{"id":5928,"date":"2022-03-18T14:10:55","date_gmt":"2022-03-18T13:10:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/lichfield\/?p=5928"},"modified":"2022-03-18T15:56:23","modified_gmt":"2022-03-18T14:56:23","slug":"project-starfish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sigbi.org\/lichfield\/2022\/03\/18\/project-starfish\/","title":{"rendered":"Project Starfish"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our Club Business meeting on March 9th saw the launch of our 2022-3 environmental project – Project Starfish – which is all about cutting our personal carbon footprint.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is very easy to be both overwhelmed and depressed, even panicked by the problems and challenges created by global warming and our abuse of the planet on which we live – whether that\u2019s through indifference, a lack of understanding or a lack of action.<\/span><\/p>\n

But it\u2019s really important to remember that each of us <\/span>can<\/b> make a difference. It might seem insignificant in the overall scheme of things, but it\u2019s not!\u00a0 By each of us making a conscious decision to change our behaviour and actions, the sum total of what we do will make a real difference to the world around us. It\u2019s the old \u201c2+2=5\u201d <\/span>synergy thing\u2026<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

One of the most important things we can do is share knowledge and experiences.\u00a0 We must \u201csteal\u201d other people’s ideas with pride, while not forgetting to do our own research and thinking through the knock on effects of our choices.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Project Starfish?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Project<\/a>A couple of years ago when club member Margaret Galuszka was Midland Chase Regional President she used the starfish analogy of making a difference by saving one starfish at a time. You can view a short video of the <\/span>Starfish Story here<\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For our Planet sub group this analogy embodies what we want to achieve over the next year (and beyond)\u00a0 in the club.<\/span><\/p>\n

We want to do many small things and make many small changes – without being overly competitive or prescriptive, or by \u201cnaming and shaming\u201d. That approach doesn\u2019t work.\u00a0 As anyone who\u2019s ever tried to lose weight will know, the moment you are proscribed something is the moment you crave it most, so why bother? It\u2019s counterproductive. Everything in moderation is the answer and that\u2019s our approach here.<\/span><\/p>\n

How did Project Starfish come about?<\/span><\/h2>\n

We held an online Planet Conference during lockdown which was very successful.\u00a0 Not only did it allow us to raise funds for planting trees as part of the Centenary Project, but it helped educate and signpost us to some excellent resources such as the Carbon Buddy Manual, and various United Nations materials.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Planting<\/a>
Christine planting hedges!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During lockdown we\u2019ve also managed – thanks to the sterling efforts of members – to carry out several litter picks, plant bulbs and trees including hedges and an orchard, and participate in citizen science projects and community gardening. Our reuse and repurposing efforts have massively increased, and we can redirect a much wider range of items from landfill as a result including unwanted tech items such as tablets and computers, crisp packets and other \u201cmixed media\u201d packaging..<\/span><\/p>\n

But we needed to be able to be together for the launch of our core project and that finally happened in March ready for the new Presidential Year\u2026Being in the room with most of our members was key to the successful launch and gaining buy-in, enthusiasm and engagement.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Project Starfish?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Project Starfish is \u201csimply\u201d a way of capturing those individual pledges to make change, sharing them with others and consolidating them into an overall measure of progress for the whole club.<\/span><\/p>\n

We all prepared for the launch by carrying out a Personal Carbon Footprint Calculation.\u00a0 Most of us didn\u2019t like the results. Others were pleasantly surprised. Either way it gave each of us a good insight into areas we might like to take a closer look at as individuals or households.<\/span><\/p>\n

In table groups we shared our carbon footprint results (IF we wished) and talked through various themes to capture some of the actions we wanted to consider or take. These included:<\/span><\/p>\n