The Urgent Need to Fix Our Relationship with Mother Earth

Tim Christophersen has just released a book titled “Generation Restoration” that provides a roadmap, and conditional optimism, for fixing our relationship crisis with Mother Nature. Its forward by Jane Goodall provides guiding perspectives such as how our global society has shifted from taking resources as we “need” them to “greed” and over use. Goodall also posits that while humans may be the most intellectual creatures on Earth, we are certainly not the most intelligent… as we are destroying our home and sole planet. Tim pushes back on this. He is clear, rational, and hopeful: The current generation on Earth has the tools and the capacity to fix our ills and care for nature and our Earth.

In this episode of Flanigan’s Eco-Logic Tim and Ted discuss one of the book’s themes… shifting baselines.

Tim presents a picture of charter boats taking groups fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Same spot, two pictures, and 50 years apart. Today’s catch is paltry. Fifty years ago, some of the catch was larger than humans. Tim describes that we have become accustomed to less fish in the sea, less biodiversity, isolated wildlife, more pollution, etc. Over time, we have succumbed to a lessened baseline of expectation: a lessened Mother Earth, nature on the ropes. This has to change, notes Tim.

Generation Restoration is a call to action. It’s about solutions. Tim asks for “eco-literacy.” Just as we as a global society have become literate with the internet and communications, digital literacy, now is the time for us to understand the language of ecology. We must become eco-engineers to create a tipping point of social change. And, our lives will not be lesser. Our quality of life will improve as we restore on a planetary scale. We must all, or at least many of us, says Tim, become vital ecosystems engineers. We can have a new outlook on life through restoring nature and experiencing its rich bounty of benefits.

Tim talks about oysters and eels, how these species were once abundant. New York was once rich with oysters and exported them far and wide. They also cleaned the waters and could have played an ameliorating role buttressing super-storm Sandy’s storm surge. New York should have been called The Big Oyster, not The Big Apple! And where Tim grew up in Germany, eels were the dominant fish. Now 90% are gone and with them pieces of the connected fragile ecology. Where to begin, Ted asks? Take stock of what you eat, Tim suggests. We all eat three meals a day. Tune in to where your food comes from.That’s a great starting point.

No action, and no one, is too small to make a difference. It all adds up Tim says. Everyone can chip in. Everyone can be active. There are so many ways to get involved such as triggering infrastructure investments in sustainability like EVs and microgrids. Major companies are now seeing the light. They must invest in their supply chains’ resiliency which are threatened by climate change. Being eco-conscious has become good business, with a wealth of opportunities to be had in bringing forth restorative businesses and services, things that contribute to restoration and regeneration.

After 15 years working for the United Nations Environmental Program—including ten years in Nairobi, Kenya—Tim made a career change to take a position as the Vice President of Climate Action at Salesforce. From his own regenerative farm in Denmark, he now works with many of the 200,000 companies that are Salesforce clients, teaching them how to modify their supply chains in line with regeneration and restoration. He is excited about his role in triggering change on a major scale while growing trees, harvesting hay, and employing adaptive multi-paddock (rotational) grazing on his own farm. He and his family are doing their bit to restore our relationship with Earth.