Imagine your cash as the leaves on a tree. You've taken great care to ensure they grow while the sun shines, but autumn's here and darker days lie ahead. It's always been that way. But sinister forces are at work.
This year has seen erratic weather and my limp and pale leaves have long lost their value, as we continue to be battered by the winds of an economic storm, made more ferocious by the impacts of climate change. My carefully tended leaves are being swept away with those of so many other people. We're in the middle of a forest of bare branched trees with our savings blusterly (if there is such a word) whirling round our heads and rotting round our ankles.
As an eternal optimist I see my shrinking stock of money/leaf mould slowly giving-up its goodness to the ground, and I know that eventually green shoots will start to sprout. New growth will once more bring me a richness of leaves, branches, flowers and fruits that we can all share.
Nature is a slow growth fan. It doesn't like to rush, but slow growth delivers maximum benefit. That's why I, and colleagues at the RSPB, put so much energy into opposing quick fix development schemes. Conservationists have been very slow to adapt, but we've finally caught-up with evolution and have a new sixth sense. We have the ability to see financial values!
Just because you don't pay for something, doesn't mean it's worthless. Ants, badgers, wildflowers, bees and yes birds all play a part in nature's cycles, and without them, the cost of staying alive would be eye-watering. Having said that, we already pay through our taxes for our countryside. We pay for clean air and water. We pay for the food we eat, and of course we pay to clean-up the pollution caused by many of the processes that supply us with all the energy, water, food and air that we paid for earlier.
But here's an interesting statistic. If everyone in the world drank a fifth fewer soft drinks a year and donated the cash normally spent on those drinks towards a green fund, we could save every single threatened species and habitat currently in existence. Isn't that amazing?
Until the world saves its squash, we're in a environmental squeeze, and that's where you can help. Please support our campain for investment in a green economy; starting with CAP reform to ensure our countryside remains fit for purpose. Or take part in our virtual balloon race! You get to design and fly your own balloon against others on the real air currents as monitored by the Met Office. No nature will be harmed in our race but the money you raise will help us scatter leaf mould to grow a better future for us all.