10 things
You may not know about seasons

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1  Consuming seasonal products places less pressure on food production and transportation 

 

If you eat local and seasonal products, you will help reduce food miles and carbon emissions.

2  Seasonal products are more nutritious and make up for a better diet

 

Seasonal products are more 'nutrient dense' when compared to stored, canned or frozen foods. Seasonal diets can lead to major health advantages, including weight loss/gain.

3 Seasonal land use allows lands to rest and regenerate

 

Nomadic pastoralism and transhumance are examples of traditional forms of animal farming that respect seasonal pastures and water availability. Industrial farming forces land and animals to yield, breed or graze all year round, which can lead to numerous environmental problems including soil degradation, water pollution due to chemical use, deforestation and major loss of biodiversity.

4-    Reconnecting with seasons can improve mental health

 

Understanding UV light levels, colour exposure and vitamin intake can have noticeable impacts on your mood, and this can help achieve a balanced mental life, especially with regards to seasonal affective disorders.

5-    Seasonal markets are the basis of sustainable  economies

 

Traditional seasonal markets may not only be picturesque. They can also be examples of a sustainable economy. Supermarkets, on the other hand, offer out-of-season fruit and vegetable, which exacerbates a predatory and extractive form of agriculture that leads to deforestation and is partly responsible for the expansion of monoculture plantations (e.g. palm oil, soya).

6-    Seasonal ceremony, ritual and lore

 

Seasonal cultural practices offer a unique connection with the land and often instil the need to protect trees. Traditional seasons affirm collective memory and belonging, which are often lost in commercial, urban lifestyles. Did you know that 15.1 million Christmas trees get cut down every year in the US alone, according to a 2017 survey published by the Wall Street Journal?

7-    Seasonal observances include fasting, meditation and contemplation

 

These millennial practices underpin many spiritual traditions based on the rhythms of life and death, an acceptance of which is vital to holistic well-being and personal happiness.

8-    Seasonal lifestyles are the basis of many forms of non-Western medicine and healing

 

Ayurveda, Islamic Unani-Tibb, and Traditional Chinese Medicine associate health with the observation of seasonal diets, practices and rituals.

9-    Many Indigenous Peoples around the world do not speak of climate change but planetary disease and the great turning

 

Many prophetic Indigenous worldviews, for instance the Pachakutik of Andean peoples, speak of the current ecological emergency not in terms of climate change or global warming but in terms of a planetary disease, and the turning of a cosmic season. If we understand our predicament as a disease, the mindset becomes positive and constructive. One solution to climate change would then involve practising healing and healthy living, which is something we can all take responsibility for.

10-    Forests would not exist without seasons, and nor would we

Seasons allow for continuity, regulating the life and death of insect, fungi and animal populations, thus ensuring the cyclical, regenerative and sustainable nature of life.

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