Shyman saves the world...

Jakey (aka Si Jakeman, aka Shyman) is another great guy I met on Twitter.  Probably via Hen, if I recall.  We don’t chat a lot but we have the odd exchange on shamanism, on dreams, on the earth, on deep ecology, on the concept of the 100^th monkey. J I love his open heart and mind, his enthusiasm, his huge desire for understanding, his respect for the world and everything in it, his total lack of ego.  I also share his frustration that people just don’t open their eyes and see what we’re doing to this beautiful world of ours. 

Anyhow, the other day it popped into my head that I’d ask him to do a guest post for the blog. And he said, sure, what do you want me to write about?  And I said, how about How to Save the World? And he said, Crikey, is that all?  And he laughed and said he’d go away (probably to his allotment) and think about it.  And this is what he said…

“HOW TO SAVE THE WORLD? 

Sounds like something you would ask Flash Gordon, James Bond, Superman or Wonderwoman to 

help out with. Arctic melting, floods, Trees being cut down in the Amazon; Animals and Birds facing

extinction, overfishing and bees dying. You know the drill.

You’ve been preached to and teached to over the years. We’re all aware of the problems the world

faces. The trouble is, it all seems so separated from our everyday thoughts. We are all on an

increasing speeding treadmill trying to keep plates spinning as we juggle our busy lives.

There is so much information coming from different directions, the little voices in the wilderness are 

often drowned out by views from others with more power and greed-biased agendas.

We are in strange times at the moment. Economic and social collapse seem to be heading towards 

us like a huge tidal wave, which our politicians are obsessed with controlling, like King Canute (even 

though he was actually showing that even a King couldn't control nature.) - it always seems like we 

are on the verge of impending doom, a new fear factor. The trouble is, it makes us hide away our 

thoughts.

A few years ago, on a spring morning, I was pondering all this mess. In a split second of clarity I 

realised none of this really mattered. Just out of the blue, I noticed I was not outside but in and 

amongst nature. Bees buzzing, Birds singing, Trees about to burst back into leaf and clouds racing 

across the sky.

I just realised it was all Interconnected and I was part of it all too… not in a tree hugging or a

religious way…more of a smelling the coffee kind of way. As a child of the 70’s/80’s, a scout, 

a cross-country runner, I grew up outside. My dad always taught us names of Butterflies, Birds

and Trees; looking at the Stars etc. My grandad grew fruit and veg and my godfather’s family 

even owned a farm… It all just flew into place. As kids, my generation was always outside, 

the kids that stayed in were the strange ones. I started thinking about how could we expect 

the next generation to protect nature, if they didn’t know it?

While our politicians were banging on about Economics and Society…I was thinking that the 

environment was the keystone that held them together. I wanted to play my small part in 

changing attitudes towards it. As a frontline Firefighter for nearly 20 years, I’ve been one of 

the bods in the boat evacuating people from flooded houses; I’ve chased wildfires through the 

woods and picked up the pieces of storm damage. I’ve stared natural disasters in the eye. 

It all seems a bit personal. I wanted to do my little bit in slowing this, but how?

An idea of growing a bit of locally grown fruit and veg with family friends and neighbours was the

start, a way of getting everyone back outside, meeting the odd Bird, Bee, and Bug along the way

and reconnecting with nature. I even started growing a small amount of food at work on the 

fire station roof, and eventually became a green champion. Turning the odd light off, recycling, 

getting a cycle rack installed etc., etc. - all little actions slowly adding up to make a change. Even 

by putting recycling bins and a few signs in the right place has made a difference.

I’m now studying for an Environment Studies degree so I can get more informed. I’ve never 

preached to anyone, just tried to set a quiet example. It’s amazing how many people have come

on board in their own time…

It’s been about planting little seeds so people change without knowing.

People hate being told what to do, especially about how to save the world. But if everyone could

just be mindful that everything is Interconnected… things will change. Even if it’s not taking a 

plastic bag to carry bread and milk in, on the way home from work. If you think about it they’re 

already in containers.

Every little action counts: a marathon starts with one small step.

So… How do you save the world? Well I’m not sure… but I know there are heroes with 

thousands of different faces..

Thanks for listening…….laters.”

Huge thanks, Jakey! 

Check out Jakey’s website here – and then, well…it’s up to you. J

Also check out these sites he recommends…

Save our Woods

Incredible Edible Todmorden

Take a look at what Todmorden is doing...

Earth Hour and beansprouts

I keep writing blog posts and deleting them. You ever do that? Sometimes it’s enough to write something just for you. Once you’ve written it, there’s no longer any need to publish it. Sometimes I feel like that about everything I write, come to think of it. I wonder if this post will make it? J

Anyhow. I got sent an email about Earth Hour. And I took a look.  And I thought, yeah, why not?  It’s organised by the WWF and the idea is simple. On 31 March 2012, at 8.30pm (GMT), everyone turns off their lights for one hour, right across the planet. Now you can guess why I like this, huh, given that here in Dulverton we had our own mini Earth hour last week? 

It’s not just about saving electricity; it’s about thinking about the planet, about our current home and how we have a big global problem going on and that being NIMBYish, sticking our heads in the sand and saying ‘I’m alright, Jack’ ain’t gonna solve it.  Maybe it’s too late anyhow…  Maybe we’ve already reached the tipping point and swung over.  But still…it’s a beautiful world, it really is.  Just open your eyes and look around you.  While you still can.  

But anyhow. Earth Hour. Yes. Nice idea. The guys at WWF suggest you make it special.  Go somewhere awesome to watch the switch-off – like the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids of Gizeh, Sydney Opera House…  Or stay at home with candles and fire (so, much like most nights for me.. J) and cook a special meal (so, not like me…) 

They’ve got a bunch of chefs on-board to suggest ideas for cool cookouts. Some 'celebrity' (yuck). But I’m rather taken by the recipes of Ching-He Huang – obviously cos they’re vegetarian but also because I’ve never been wild on Chinese cooking (don’t get beansprouts, don’t see the point of water chestnuts) but these look quite…tasty. And I do so love to change my mind...

Red cabbage and edamame salad

Serves 4

50g shredded red cabbage

100g edamame beans (you can buy frozen)

1 medium Fresno chilli, deseeded and finely chopped.

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl.  Chill for 20 mins and then serve.  Yeah, I could do that!

And then she cooks up Veggie Mama – the monster of all stir-fries for Mother Nature.  But there’s way too much to type out here so I’ll link you to the vid…  Nice.

Sweet potato brown rice

Serves 4 to share

300g brown rice

400g sweet potato (peel and cut into small chunks)

600ml water

Wash the rice well, until the water runs clean.  Put all the ingredients into a pan and bring to the boil. Once boiled, reduce to a simmer and cook on a low heat for 20 minutes.  Fluff the rice and serve immediately.

Then there’s pudding, of course…

And, finally, tea…

Bon apetit…