As media consumption becomes increasingly fragmented, divisive, and delivered in indigestible portions of scrolling, statistics, news and op-eds, the simple act of switching off and pulling back from public discourse presents itself as an attractive alternative to the political fray. If there’s one thing we’ve learnt from our interviews with artists and ecologists while putting together this issue, it’s this: the most effective breed of environmentalism starts at home, so to speak, in cultivating a personal philosophy centered around applied ecology and purpose-driven, conscious engagement with one’s environment.

In his essay, Dark Ecology, Paul Kingsnorth proposes a list of solutions that would “not be a waste of time” when it comes to conservation, and they are all rooted at the individual, practical level. Withdrawing: to “allow yourself to sit back quietly and feel, intuit, working out what is right for you and what nature might need from you.” Rewilding land, planting a garden, creating places or networks that act as refuges, getting your hands dirty, grounding yourself in things and places, remembering that everything has intrinsic value, beyond utility, sitting on grass, touching a tree, walking into the hills, marveling at “what the hell this thing called life could possible be..”

Over the course of this issue, we chose to steer clear of doomsday perspectives and to instead address the many inspiring ways in which creative individuals or micro-communities are shaping a more harmonious connection with the natural world