I'm Liz Christou, founder of the movement. And like lots of us, I’ve always been a lover of nature. But when I took a deeper look into the ecological crises we’re all facing, I was so shocked by the impact that our modern lifestyles are having on our natural home, I was convinced that I should be living differently. Like everyone else, I struggled with where to start and how to do it, especially when life already feels busy. But in my day job I’d been solving big problems for a global brand, and I realised how perfectly the same approach could be applied to tackle this problem. The first core principle is getting to the real root cause of the issues to solve them. Einstein said that if he had an hour to save the world, he’d spend 55 minutes defining the problem and 5 minutes on the solution. So first I had to figure out what is really going on. I’m not the first person to realise that we are living in an overconsumption trap. And that it’s harming our wellbeing and that of our shared home. But the root cause of the problem isn’t actually the system. It’s how the animalistic part of the human brain, has created a system that focusses on maximising profit and forever producing and consuming more. And now the system keeps us trapped in a primitive mindset that always wants more. It’s the Consumer-Capitalism catch 22. Cambridge Professor Sir David King said: “To have a comfortable period into the future for perhaps 9 and a half billion people on the surface of the planet is an enormous ask… I’m going to say that if we continue with rampant consumerism which doesn’t produce any improvement in human wellbeing, we’re probably not going to manage it.” Once I knew I had to break free of consumerism, it was much easier to change my mindset, and begin to spend my money consciously. But making big changes overnight is hard, and often leads to more problems, so I used another core principle from the problem-solving techniques I practiced at work – bit-by-bit or iterative, continuous improvement – to adapt my lifestyle. In the process, I reduced my carbon footprint from around the UK average of 7 tonnes per year to just 3, massively decreased my ecological impact, and increased my personal wellbeing in lots of ways… Like feeling better from spending more time with friends and family and in nature, rather than shopping. Feeling a sense of doing something for the greater good through supporting the type of organisation that does good in the world. And feeling a sense of achievement from learning about how to live a richer and more sustainable lifestyle. I wrote a book to share my experiences and give people guidance on what changes to make and how, by applying the same techniques that I had. The aim of the book was also to shine a light on the issue of overconsumption. And highlight that in a system where businesses fight for consumer’s attention to survive, and consumers and businesses influence governments, it’s the consumer that holds all the power. This means that when we come together and make changes as part of a consumer movement, our collective impact is altogether more radical. There was just one missing ingredient for this movement to speed up change and create a positive future. The power of community. Sir David King also said that we require a very big change in our economic system, our economic approach. To shape the world we want with our wallet, we need to stop giving our money to people like Jeff Besoz – he doesn’t need any more your hard earned cash, and instead give it to the people in our community, who are striving to make the world a better place. The more we support the creative and sustainable local economy, the more opportunities there will be for local entrepreneurs to set up businesses and organisations that cater for our demand. System change sounds scary and insurmountable. And attempts at different types of system haven’t worked in the past because they’ve been manipulated to benefit the people in power. Understanding that we’re in a Consumer-Capitalism trap, means we can make sure that our vision of the future will be successful, because we know that any new lifestyle has to focus on the wellbeing of people and planet rather than individual financial gain. And using the bit-by-bit approach, we can move towards a positive future in our own community, and we can make sure it’s working as we go, avoiding the pitfalls of big leaps into the unknown. This community-led-movement should be constantly improving and adapting to make sure it gives us what we need to not just survive, but thrive. A sustainable, local economy with meaningful jobs and community link ups. If you give your money to upcyclers, sustainable food providers and local food growers, sustainable tourism providers, skilled repair people, pre-loved sellers, well-being experience providers, charities, co-ops and not-for-profits, then the more of these types of careers and organisations will emerge. Doing that isn’t scary, it’s exciting. Because it means that you could be someone who sets up a local organisation or business that cares for people and planet. Or, you could be working for one. This all means you’ll live in a community where there’s more opportunities for rewarding work, where you get the chance to be creative and learn valuable skills, while protecting our natural home, for the good of everyone today, and for generations to come. Leading Economist Helena Norberg-Hodge said; “Economic localization is the key to sustaining biological and cultural diversity - to sustaining life itself. The sooner we shift towards the local, the sooner we will begin healing our planet, our communities and ourselves.” I know how difficult it feels to make changes in our lives, and I know it feels like a struggle to go against the grain in a world where we’re so busy that convenience has to be king. With 2 young kids and a fulltime job I still find myself in supermarkets buying under-nourishing, overpackaged food, but wishing I didn’t. The community-led movement in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, aims to make it easy for us to find and use all types of local organisations that put the needs of the community and the environment before profit. Instead of buying generic, mass produced, soulless furniture, we could be discovering hidden gems with a story at local pre-loved shops, and getting local upcyclers and restorers with creative flare to give them new life. Instead of adding to the inconceivable mounds of landfill with more fast fashion, we could be checking out retro retailers, and supporting local skilled people who can repair and glam up our existing clothes. Rather than filling the pockets of the techno fat cats like Apple and Amazon, we could be circulating money in our local economy - buying refurbished electronics or repairing what we already have. Instead of spending our time and money online shopping, we could be living life to the full by spending time with loved ones, supporting local eco-experience providers and appreciating our beautiful surroundings. Anyone who has so far had the opportunity to listen to what the scientists and ecologists are saying knows that the time to act, is now. I need your help to build the BCP community-led movement, to shape it into something that helps our local community thrive for us, and our natural home. I know how much we love where we live, and how we all want to protect it for us, our kids, and generations to come. This is our chance to make our mark on our community. To start building a creative, clean, green and positive local economy by using our money as a force for good. The legacy we leave our children will be resilience against ecological threats, a cleaner coastline, better biodiversity, cleaner air, streets and parks, and the prospect of a fulfilling career. If you’re concerned about the future of our natural home, then sign-up for updates, give your feedback, and be a part of building the BCP Community-Led Movement. As Abraham Lincoln said, “The best way to predict the future, is to create it.”