One of the first and most important steps to reducing your global footprint is to gain a respect for the environment. There is no better way of achieving this than to get out there and enjoy the outdoors. Our Earth is an amazing place and can really open our eyes to its beauty if only we were more in touch with it. I think that the West is very disconnected with the environment. For example, many people barely get outdoors (and we wonder why there is a weight problem) and children don’t even know where food comes from anymore (they don’t see vegetable gardens, they see supermarkets).

The mentality is such that we think our planet is full of endless resources here for our mass consumption. This is a very misguided vision since resources are finite and even those that are renewable are being used at a faster rate than they can be replenished. If only people would get out and enjoy the outdoors more often, maybe they would gain more respect for the environment. This could do wonders for our planet and I would argue that it is the human-Earth disconnect that plays a large role in environmental damage. So, the next time you want to go shopping because you’re bored, try something new and go out and enjoy the outdoors; our planet will thank you.