Introducing: Action Stations! For the health of this planet and its people
Public health to Pilates
Before I launched the great ship Lark, I worked in global communications, public health policy for an international NGO type thing. Tobacco control was my bag — we worked with governments to develop and implement policies to help people stop smoking / prevent people from starting to smoke. It was great and valuable work. Parts of it I loved, parts of it politically weighed me right down. After a bunch of years I left, having learnt an awful lot.
One very useful thing I now know, is that to make any significant population-level change in behaviour, three ingredients are needed:
- Action from individuals — that’s you and I
- Action from governments
- Action from businesses
All three ingredients pulling together can make a beautiful new something. But often one lot pulls harder than the rest, in one direction or another. Which can lead to a mess.
Why all this technical twaddle Dollerson?
Because now is the time.
People and planet. Restoration.
Protect what you love.
So, but how the heck is this relevant to Pilates again?
Our health is rooted in the health of our planet
Pilates is designed for restoration of bodies to health and strength, alongside good nutrition.
But we cannot hope for restoration of our own health if we continue to poison our home.
In the midst of this dreadful time for so many, there are chinks of light and hope: it’s you and I working in our strange new reality, making small decisions, taking small actions, using our powerful words. We can’t do it all, we just can’t. But we can begin. And this is a cheering and hopeful thing.
So in Lark Pilates newsletters, in a tiny way, I’m going to do a bit of my bit: writing about some positive practical things that I am doing — to save you guys some legwork, if you will. Under the header: Action Stations! (First instalment hit inboxes yesterday, see image below.) This will of course sit alongside all the usual updates and adventures from Lark HQ.
Protect what you love
I have some pretty feisty tiny people in my life, and I jolly well want to have a decent answer when they ask me what I did to protect their planet. So I spend good time and energy thinking about and researching this stuff, and trying to make the best decisions I can. It’s not perfect, but a beginning.
So let’s cheer each other on to pull in the right direction, and support and champion businesses that are doing the same. As well as telling our elected representatives in parliament that now is the time for change!
You can’t turn a tanker quick, with one shift of the rudder. But if we get our skates on now, there is still hope.
So. What can you expect from this new little newsletter section? Not all these words in future, believe you me! Far too heartfelt. Far too long!
But you can expect snippets of info on: great businesses and products, journalism and art, maybe a bit of science, charities and organisations — in short, stuff curated to encourage positive action: from us as individuals, from business and from government. Ideas to cheer us all on to make happier choices for our home, this beautiful planet Earth.
Skates on team!
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