Hello & welcome!
We are Laura & Jon Gilbert. In 2017 we both decided to resign from our corporate jobs and pursue a more stress-free and self-determined life. Having both experienced serious health issues, we changed our perspective on life and gradually evolved towards a more ecological and compassionate way of living. For us, this meant adopting wholesome plant-based foods, minimising our consumption, reducing/ recycling our waste wherever possible and spending more time connecting with nature. The alarming realities of the climate emergency and ecological catastrophe, calling for urgent systematic change, inspired us to take action.
​
We feel lucky to have had the opportunity to travel and see the incredible diversity of wildlife on earth. This inspired us to spend more time reconnecting with nature and observing the beauty of all animal and plant species wherever we go. During the time we were travelling, we were somewhat naive about our significant ecological footprint, especially due to flying. Now we look back with mixed feelings: on the one hand, we feel guilty about the environmental pollution we caused and on the other hand, hugely grateful as our travels became life-changing experiences. Our trips brought us closer to nature and gave us a deep sense of empathy and profound respect for other living creatures in their daily fight for survival. This inspired radical changes in our own habits and behaviours as we continually strive to play our part in restoring the damage human activity (including ours!) has caused, especially over recent decades.
​
The gradual lifestyle changes we made over the past few years were the result of a number of triggers of change which we summarise below.
Triggers of Change: Jon & Laura Gilbert (2019)
We created Reconnect with Nature as an educational platform, with the aim to (re)ignite our innate human empathy and passion for our precious planet and all living creatures with whom we share it. The effects of human activity on the environment are often overwhelming, yet we believe there's great hope to save our planet if every one of us takes responsibility and makes their personal contribution. By making progressive changes to our individual habits and choices, we can make a monumental difference! Our Web of Change defines eight core lifestyle changes that we hope will inspire others to take action and join us on this exciting green revolution!
It's in ALL of our hands to take care of the planet, not only as our own survival depends on it but also to ensure that future generations can appreciate and continue to learn from the incredible wildlife and ecosystems that have evolved so patiently and wondrously over billions of years. Together we can make the changes necessary to turn problems into solutions and lead inspiring lives connected intimately with nature.
Laura & Jon