January is over. Purportedly the least popular month of the year – this might possibly have something to do with Blue Monday. Personally I think that January gets a bad rap.

For me it is positive month. We celebrate fresh starts and promise to do more of what makes us happy. It is a month in which we make plans for the year ahead. A month in which we make resolutions and strive to better our lives. Many I know signed up to Veganuary a charity inspiring people to go vegan for January. Whether or not you agree with this on ethical grounds, I would urge you to try and be vegetarian one day a week. As Damian Mander said at our Festival in 2016, “that is the biggest contribution any one individual can make to conservation.

With films such as The Game Changers, which recently premiered to much acclaim at the Sundance Festival, soon to hit our screens, what we eat and the myth that meat is necessary for protein, strength and optimal health will no doubt become part of 2018’s zeitgeist. Hopefully so.

We hope you find your happy place, perhaps by travelling to the worlds happiest countries as classified by The Happy Planet Index. It measures what matters; sustainable wellbeing for all and how well nations are doing at achieving long, happy lives.

Thanks for reading

Justin Wateridge

Author: Justin Wateridge