Coronavirus- Please hit your reset button.. NOW.

As I write this I am in a mild state of shock as Coronavirus cancels 6 months of hard work on my show garden at the Ideal Home Show…. I am not the only one reaching for the calming CBD oil I’m sure. Coronavirus is going to lead to a time of turmoil and disruption on a scale that we have not seen before.

Initially, we have seen mass panic buying of toilet roll (please note: no medic as confirmed that anyone has suffered diarrhea as a symptom ????!!) and pasta being bought in bulk, companies banning travel and people instructed to stay home and work, no conferences, no lunches no gatherings and now NO SCHOOL. I can almost hear the wine corks popping as families try to figure out what homeschooling may mean. Suddenly stockpiling wine rather than loo roll seems like it may have been more sensible!!!!!

Corona will ultimately force us to reduce our consumption as we all get used to not wasting food, not traveling, not going out and living in a more simple way. Maybe as we are forced to stay at home we will learn the art of slowing down, of appreciating what’s important, becoming more self-sufficient, sustainable and mindful,

Now is a time to take Government advice, to stay home, to isolate and to be sensible. I appreciate this is stressful but it must be done. How many of us are secretly are longing for the excuse to step off the hamster wheel for a few weeks, to read that book that has sat on the bedside table for months, to take the kids for that long walk we have meant to do for months, to plant the seeds that we promise we will do every year so that we can have a vegetable patch in the summer.

For so long more pressing things are always getting in the way of just living. We all work so hard to afford the things that maybe we will realise we don’t actually need or want. If I am honest I was feeling and have felt for a while out of balance. I want a simpler life but it’s so hard to take myself off the race that is now what we call life. My children are also caught up in a whirlwind of school, far too much homework and exams. This is a chance to just stop and breathe, to reset and reevaluate what brings us joy in life.

I honestly feel that this is not just a chance for us to reset, but a time for mother nature to repair and reset too. Suddenly lots the things I had wanted people to take note of from a sustainable living point of view, are being forced on them, people are also being forced to question their choices and values. Brilliant, I don’t need to nag you all for a few weeks!!!!

So in a few weeks, whats changed?

Travel has stopped, fuel emissions are at an all-time low allowing the air over places like China to recover. Nasa maps show falling levels of nitrogen dioxide this year.It comes amid record declines in China's factory activity as manufacturers stop work in a bid to contain the coronavirus. At last, we have been given some real facts and visuals to show the damage we are doing.

As companies are forced to do conference calls and zoom calls will they see just how productive they can be without flying people halfway around the world for meetings? I am not saying that commuting to an office and working with a team is not essential for team camaraderie and mental wellbeing, not to mention productivity but I do think it will make everyone stop this flippant need to travel. As more people around the world are quarantined we are seeing fewer and fewer emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases from cars, planes etc and the air around us is clearer.Do you know that air pollution kills 7 million people a year according to the world health organisation but hey nobody was talking about that.

The fear and panic that people are feeling as they walk into supermarkets to find shelves empty must reinforce the idea of self-sustainability, of growing some of what you need in your garden if you can. While the supermarkets are depleted and some serious questionable behavior is going down the the loo role aisle, local butchers, farm shops and bakers and independents have stock, as people rediscover the alternatives to the big chains maybe loyalties will change. A change in buying habits ultimately will reduce the carbon footprint of the food we buy without being preached to, we have been given a chance to see what shopping sustainably looks like. Independents use less packaging, indeed all my refill shops had stock - there has never been a better time to start using the refill option and finding your local refill stores.

A story this week that blew my mind was that the waters of Venice are now clear, with fish visible- some reports suggest that Dolphins have returned to play in the rivers even. I can't be the only one wondering what the hell were we doing, why were we taking so much of this wonderful planet for granted.Is this what happens in such a short time when we are forced to stop depleting resources?

As people worry about having less food they become more interested in Zero waste recipes, the wartime motto “waste not want not” seems so relevant. I have been inundated with people wanting to know more about growing lettuces from the stumps we usually discard, finally people are waking up to their normally wasteful ways. Suddenly hot tubs in your garden are out this year it's all about the raised bed and greenhouse. I have to say I am delighted as I see a return to the Good Life happening all around me.

Being stuck at home in isolation I know will be a challenge but let’s use this time wisely. Don’t just flop on the sofa and pop on the TV, this I guarantee, you will lead to a feeling of depression, use this time as a gift to reset your mind. Read the books you wanted, start a new hobby, garden, get out on walks in the fresh air and focus on fitness. My girls are growing so fast I will treasure the extra time I have with them to pass on the lessons I want to teach them. These are the things that in our normal busy lives and with a stupid homework agenda always seem to get popped to the back of the line. Cooking, growing, fixing, making- all the things that you need when the shit hits the fan, all the things you need to live sustainably, all the things that can make you happy.

I'm seeing a real surge in the sense of community, people meeting neighbours that two weeks ago they never knew existed. People offering help to the elderly, sharing and caring has returned. A lovely sense that we are in it together. It's all very well having 4000 virtual friends but that's no replacement for the real ones right there on your doorstep. This I think will be a lovely lesson for the children who seem lost in a world of tiktok and apps - real community, real friends are what makes the world go round.

I pray that when we come out on the other side of this we take note, its as if Mother Nature has been given the chance to show us what the world should look like if we just stop messing things up, Mother Earth is resetting, we have to have been warned . Can we really let things go back to how they were, I for one want the Dolphins to continue to swim to Venice.

A note to us all- was working all the hours and traveling miles each week making us happy, was working hard to earn money to buy the food we waste worth it? Was the convenience of having everything packaged in plastic worth the mess we had made of the world. Can you carry on baking bread, growing veg and being more frugal? Can you holiday more locally sometimes? Did the sense of community and spending time with those around us, maybe those who normally wouldn’t feature in our social circle give you more of a dopamine hit than scrolling though facebook? When you realised that you needed less was the pressure you felt to work work work relaxed, has your stress and anxiety reduced.

Sure tough times ahead for those like me, who have had most jobs in the event world cancel but somehow I am not all doom and gloom. I offer sympathy to all those affected by Corona and pray that those sick make a speedy recovery, I am grateful for the key workers and NHS staff, you are so appreciated and I in no way play down the severity of what we all need to do to contain the spread of the virus. All I am saying is please let this be a chance for us all to rethink and reset- some good must come from all this suffering. This is our chance, so wherever your reset button is - PRESS IT NOW and let’s move forward to a post corona era with a renewed sense of what really matters.

Love to you all, stay health and happy and if you’re bored lots of my older blogs give you ideas of what you can do to keep yourselves entertained.

On instagram every day I will be posting some ideas to keep you sane and sustainable so click here to follow and come and join the chat,

AND ..more ideas on how to be sustainable are on my Warriors on Waste Website making like easier.

Love always

Lynne xx