The Cairngorms have been on fire for the last week or so. Maybe longer than that.

For those of us concerned about what some people call climate change, what others call climate breakdown, and what still others call a completely natural change in climate that has nothing to do with humans (take your pick here; I don't care), it's easy to feel a bit helpless as the green world we grew up in seems to be becoming a little less green and a lot more brown. Will our kids know the same beauty we knew? If not, that would be a sad thing indeed.

Of course, from a Stoic perspective, this is an indifferent in the sense that the state of the environment says nothing about our individual pursuit of Virtue. What is not an indifferent is how we choose to respond to these changes, because our choices directly reflect the progress we've made toward an excellent character—toward Virtue and eudaemonic health.

So, in this edition, I'm not looking to catastrophise or to tell anyone they're not doing enough. By now, you surely know that isn't my style. Instead, I'd like to ask what choices you're making today that you weren't making twenty years ago with regard to your own contribution to the health of the natural world.

That might include things like recycling, supporting animal conservation, protecting land, changing old habits, building new ones, or willingly accepting a little more discomfort because you believe it's the appropriate way to act within your circles of concern.

For my own part, I often feel there's not much I can do. But, of course, there's plenty I could do, even if that "plenty" doesn't make much difference to the bigger picture. Then again, we Stoics don't make our choices the way utilitarians or consequentialists do, right? We choose what we choose because we've reasoned that it's just and appropriate.

So I do what I think many of us do. I use public transport when I can. I drive a vehicle that doesn't burn fossil fuels. I try to live less opulently. I cut up the cardboard boxes and put them in the right bin, and I try to compost... though, to be honest, composting is one area where I'm pretty weak. I shop locally more often, I contribute to local conservation efforts, and I support a few organisations that do conservation work.

To be clear, though, I only do what I can reasonably afford to do without compromising my ability to fulfil my other duties—to my family, to you, to my community, and to my friends. There are limits that even the sincere desire to have a greater impact can't overcome.

So, I'd love to hear from you. Reply to this edition or send an email to [email protected] and tell me what you do, why you do it, and why you think it matters.

Have a great week and, as always...