Ep 6: Small Acts of Kindness for a Greener Planet

In this episode, Hazel is joined by Simon, a passionate Cheshire East Waste Reduction Volunteer, who shares his inspiring project: Bug Boards. Born from a simple moment of compassion, Simon's idea encourages us to carry small cards to safely relocate insects - avoiding harm and promoting kindness to even the tiniest creatures.

Simon also adds a creative twist by writing haikus and songs on his bug boards, turning a practical tool into a poetic gesture for nature.

📢 Topics Covered: What are Bug Boards? How a simple idea can protect insects Using poetry to promote environmental awareness Everyday actions for a healthier planet.

Watch the podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/@CheshireEastRecyclingService

💚 Don't forget to like, comment, subscribe, and share - it really makes a difference.

#ChallengeToChange #CheshireEast #BugBoards #WasteReduction #EnvironmentalAwareness #SaveTheBugs #EcoFriendlyLiving #SmallChangesBigImpact #SustainableLiving #NaturePoetry #PodcastSeries #ClimateAction

Episode Transcript

(00:07):
Welcome to series two of the Challengeto Change podcast, which is now
part of the Cheshire East family.
Whether you are listening orwatching, welcome to the podcast.
If you're new here, this podcastis all about the little changes
we can all make to have apositive effect upon planet Earth.

(00:31):
Please do take the time to like,subscribe, comment, and share.
It really does make a difference.
Now, without further ado, let'sget into the podcast episode.
Hi there and welcome to theChallenge to Change podcast.
My name is Hazel and welcome toSimon, a Cheshire East Waste Reduction

(00:52):
Volunteer who is here with me today.
So thank you so much for your time today.
It's very, very much appreciated.
So.
So for people who usually watch andlisten to the Challenge to Change podcast,
you will know that the podcast is allabout, um, little changes that we can
make in our everyday lives to have apositive effect upon the environment,

(01:14):
upon the natural world around us.
So, Simon, in line with that then, um,can you tell me about something that
you've been working on recently, aproject that you've called bug boards.
Can you tell me what that's all about?
Uh, yeah, basically, um, I had the idea,it was a, a couple years ago, I'd just
been around a friend's house for the evening.
I was just, um walking home and,um, I felt like a, an itch on my

(01:38):
head, which I presume was an insect.
Now usually what I would do iswith no malicious intent, but
I've just like wiped the bug off.
Then I realised by doing that withlike a human hand and a small bug,
it's probably 9 times out of 10 Ieither killing a bug or harming it.
Like I said, inadvertently, it's notsomething I was doing malicious intent.

(01:59):
So, um, I just had the idea onthat night, on the way home when
I felt something land on my head.
Um.
I had a piece of card in my pocket,so I just used that to just gently
lift the bug off and it turned outit was a little bug and then I could
just put it on like a wall and thenjust let it go on it's merry way.
And I just thought, um, why notcarry pieces of card around with

(02:19):
me all the time in order to likeuse it to, um, save the bugs.
Right.
Okay.
That's that's lovely.
So.
I also believe, Simon, that sort of movingon or kind of if you're like, building on
that idea, you've started to write littlepoems that you've, you've, you've written
and you've placed on your bug boards.

(02:41):
Can you tell me about those, please?
Yeah, well I can show you.
I've got a, got one out.
Brilliant.
Uh, excuse me.
Um, yeah, so as you can see, the, thequite, uh, well, it's just, um, a credit
card, stroke, cash card size, basically.
Um.
But I just thought it'd be nice to, whenI hand them out to people, um, I'd just
thought it'd be nice to, you know, thatthey have a bit of decoration on them.

