CLAIRE (Cause, Lifestyle, Action, Impact, Research and Review, Evangelise and Enjoy).
For each letter, I have summarised what I have learnt and provided links to the relevant blog-posts.
1. Cause
I will have a greater impact for the nature that I love through the organisations I work for, the charities I support and the groups that I belong to. I am more convinced than ever that we can, and should, all do something.
1.1. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/about-this-blog/
1.2. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2019/10/04/what-we-do-defines-us/
1.3. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2018/07/30/the-nature-that-i-love-3/ – I will share my love for Binfield’s nature with the people who live or visit the parish. I will encourage others to share information, about Binfield’s nature, more widely and in a more engaging way. I will learn more about the local butterflies and bats.
1.4. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2018/07/13/the-nature-that-i-love-2/ – The places that I love all seem to be “edges”, the places where land and sea, or land and sky meet. They all meet some personal view of what natural is, and yet they are all the way they are because of the action of man.
1.5. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/the-nature-that-i-love/ – “In every case there is something that you and I can do to have a positive impact on the populations of these species.”
1.6. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2018/03/15/elwood/ -“… if we can restore red kites to the skies of Wales and the Thames Valley, then we can restore the Hen Harrier to the skies of Wales, Northern Ireland, Southern Scotland and Northern England.”
2. Lifestyle
I will reduce the impact of my lifestyle on the nature that I love.
Diet / drink – I will choose drinks made from organic ingredients where the negative impacts of production and transportation have been minimised and/or drinks with strong sustainability credentials (e.g. beers from Toast and wines from Symington, Fetzer etc.)
2.1. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2022/10/06/drinking-in-the-cotswolds/
2.2. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2021/11/23/what-wine-or-whisky-should-i-drink/
2.3. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2020/11/06/what-should-i-drink-conclusions/
2.4. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2020/10/26/should-i-drink-cider/
2.5. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2020/08/28/what-should-i-drink/
Diet / food – I will make more use of the food that we produce on the allotment, and I will batch cook more. To ensure that I get enough protein, I will eat more beans and pulses and I will (probably) reintroduce small amounts of wild meat to my diet as the opportunity arises. I will reduce the amount of dairy that I eat, for example, by treating cheese as a flavouring rather than the main component of a meal.
2.6. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2021/01/29/oh-deer/
2.7. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2020/02/08/plucking-pheasants/
2.8. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2020/01/11/you-are-what-you-eat-2/
2.9. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2020/01/07/you-are-what-you-eat/
Recreation – I will continue to take part in outdoor activities and will prioritise those things that give me greater pleasure (e.g. more walking and less cricket)
2.10. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2021/05/31/cricket-or-walking/
Managing my money – I will actively manage our money (e.g. monitoring fund changes in pension schemes) to balance returns and positive impacts on nature, and I will donate excessive gains in a way that maximises impact.
2.11. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2020/04/24/investing-for-nature/
3. Act
I will do more of the things that are having a positive impact on the nature I love and on my physical and mental well-being.
Walking and enjoying nature
3.1. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2019/07/25/come-for-a-walk-with-me/
3.2. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2020/09/16/come-for-a-walk-with-me-again/
3.3. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2020/12/31/walking-in-2020-and-2021/
3.4. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2018/09/07/25-years-on-1/
3.5. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2021/05/29/jurassic-reflections/
3.7. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2021/09/10/one-down-three-to-go/
3.8. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2021/09/16/two-down-two-to-go/
3.9. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2021/10/04/four-challenges-completed/
3.10. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2023/05/17/jurassic-reflections-2/
I will continue to get my hands dirty doing practical conservation and look for opportunities to increase my impact.
3.11. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2020/07/07/come-on-you-blues/
3.12. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2020/06/29/nightjars-build-it-and-they-will-come/
3.13. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2019/12/02/dear-john/
3.15. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2019/06/07/football-or-cricket/
3.16. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2018/04/16/conservation-volunteering/
I will donate to, or support conservation organisations that are: a good fit for me; offer a realistic solution to a problem; demonstrate a measurable positive impact; are well run; and where money is the best way for me to help solve the problem. I will remember that I am in charge and will walk away from opportunities that are not working for me:
3.17. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2020/06/06/why-is-it-so-hard-to-say-thank-you/
3.18. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2018/04/05/donating-to-nature-conservation/ – Donate to organisations that are financial effective, transparent, collaborate well, embrace new technology, and tell positive stories (rather than perpetuating a litany of woe). In other words, donate to excellent organisations.
I will: be more selective about the national campaigns that I support, favouring those where charities are working together; be more active in relevant local campaigns, especially where there is an opportunity to engage my MP; and engage with a small number of campaigns that change the dynamic between MPs and their constituents with respect to nature conservation.
