🌞 Optimism: a message from James, our founder 🌍
From big BRiMM plans and uplifting life philosophies to buzzing documentaries and more
Hello!
Like us, you’ve no doubt got family and friends to hang with/hide from during this in-betweeny, topsy-turvy week. But we want to distract you for a moment, ahead of the start of a whole new year, to tell you why we’re feeling optimistic about the climate crisis.
Now, don't get us wrong. We're very aware of the enormity of the challenge facing humanity. And we know well that it can feel pretty overwhelming. But, despite this, we're optimistic. Why? Quite simply, because we believe in people and their ingenuity.
As we've already featured in the past seven newsletters, there are many brilliant minds out there creating exciting brands, products and perspectives that can each help play a role, no matter how small or big, in building a more planet-friendly future.
But these brilliant new ideas need people that dig them.
Which is where you come in.
And where we come in too, to curate and convene.
As you know, we're launching a shop, journal and collective in the near future. In the context of the scale of the challenge we know this could seem inconsequential but our aim is to make it a little easier for people to make some small and regular changes and give them the feeling that those actions can make a difference.
It's based on this simple idea - that, as a collective, we can play a small role in ushering in a new way of living and making. And - if you want to get technical – in accelerating decoupling for the brands that we curate. All enabled by you and your actions - a people-powered model. One that, we believe, is the first of it's kind.
SO, clearly there's a lot to explain in that and we'll be explaining more in the months to come, but for now, imagine this... by changing where we shop our collective could:
Support brands in reaching net zero faster.
Or enable innovation that produces a plastic alternative for the soap bottle pumps in your house.
Or help farmers shift to regenerative farming practices.
Sure some of these ideas might take a few years to come to fruition. But we're optimistic that together we can make them happen and we can't wait to get started.
But that's for next year. Ahead of then it's time to reflect and reset so we're ready.
So happy new year, you special BRiMM folk. Take a deep breath and return to your crew with a little extra bounce, knowing that optimism is the answer, no matter how mighty the struggle.
Tune in, team up and let's turn the tide.
James and Team BRiMM
x
This piece on The Good Trade from back in the summer still best sums up the growing Climate Optimist movement for us. Our favourite line? “Instead of only focusing on minimising a negative impact, think about how to maximize a positive one.” (Though don’t miss out on the rest of it.)
For any still-skeptics out there, science says that writing down what you’re grateful for daily can help rewire your brain to avoid negative thought loops and instead focus on the good. Plus, this guided option from Healf looks smart and only takes five minutes of your increasingly merry days to do.
Sumit Paul-Choudhury, former editor-in-chief of New Scientist and author of positivity manifesto The Bright Side, is taking the stage at London’s RSA (and on YouTube) on Thursday 16 January to make the case for optimism – both as our natural mood and most effective world-saving game plan. Start 2025 as you mean to go on, tag along and get fired up – in a cheery way.
Waterbear is a streaming platform packed with documentaries all threaded together by the thinking that it’s actually possible to ‘enjoy the act of saving our planet’. What If? highlights that the basis of all this glass-half-fullism lies in the long-proven ingenuity of humans – because we always come up with the right answers, in the end.
Ever since the Romans, Italians have tucked into lentils from midnight onwards. Apparently, the more you eat, the more luck you’ll have in the coming 12 months. Thankfully this recipe also tastes great, so ensuring your positive fate isn’t too much of an ask.
MUSIC FOR CLIMATE OPTIMISTS
Ex-raver Mark hits us up with his list this week, as we flail with abandon into next year. We’ve been promised no whistles – just 65 minutes of pleasant oblivion.
FROM THE COLLECTIVE
Seb introduced us to Rollr, definitely the most stylish deodorant we’ve ever encountered, housed in a glass bottle // We’re loving the concept behind Benim Denim as recommended to us by Matt – the brand will close down as soon as all its stock is sold. The clothes look pretty good, too // And we love the look of this slick new database covering the Global Warming Potential of the 100 most important materials for design, courtesy of Dan
WHAT’S BRiMM AGAIN?
We’re building a shop, journal and collective to prove that living within limits isn’t living less – and to put the profit to work for the planet.
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Carbon maths
The carbon footprint of an email depends what device you use to open it, but sending you this one used about 3.5g of carbon.