(03:03):
So for me, because I like, uh, words,I've just written a haiku on the front
and on the back there's just like alittle song about saving the bugs.
Um, yeah, basically.
So, yeah.
Yeah.
Um, it was just a spruce up really.
And because words is something Ilike, then I wanted to do that.
Okay.
So I guess then people, peoplewatching and listening, then if
they wanted to create their own bugboard, they could maybe decorate it

(03:26):
in a different way, couldn't they?
If they weren't into poetry asyou are, they could perhaps.
I don't know, maybe draw apicture or something like that.
Decorate in a different way.
Oh yeah, certainly.
Yeah.
I mean, um, you know, I think youcould even use repurposed card because
I thought what would be a good ideathat people could do is like, maybe if
there's an image you liked on a piece ofcard that they got as a greetings card.

(03:47):
And then, um, on the other side, um,maybe do a drawing or, you know, like
I said a few little words, just thoughtit would be, it'd be nice something
that pertains to you specifically tokind of spruce it up and, um, yeah.
Make it a bit more aesthetically pleasing.
Absolutely.
So thinking about repurposing card,of course, on the Challenge to Change
podcasts, that's one of our kindof key messages, if you like, is

(04:09):
thinking about repurposing, thinkingabout ways to, um, reduce the waste
that we create as human beings.
So that's a reallygreat way of doing that.
Um, some greetings, cards aswell can't easily be recycled.
You can generally recycle theback of a card, but you can't
always recycle the front.
If it's got sort of, you know, glitteror some kind of embossing on there, um,

(04:32):
that part of the card can't be recycled.
So it'd be a great way of rerepurposing and reusing card.
Um, but also for people watchingand listening, they may not
be aware of what haiku is.
I certainly know that Iwasn't until fairly recently.
So do you want to, to explain topeople what haiku actually is?
Yeah, well, basically it'sjust, um, a form of poetry.

(04:54):
So it's like, um, like a, how asonic is a form of, uh, poetry.
It's like a structure of a poem.
Right.
Um, haiku, um, has very specificrules, like it's usually associated
with Japanese poetry, but they arequite ubiquitous over the world.
So it's where something that's got, soit's just a three line little poem, and
the first line must have five syllables.
Mm-hmm.
The second line must haveseven syllables, and the third

(05:16):
line must have five syllables.
Now they're the only real rules,like I've read some haikus
at rhyme each last, um, word.
Mm-hmm.
But some don't.
Um, so it all depends on the,uh, creator of the haiku.
Right.
Okay.
So like, if, if I just give youan example now, um, of one of
the cards, uh, bear with me.
So this one, so yeah, so like Isaid, I've done 4 different haikus.

(05:38):
So this one is, um, um.
It's ace to meet you.
Enjoy the rest of your hoursnear the cloudless sky.
So like I said, the idea is, you know,you've just scraped the bug off, well
gently lifted the bug off and thenyou just blow it on its merry way.
And then, uh, yeah,that's a lot high go out.
That's lovely.

(05:59):
And I think as well with the, you know,the poems obviously, or the haikus
that you've written are obviously aboutbugs and kind of protecting wildlife.
So that's a really greatmessage as well, isn't it?
I think, you know, to, to sort ofspread that message and encourage people
to, to think about the natural world.
And, and I, I think as well, sortof, you know, when we've spoken

(06:20):
about this before we spoke aboutbiodiversity, um, and often when, when
we're thinking about that, you know.
Most people would probably tend tothink about things like, you know,
pollinators, say bees, butterflies,you know, that kind of thing.
We perhaps don't always tend to thinkabout those, those little bugs that,
that, that might sort of land on you.
We don't always think about, youknow, their kind of part in this,

(06:43):
but of course, you know, everythingplays its part, doesn't it?
In the natural world.
Oh, certainly.
I mean, yeah, I mean, like mymain catalyst for doing it is I
just thought it's nice rather thanaccidentally killing something.
It it's, it's just a nice thingto do in order to lift it off.
But yeah, I have thought about as well.
And obviously, like I said, I'm notsaving the bugs purposely so they can
be eaten as part of the ecosystem.

(07:04):
Of course.
It's more just like me doing itbecause I, I like doing that, but of
course, yeah, they are part of theecosystem as well, so, um, you know,
like they do contribute to that.
So I think, uh, you know, savingthem with a little bug board by
gently lifting them off is betterthan not saving them, basically.
Yeah, absolutely.
Like you say, it is anice, kind thing to do.