3.19. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2023/10/19/neglected-green-spaces/
3.20. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2018/11/26/can-my-mp-help-me-save-nature/
3.21. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2018/09/25/a-nightingale-sang-in-berkeley-square/
I will keep my professional skills up to date and look for opportunities to apply them to organisations and projects that are a good fit for me (see donate / support)
3.22. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2021/12/11/what-should-i-do-with-my-time-4/ – look for opportunities to use my ideas about conservation project management with those organisations that I am already working with, or discussing working with; and look at the things that are in the intersection of ‘issues’ and ‘need’ but not in ‘resources’ and look for opportunities to gain resources in these areas (e.g. knowledge or skills).
3.23. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2018/10/08/what-should-i-do-with-my-time-3/ – Spend less time thinking and more time doing and being. Find more time for reading (about nature, impact and improving my skills)
I will pick litter
3.24. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2018/06/13/litter-picking-2/
3.25. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2018/03/12/litter-picking/
I will remember that action is more important than words …
3.26. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2018/04/29/it-aint-what-you-do/ – “Perhaps looking at things from the perspective of an 80s pop act isn’t a bad way to find new ways to solve a problem.”
… and to keep reviewing whether I am doing the right actions.
3.27. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2018/03/28/what-should-i-do-with-my-time/ – Am I thinking enough about scale, neglectedness, tractability, and personal fit?
4. Impact (measurement)
I will find a way to estimate and hence maximise my impact. I am convinced that I can have an impact by taking part in a range of activities and continually tweaking this to maximise my impact. Thinking of this like managing an investment portfolio implies that I should take on a high risk, high impact activity (e.g. involvement with Heal or Ethos).
4.1. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2018/05/30/struggling-to-see-the-wood-for-the-trees/ – I need to estimate the diversity of species and/or habitats helped by my actions. I should focus my actions on areas with, or with the potential to have, more biological diversity and I should not be using my time to save individual species
5. Research and Review
I will regularly review my progress and I will continue to research conservation, project management and related topics.
I will review my progress:
5.1. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2022/03/26/four-years-on/ – “… do more to share my love of nature with others in a number of different ways. I will be increasing the amount of species surveying that I am doing and am helping others get involved. I will continue to work on a couple of biodiversity net gain projects. I have some interesting opportunities to join organisations and projects up.
In year five I will be doing my best to gather and present facts in the form of compelling stories to address some of the issues related to the conservation projects that I am involved in. These research and writing projects will include one or more of the following: woodlarks versus skylarks; bats and energy efficient streetlights; whether we’ve got ragwort all wrong, etc. …”
5.2. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2021/05/07/juggling/ – stop trying to fit things into a regular pattern, and take it a week at a time. Work out what I am committed to in the coming week and what I can fit round those commitments.
5.3. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2020/03/12/so-what-do-you-do-then/
5.4. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2018/10/08/what-should-i-do-with-my-time-3/ – I will revisit the Venn diagrams every few years; spend less time thinking and more time doing; make time for being; and find more time for reading, ideally reading that fits at the intersection of multiple sets.
5.5. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2018/08/20/the-r-word/ – I will maintain the routine with preferred activities on particular days, but I will: allow a bit more flexibility; allocate weeks (or the best part of weeks) in advance for projects like decorating; use holidays and other opportunities (e.g. walking days), to get away from email and other work-related distractions; and fit opportunities to my availability rather than vice versa.
5.6. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2018/06/29/what-should-i-do-with-my-time-2/ – have an impact in an area that fits you; look for the big, solvable, neglected problems; try and have impact in a number of different ways while working out what that personal, big, tractable, neglected problem is; spend more time doing, and proselytising about, the things that make me happy, such as walking (being) in the countryside; and apply my project management experience to the problems that I am trying to solve, and to encourage other project managers to help me.
I will research:
Conservation – good science is the gold standard and systematic reviews are the gold standard of science … looking for alternative points of view, ideally backed by good science, is important … use our talents to achieve positive things rather than to destroy the things created by others.
5.7. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2022/07/27/re-wilding-what-does-it-mean/ – “… I will use the language of re-wilding to encourage people to undertake small scale projects, while continuing to encourage and support large scale restoration projects. …”
5.8. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2021/12/22/biodiversity-net-gain/ – how do we get this to work across local authority boundaries? How do we make sure that we are not doing things for biodiversity that have a negative impact on local people (e.g. restricting their access to land), or the local economy? How do we avoid other unintended consequences like negative impacts on protected species / habitats?
5.9. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2019/11/22/from-driving-fast-cars-to-kicking-puppies/
5.10. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2019/10/04/what-we-do-defines-us/
Project Management – the right tools to use depend on the type of conservation project. There are three questions to ask, in this order, to determine the type of project: Is the problem clear (well-defined)? Is there a proven solution? And is that solution deliverable and sustainable? We have to be prepared to adapt our approach to conservation projects as information changes.
