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Did you enjoy a brat summer? In case Kamala Harris’s neon green, Charli xcx-inspired Presidential campaign swept you by or you managed to avoid your social feed being taken over by the ‘apple dance’ (Where have you been?! Probably somewhere better than the internet… and fair play if so), a quick recap:
brat summer [lack of caps intentional, ed] was about being your authentic self, taking a carefree, slightly hedonistic approach to life. It’s the modern day spin on 'carpe diem' but not worrying how the carpe impacts the next diem. But there’s an issue in that: snack on tomorrow’s lunch and you’ll go hungry, hit snooze and you’ll miss that morning run, party to the club classics all night, and there’s always a hangover.
So, as we move to September, what season should follow? Perhaps the remedy to the excess of brat summer is a 360 pivot to mindful autumn or sustainable autumn?
But what really is sustainability? At its core, it’s greater than simply ‘going green’ – it’s about balancing our environmental, social, and economic chequebooks so everyone can thrive now and later.
Covid turbo-charged these conversations. It has been branded the driving force behind the ‘Great Resignation’– workers fleeing from the churn in hope of better work-life-wage balance. It also no doubt had a hand in Labour’s imminent ‘right to switch off’ policy, which will likely hit our shores. We’re now exploring how to build a sustainable working population while the effects of Brexit and long-term care bills nip at our heels, and many are taking a closer eye at the make-up of our economy – is it sustainable as it stands? And to what extent can various industries sustain themselves without the help of the state? Indeed, Jersey’s politician in charge of this area recently underwent a rebrand to ‘Minister for Sustainable Economic Development’.
This edition of Connect explores sustainability in all its forms.
Our cover star, Aaron Chatterley, helped millions look and feel good inside and out by creating one of the world’s biggest beauty e-commerce sites, FeelUnique – but it took “too long” before he began prioritising his own wellness. He speaks about finding balance, and his work to build new teen- focused brand Indu, which recently secured £4m in seed funding.
Avoiding burnout is key, not just for ourselves, but the systems we create.
Our health service could probably write a book on the topic – certainly, its ailments could fill several pages of this magazine. With the Minister having pledged to fix them, one promising approach is ‘social prescribing’. Unplugged (P26) explores how a system pioneered by Jennifer Neff, MD of Access Elemental, could improve islanders’ physical and mental health, while offering some relief to our overburdened health system.
For anyone feeling the weight of the island malaise and in need of a fresh perspective on sustainability, allow me to prescribe our dramatic but uplifting No Ordinary Day Job (P16) interview with Joel Freire of Tree Matters.
Enjoy Connect. It’s just what the doctor ordered.
