Member Spotlight: Helena Jackson

Welcome to the first of our regular Member Spotlight posts, featuring Nature’s Blueprint founder member Helena Jackson.

Helena leads county-wide waste reduction campaigns across Hertfordshire, encouraging residents to shift to a lower-waste lifestyle. She also runs a baby carrier and reusable nappy organisation, supporting families and reducing the need to buy new.

What inspired you to join Nature’s Blueprint?

It was actually another member, Lucy, who introduced me to the idea of Nature’s Blueprint.  She told me about the launch event after I’d shared with her the work I’m doing to support householders reduce the amount of food that is wasted. She thought it would be a good match, and once I’d read more about it on the webpage, I was on board straight away. I am very much a collaborator and nature-focused, so I felt instant affinity with the aims of Nature’s Blueprint. I was thrilled with the thought of meeting other like-minded people wanting to use passion, creative thinking and influence to embed practical, action-based support for nature and each other.

How do you integrate Nature into your everyday work or life?

I have a LOT of plants in my house which I enjoy nurturing, and in turn, they bring me joy, a wealth of textures and calming greens, beautiful fractals, and an earthy reassurance. I love to see their gentle natural presence and how they change day-by-day and season-by-season. I also have a lot of wooden furniture and photos or paintings of the natural environment around me.

However, I love to be outdoors, ideally barefoot, so I’ll often take a few moments in my garden first thing or over lunch. I’ve set up my work computer to be in the sunniest room of the house so I can enjoy the light of the outdoors while I’m inside. Weekends are my time to delve into nature though, and I’m often out on a long walk with my family, playing in the park, or visiting local woods.

What specific projects or initiatives are you currently working on that you are excited about?

I’m just about to move roles to a new organisation so the future is a little unknown currently, but my new job is encouraging partnership working to support waste reduction so I’m really excited to get stuck in and identify which partnerships already exist and which I can help to nurture. To my mind, this sits beautifully with supporting our environments and climate – in nature there is no waste. All products are embodied and turned into something useful. I seek to reduce our waste and work alongside nature in a more mindful and connected way, swapping, reusing and connecting. The Nature’s Blueprint mentalities and ethos will help here, and I’m aiming to slow down and really get to know the people, communities and environment in my new area of work, rather than do my usual and rush into the excitement of a good project!

Can you share a memorable experience you’ve had in Nature that significantly influenced your career or personal life?

When I was 16, I was fortunate enough to attend a World Challenge expedition to Tanzania with school. After months of training and fundraising, 22 of us headed to the plains of Africa for an adventure of enormous proportions. One element of our month-long trip was to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, all 19,000 feet of it. It took 4 days to climb up and 3 days down. I was in awe of the rich depths of the jungle layer; giant ants, knee-high tree roots and so many sounds, then onto the desert-like ‘saddle’ with a very different form of life adapted to the sparce conditions. On the ‘peak day’ we left our tents at 4am and painstakingly zig-zagged up a scree slope in the dark to reach the summit for sunrise. Seeing the sun appear from the top of the world took my breath away – due both to the altitude, and its raw beauty. From our vantage point, we could see the curvature of the earth, bathed in golden light. It was amazing. I was awe-struck.

The experience taught me how diverse our planet is and how amazing each element can be – each part carving out its own niche yet serving a role within the whole. This has stayed with me ever since, and I’ve gone on to develop a fascination for behaviour change – honing the situation and opportunities available, supporting ourselves and nature to thrive as part a whole.

From your perspective, what is the most challenging aspect of your work? How do you overcome it?

I find it very challenging being on my own most of the time. I work from home and only see colleagues every few weeks. This can make it hard to maintain motivation and enthusiasm, as I am very much someone who works best when I feel connected and can bounce ideas off others.

I’ve been trialling different ways to be in the company of others – be that working at a friends’ house, meeting for a lunchtime walk or ensuring I attend an in-person class or session each week.

Accepting I can’t do everything all at once is also a challenge, and it’s still refreshing to be part of a group where everyone has your back and is working to the same wider, collective goal, with a very genuine desire to engage and support as a matter of course. 

Are there any specific skills or expertise you’re looking for that other Nature’s Blueprint members may be able to help with?

Connection is a big one for me, so knowing that I am part of a supportive group has been wonderful. I’m already learning more about the farming system and coaching, and different ways of engaging with a challenge e.g. from a position of mindful awareness. Being heard and sharing vulnerabilities with others strengthens the connection and has brought about new ideas, suggestions and strength already. I value and deeply appreciate the creativity within the group and different ways of thinking. So, going forward, more of the same please!

We believe that humans have an extraordinary capacity to problem solve & innovate. What gives you HOPE?

It sounds cheesy, but I feel that the sun rising every morning brings a fresh opportunity to do more, try again and take another step along the path. Learning about the extraordinary connections and undertakings that community groups, businesses and charities are already doing to support nature and each other gives me hope. Little glimmers to cling to, to take inspiration and ideas from. Those I have spoken to are keen to share their learning and support others to develop similar practices and ways of being in their area. Reciprocity in action.

We hope you found this Member Spotlight interesting. Do connect with Helena if anything she has shared resonates with you and you’d like to know more – you can find Helena on LinkedIn here >