogs, which enables anybody, anywhere to play a direct and interactive role in the survival of some of the world’s most precious species. Find out about their amazing work at http://wildlifedirect.org/

Whilst still in Kenya, Dr Iain Douglas-Hamilton’s Save the Elephants is an incredible organisation committed to securing a future for the African elephant and sustaining the beauty and ecological integrity of the places in which they live. Iain recently won the prestigious Indianapolis Prize in the US, and in his acceptance speech said - “The Indianapolis Prize and the Lilly Medal is an honour which reminds us of our highest hopes and fears for the natural world. I accept it with deep gratitude and humility on behalf of all those who have struggled to retain what is natural, free and beautiful…” Visit their website at http://savetheelephants.com

ONE OF MY FAVOURITE HABITATS IS WETLAND. In Cape Town, I love packing a rucksack with tea and sandwiches and spending long hours at Rondevlei, sitting quietly in the hides and watching the myriad birdlife going about their daily lives. One of the organisations I support is the Wildlife and Wetlands Trust in the UK, founded by the naturalist Peter Scott. Their mission is “to save wetlands and their wildlife and raise awareness of the issues that affect their survival. To enhance people’s lives through learning about and being close to nature…” Visit their website at http://www.wwt.org.uk

When George Adamson was murdered by Somali shifta in the remote Northern Frontier District of Kenya, he left behind an enduring legacy that continues to this day to make a difference for wildlife, wild places and beleagured animals around the world. The BORN FREE FOUNDATION is run by Will Travers and his mother Virginia McKenna (who starred in the original Born Free movie with her husband Bill) and is “working throughout the world to stop individual wild animal suffering and protect threatened species in the wild.” Take a look at their work at http://www.bornfree.org/

Another issue close to my heart is the PROTECTION OF RAINFORESTS and the indigenous lives they support. Rainforests provide essential ecological benefits to all of humankind. They are also home to a vast number of cultures and societies who have lived close to the natural world for millennia. The Rainforest Foundation was the first international nonprofit to support indigenous peoples as a strategy for promoting social justice and halting the destruction of tropical forests worldwide. Visit http://www.rainforestfoundation.org/get-involved

A thousand mile journey begins with a single step……

No doubt influenced by my mentor the late anthropologist Dr Peter Becker, I have a deep connection with ancient earth cultures, especially the San peoples of southern Africa. One of the organisations that I follow keenly is SURVIVAL INTERNATIONAL who state that “Without your support we can do nothing. With it, we can help tribal peoples take on the governments and corporations that threaten their very existence – and win.” Visit their website at http://www.survivalinternational.org/ and add your voice to their crucial work.