When Steve Andrews was a child, four years old, as he recalls, he discovered nature in his parents’ back garden. Flowers, insects, birds, “All these things to me were, wow, just amazing. Like, if stuff was growing or alive or flying or swimming or whatever it was doing, it was amazing”, he says, smiling through his green beard.
His admiration for nature and his connection with it have remained with him since. A problem in today’s society, he argues, is people’s lack of connection with nature. To him, it is of great importance, and the younger a child starts learning about nature, the better.
Intertwined ecosystems
One of the issues Steve Andrews is most vocal about is insects dying due to the extensive use of insecticides. Birds eat insects, reptiles eat insects, amphibians, fish, and even insects themselves eat insects. Another issue, that he has even written a song about, is plastic pollution and overfishing our oceans, “I think that it’s important to understand that all life on the planet is connected”. All ecosystems are intertwined, as he vividly puts it, in an incredible jigsaw, a multi-level jigsaw, with trillions of pieces in it.
Little drops of water make the mighty ocean
The saying goes, “No one can do everything, but everyone can do something”, and that is Steve Andrews’ key philosophy on tackling environmental issues. “I say, everybody can do something. Wherever you are, however you’re living, there is always something you can do.” The simple, seemingly small things will go a long way. Bringing your own bag to the grocery store and picking up litter on the side of the road on your way home. “You don’t need to do something massive. You can start small with what you can do in your life. I think, if we can all do less of things which are harming, then we’ll go a long way.”
Seeds of change
When Steve Andrews is on stage, whether it be for a talk or a song, his message is never shame or guilt. His message is reducing, “I think it’s the only way. I think too many people are tired of and do not react well to being told they must stop this. I mean, that might be the best thing for the planet, but it isn’t going to work like that.” To any concerned questions about the environment, plastic use, marine conservation, fossil fuels or climate change, he truly believes the answer is reduction. And as a valuable addition to reducing, he also encourages everyone to grow their own plants, herbs, for instance. “Most people can grow something. You don’t even have to have a garden. If you’ve got a balcony, if you’ve got a window box, you can still grow something.” Steve Andrews believes, not just metaphorically, in the power of planting a seed.
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