The Future Is Circular!

Planet and People have been thinking about circular structures and ways to make our projects stronger and more sustainable.

We want to share our recent vision for growth with you and give you an insight into our thoughts.

We are currently starting our third term delivering Planet Action Workshops in schools and the calendar is filling up - we've met and delivered workshops to 2,200 kids now. We aim to design and offer a new workshop theme each term and this term we are adding Planet Minded to our menu of themes:

Speak Up' is a workshop we have devised in response to the growing global youth voice. Our workshop inspires children to speak up for the planet and use their voices to inspire and encourage us all to make the changes they want to see.

'Hope' is a workshop we have put together in response to the growing issue of climate anxiety in young people and encourages children to use hope as a fuel for action through focus on good news stories and through articulating the specific future that they want for their planet.

'This Year On Earth' ends the academic year on a high note - there is plenty of bad news around but what about the Euromillions winner who donated 200 million euros to reforestation projects or the re-discovery of the Hill's Horseshoe bat, thought to be extinct? In this workshop, children spend time focused on environmental good news stories and expressing them creatively through large-scale art (summer term only).

The 'Environmental Healthcheck' is a practical three week programme during which a school community can review where they are currently, and take steps onwards in their journey towards being more sustainable, more planet positive and more reflective in their choices and behaviours.

NEW FOR SEPT 2022:

'Planet Minded' looks at how the natural world impacts our minds - we look at scientific studies, our own experiences and think about how we can gain more benefits for wellbeing, thinking skills and brain boosts from time spent connecting to our planet.

We are offering these workshops fully funded and we have been blown away by the support of our funders and the belief that people have in what we are doing. Offering financial support is a huge statement of validation - we don’t take this lightly. But we know that this isn’t a long term solution - we need to stand on our own two feet.

I’ve really enjoyed the work of Kate Raworth and her ideas around circular economies. She talks about linear growth as a limited and limiting way to think. We can’t have endless growth on a finite planet and we need to have new ways of thinking, working and living. The circular way of thinking looks at how systems can feed into each other, how projects can support other projects and therefore ensure long term sustainability. Raworth’s ideas have got us thinking about how Planet and People could design a structure which follows this ethos - our efforts feeding into each other and supporting each area of our work to create long term and sustainable growth.

With this in mind, we have come up with the following vision:

Businesses - most businesses are aware that government pressure and customer demand is growing for greener business. Businesses that have better practices in relation to carbon, waste and energy use, to name just a few areas. Planet and People aims to do our bit in supporting change by offering ideas, networks and a membership programme where similar industries can come together and share best practice, take an honest look at systems and behaviours and make positive changes.

Income generation - not only will businesses be making positive steps for themselves and for the planet but also will know that the money they are spending on this programme is being used to invest in the next generation. There is a long term element to the changes we make TODAY, not just for the planet but also for people.

Schools - cost can not be the barrier to environmental education in schools. Until the Department for Education puts environmental education explicitly into the National Curriculum we are reliant on forward thinking teachers, outside provision (like Planet and People CIC) and proactive parents to give the next generation an understanding and the opportunity and empowerment to act in the light of the climate and ecological crisis.

Future workforce - imagine a future workforce with better understanding of our interconnectedness with the natural world, fresh perspective on our impact, better ideas on how business could be run FOR planet and not just people and the skills to make these changes happen.

We are working hard on this next stage of growth for Planet and People (CIC)! Get in touch if you have insights, questions, thoughts or challenges - we welcome it all. We want to be useful and effective in our work because we think it’s important - empowering the next generation AND business to create a better future for PLANET AND PEOPLE. In the interest of keeping to the circle theme, I come back to the summer… hopefully you had a chance to get out and enjoy connecting to all that Devon (or wherever you are) has to offer - beaches, moorlands, fields and forests. This is what inspires me to do more to protect our natural world.

Written by Bethia