(07:25):
And do you think, as well as it is sucha kind sort of thing to do, does it also
perhaps have a positive impact upon yourmental health and anybody else that you
know, may attempt to, to save a bug?
Do you think there's the sort ofthat aspect to consider as well?
Yeah, I mean I think, I think wecan say objectively that saving
the life of a little thing.

(07:46):
It's better than harming it.
Mm. Uh, whether inadvertently or not.
So, um, yeah, I think, I thinkobjectively saving somebody's life
and it is, like I say about a gooddeed, it's, it's good not only for the
recipient of the deed, it's also goodfor the person that's doing the deed.
because obviously it's niceto save something rather
than not save it basically.

(08:06):
Um, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I mean, I, I often like from walking.
And it's been raining.
And you'll see like a, like a littleworm might be like, because they
get flushed out when it rains.
Mm-hmm.
Just on, just on the pavement.
I always think, well, I'll put that in abit of soil just because, um, obviously
they can get trod on when they're on apavement or, or if they're in the road.
Yeah.
And just by doing that,obviously it makes you feel good.

(08:27):
You've done that, doesn't it?
It's like I said, likedoing something nice.
And, and kind and sensitiveit, it makes you feel good.
So as I said, it's good for thebug and for the, um, ecosystem
like you stated, but also it'sgood for the person doing it.
Like I said, you know, it's, it's,it's a fun little thing to do.
Like I said, you cancreate your own bug board.
You don't have to be, have a haikuon, so it's something, you know, it's

(08:48):
a fun little activity to do anyway,if you're interested in doing that.
Mm, absolutely.
So I suppose really whether there's kindof a, a, a, a four way win, if you like.
So if you're repurposing, there's anenvironmental benefit there, you know,
you are, you are helping that, that bug.
So there's a, there's a kindnessthat's, that's happening for the bug.

(09:08):
It's better, you know, it's a morepositive thing for your mental health.
And the, and obviously the fourththing in terms of the environment that,
you know, it, it, it plays a part inthat sort of supporting biodiversity
and supporting the natural world.
So four, four wins.
So, you know, it's, um, it'sdefinitely something worth doing.

(09:28):
So in terms of your bug board, Simon,so what, what's next with bug boards?
Are you, are you planning on putting.
You know, your work's onto YouTube,are you planning to kind of doing
anything more with it or you're justgonna keep it as a, as like a little,
um, personal project if you will?
Um, no.
Well obviously it is, it's moreseasonal because it is in the

(09:50):
spring and summer months where wenotice bugs, uh, landing on us.
I mean, obviously you do get somein um, autumn, winter and obviously
as well, um, they could be usedjust to like get a little spider if
you're not too scared of spiders andyou want to take one out of the house.
They're an all, all year roundaren't you can just get it and just
scoop it off and put it outside.
Um, but yeah, the aim going forwardis, um, my friend's done me,

(10:13):
done me a song about bug boards.
Um, I asked him to writeand he's kindly done that.
Um, uh, which I've written the words for.
Um, so just thinking of a, alot of video on YouTube, uh,
just about promoting bug boards.
I've written quite a long poemas well, uh, to do with it.
So.
Maybe, you know, nothingmajor, just a bit of fun.
Maybe like a threeminute video on YouTube.
Just, uh, you know, promotingbug boards for anything.

(10:33):
Just more formal, like, then ifit does, just spread that bit of
awareness and even if one bug getssaved, it would've got squashed in.
I think that's a good thing.
Really.
Absolutely.
Well do, do let us know howyou, how you get on with that.
You know, when you are, yourvideo goes live, or your channel
goes live, um, you know, share,share that with us and, um, uh.
Yeah.
We'll, we will, uh, we'll,we'll share that message.

(10:54):
Most definitely.
Well, thank you so muchfor your time today, Simon.
It's been very interesting talking to youabout bug boards, um, and how important it
is to, to make those small changes to havea positive impact, um, for planet Earth.