Last year I spent Christmas and New Year far away from home, in the community of Sadhana Forest in Tamil Nadu, Southern India. Sadhana Forest is a reforestation and water conservation project, and they host up to a hundred volunteers living in the community. At times, it was all a bit hippie-ish (the hand drums! the handicrafts!), and some of their rules/principles I didn’t really agree with. But even though I only spent two weeks there, it was a truly special place to spend some time at. It makes you think a lot about our consumption patterns, the way the world is being exploited, and points out options for more ethical, sustainable choices. You or me and probably not even Sadhana Forest can never change the world (well maybe, if Sadhana keeps growing and expanding to other places, it could), but what you can do is change your own life, some of the choices you make, and as Sadhana does, at community level, you can definitely create your own better world, and then maybe spread that vibe (for lack of a better word) to others.

So let’s say that’s my little positive message for the coming year. Cheers!