5.11. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2019/09/09/project-managers-can-save-the-world-2/
5.12. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2019/08/14/project-managers-can-save-the-world/
5.16. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2023/04/12/sponsoring-re-wilding-projects/
5.17. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2018/07/05/who-is-accountable-for-a-conservation-project/ – when a project’s complexity comes from temporal scope, effective sponsorship is more about the position than the individual (e.g. you have a succession of sponsors). When a project’s complexity comes from its spatial (geographic) scope, you could have a team of sponsors (with some form of controlling intelligence). When a project’s complexity comes from the context you reduce the scope of the project until you have something that you can control.
Challenge Walks – the skills and preparation I need to do a few more challenge walks and to support others in doing them:
5.18. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2021/05/31/cricket-or-walking/
6. Evangelise and Enjoy
I will do more of the things that I enjoy and I will share my enjoyment:
I will spend time walking and enjoying nature. I will encourage others to walk and enjoy the physical and mental health benefits (See Act / Walking)
6.1. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2022/05/17/bird-song/ – “… It seems that bird-song works on me in different ways. Certain individual birds remind me of particular places and times; whilst assemblages of song tell me that some parts of the world are working ok and give me an idea of where I am in it. …”
6.2. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2021/07/14/being-mindful-in-nature/
6.3. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2018/05/21/walking/ – “For me, walking is a way to reconnect with nature, to recharge my batteries, to stay physically and mentally fit, and to provide the space for relaxed conversations with my friends and myself. I think I have just learnt something powerful about why I love nature.”
I will promote practical conservation (and improve the effectiveness of conservation volunteering):
6.4. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2023/09/28/state-of-nature-2023/ – “… One of the things that I can do is focus my attention on the parts of the report that are relevant to the work that I am involved with and to learn from, and share the lessons from, the projects that are demonstrating success in those areas. We can all promote the report and encourage our elected representatives to pay attention to it …
We can all be the forest that Raynor Winn and Robert Macfarlane talk about by learning from others how to do something good in our own lives and localities and joining and celebrating the millions of other people doing the same.“
6.5. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2023/11/10/hedgerows-on-my-mind-2/
6.6. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2022/12/08/in-memoriam/ – “… The ancient oak trees will live on. We have gathered some of this year’s acorns. We will plant some of them within sight of the skeletons of their parents. As I write these words it occurs to me that there are other ways to remember the fallen. …”
6.7. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2023/08/20/more-ramblings-about-surveying/ – “… It feels to me that the groups that I am surveying with need to take control of their surveys and do those things that are useful to the groups and their stakeholders and which can engage like-minded people. Writing this piece has reminded me that one way to make surveying engaging and fun is to ask questions and share them with others. …”
6.8. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2022/08/20/surveying-nature-2/ – “… My conclusion from writing these two posts is that you need to be clear what you want to get out of surveying and recognise that this may change over time. The clarity of purpose will determine what type of survey is most appropriate: a generalist survey; a simple specialist survey; or a more scientific specialist surveys (e.g. based on transects). The purpose and the survey type will in turn help you decide what data you need and what you are going to do with it. This in turn will help you decide what tools to use, including what apps.
There are a few themes that I came across while researching these two blog-posts that I’d like to return to in future: the unintended consequences of surveying; remote surveying and using surveying to engage people with nature.”
6.9. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2022/06/27/surveying-nature/
6.10. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2022/04/18/hero-or-villain/
6.11. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2022/02/24/hedgerows-on-my-mind/
6.12. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2020/08/12/what-is-this/
6.13. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2020/02/28/conservation-volunteering-3/ (note that this is aimed at organisations using volunteers)
6.14. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2019/01/14/improving-the-effectiveness-of-volunteering/
I will share my love for nature:
6.15. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2022/03/17/where-eagles-dare/
6.16. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2020/05/24/i-love-this-tree/
6.17. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2019/02/12/sangs-and-fern-owls/
6.18. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2018/11/16/hedgehogs-and-hen-harriers/
I will give people ideas for things that they can do at home:
6.19. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2020/04/04/what-can-we-do-for-nature/
6.20. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2020/03/27/conservation-volunteering-during-a-pandemic/
I will write about the art that inspires me – I will continue to appreciate and be inspired by the art that resonates with me. If you do have an artistic talent perhaps you could use it to inspire others to do more for the creatures or places that you love.
6.21. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2023/03/20/five-years-on/
6.22. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2019/11/04/the-sentinel/
6.23. https://ecoworrier133969581.wordpress.com/2019/06/07/football-or-cricket/
I will improve the governance of conservation projects, and particularly those that relate to partnerships and/or the management of land for nature – see Research / Project Management.
It isn't easy being green 