Blend

Another month working from home. As we started our brainstorming meetings for this next issue we all felt a little underwhelmed with the strange reality we are currently facing. We all agreed on one thing, even though we are digitally connected (almost 24/7), we feel somehow disconnected from the outside world. It’s the simple things – that we often take for granted – that have developed the most meaning over the past few months. Simple things like commuting to work and taking a coffee to go while feeling the air on our cheeks, having the freedom to travel anywhere at anytime, or even just being able to naturally interact with each other. The world has changed, an so has our perception of human kind and our place on Earth.

Photo Courtesy: Tatiana Camacho

A recent study from Columbia University says that as a result of the lockdowns around the world, daily global carbon emissions have decreased in the last few months. Nonetheless, CO2 levels in the atmosphere reached their highest average. This is because the carbon dioxide humans have already emitted, can remain in the atmosphere for a hundred years; some of it could last tens of thousands of years.

Beyond carbon emissions, however, COVID-19 has manifested changes in individual behavior and social attitudes. Many of these will make matters worse (an increased use of plastic: gloves and masks, plexiglass dividers in stores and offices, and disposable shopping bags), while others could make them better (more biking and walking, and just living more simply). While it’s unclear how these factors will balance out in the end, one thing is certain: more large-scale actions will be essential to avoid the worst impacts to our Planet.

In this issue we explore initiatives of people who are creating new ways of doing things, who are reinventing their industry and bringing more organic proposals to the table. We share projects that make us reflect about our relationship with Earth and how we could live together in a different way.

As a content platform we also want to do things differently this time. This Planet, our Planet, is enormous and astounding, so we need your help building a digital map where we can all escape and discover unique places around the world. Help us see through your eyes.

When this is all over, we can’t go back to normal, it’s time to think and act collectively for the benefit of us, Earth and our future generations.

Sincerely,

We The Cool Magazine

Photo Courtesy: Tatiana Camacho