GO OUTSIDE #15: How to survive online in 2023
Resilience, self-care, and the lessons we’ve learned for ongoing activism
Have you been outside today?
Climate Report:
Remember when a container ship got stuck in the Suez Canal and disrupted global trade for a week? The Panama Canal is facing a similar threat, but this time from climate change-induced drought.
Also, if you’re swimming along the UK coasts, keep an eye out for the unusual jellyfish showing up in the warming waters (and be careful!).
Founders Intro:
STEWARD exists because we believe technology can better the world we live in, rather than permanently damage it.
Technology is a tool that has allowed us a huge amount of mobility and action. More and more we are seeing communities built and voices lifted up. We are educating ourselves about things we would not have had access to previously. Online we are seeing people learn, have their eyes opened, and their perspectives changed.
But the devastating violence happening around the world coupled with this unparalleled access to information and on-the-ground reports is causing widespread collective grief and anger, and people aren’t doing too well. Remaining present and supportive of your global community can be hard, and using technology and social media can be an emotional trigger.
The STEWARD team has been feeling it, and if you have too, read on to learn more about the practices we can borrow from the climate community (where research is already being conducted on the links between action and mental health resilience) to help make the digital space somewhere we can exist sustainably.
Look after yourselves,
Steward Marna xx
Acknowledge your feelings
Burying them or trying to push through won’t help, and you’ll find your emotional state will begin to impact other areas of your life. Taking some time to think about how you feel, and identifying your emotions is a great place to start.
Talking is also good! Find an online or IRL forum where you can share how you’re feeling with people who understand where you’re coming from.
Take breaks from social media
If the sadness or the anger becomes overwhelming, take a break. This could be a day or an hour, but if you find your soul getting a little too heavy, or if a message exchange becomes too heated, take a step away so you can re-approach the situation with a clear head.
Educate yourself
Rather than doom scrolling, click the links that take you to pages that help contextualize what’s going on, and learn why this is happening. Try to find trusted sources so that you can approach conversations online with confidence.
Take action
Action is the antidote to apathy! What are your skills, and how can you use them? If you’re a good communicator, attend an IRL meetup; if you’re an admin pro, help people contact their political representatives. Find a community to work with - we’re better and stronger together, and there are so many grassroot organizations mobilizing for action.
Go outside
Of course we would say this, but studies show that grounding yourself in nature has a positive effect on your brain chemistry, and lowers your stress hormones. In Japan they call this forest bathing, or shirin yoku. If the digital space is getting too much, take a sec to reconnect with your local ecosystem.
Technology is what brings our global network together, so we can’t let the negative repercussions of this connectivity be the reason we don’t use it for good. If you try these techniques, let us know how they work for you!
What’s going on in Climate 3.0?
You may have heard of direct air capture to reduce carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, but have you seen that carbon dioxide turned into vodka and perfume? AIR COMPANY has developed state-of-the-art technology to distill atmospheric greenhouse gases into sustainable aviation fuel, spirits, and fragrances.
Steward Spotlight:
Meet our two newest STEWARD Eco-Ambassadors, Kaixi and Kaleef!
Kaixi is an Eco-Ambassador of the Grasslands ecosystem. She is the founder of ENTITY Design Studio, a creative consultancy of engineers and environmental scientists architecting sustainability solutions for a variety of industries.
Kaleef is an Eco-Ambassador of the Ocean ecosystem, based in New Jersey. He is a sustainability communicator, storyteller, and advocate passionate about ocean conservation and protecting the diverse marine life around us.
Lucky links:
Follow us on instagram, threads, twitter, linkedin & check out our website
Want to become a STEWARD?
1. have a digital wallet (step-by-step guide)
2. join and share this Substack community
3. get ready to buy a piece of digital art for our second mint wave in November!