At the British Society for Ecological Medicine Jenny trained in nutritional and environmental Medicine.

“Environmental medicine is all about identifying and getting rid of environmental toxins such as pesticides in our bodies and replacing them with the missing nutrients. The reason we are so nutritionally deficient is because, since WWII, we have been growing too many ‘mono-crops’ without rotating or combining, without animals to fertilise the land naturally – they are kept separately in modern agri-chemical mega-farms. And we have used synthetic fertilisers, forcing the plants to grow too fast, so our soil is depleted of essential minerals. And if a nutrient is not in the soil, it is not on our plate. 50 years ago, a portion of broccoli would give you the calcium and magnesium you needed for the day, but now it will not. Another reason we are depleted is because the food we eat is not fresh. It is stored and shipped for long periods of time, it’s packaged in plastic and irradiated and all the while, our fruits and vegetables are losing key nutrients. Additionally, many of us are eating processed junk, cheap and addictive, with no nutrient value but with a long chemical ingredients list; this is not food at all. Food is what grows, whether plant or animal; anything manufactured is not real food. The whole idea of a ‘food manufacturing industry’ strikes me as crazy”.

But Jenny outlines an even greater problem: toxic chemicals.

“We are surrounded by more than 100,000 artificial chemicals, all manufactured in the last 200 years. Our body has biochemical pathways that are meant to deal with some natural poisons, but nature wasn’t expecting us to be surrounded by so many artificial toxins like plastics or pesticides. Some people’s detox systems manage this really well, but other’s; don’t. The people who get sick very quickly are the canaries in the mines”.

Jenny is now teaching people how we can create an environment for ourselves that allows us to live healthier lives. “Many people care deeply about ecological issues, but if they are suffering from a disease like ME or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, caused by precisely these sorts of environmental problems, they’re in bed half the time. Too tired to campaign. The things that are making them sick are the very same things that cause problems for the earth as a whole. The lack of diversity in our gut microbiome for example, is a direct reflection of the lack of biodiversity in our crops and on our farms. Or consider the gases other than CO2 that come out of cars, like the oxides of nitrogen and sulphur. These are toxic, yet an exhaust pipe is at the level of a toddler’s nose. And throughout our homes many of us have toxic cleaning chemicals even though 99% of them are either unnecessary or have safe, natural alternatives”.

Jenny firmly believes that the health crisis, the climate crisis, and the biodiversity crisis are inherently inextricable. “If the earth is sick, we are going to get sick” she explains.

But creating a healthier future is an undertaking that requires coordinated action at a systemic level. Upon being asked how she imagines such change should happen, Jenny responds as follows: “Change should grow from community and solidarity, led by principles of ‘Think Global, Act Local’. Start where you are, with your own local council, in a non-confrontational way. Come at it with love. Enlist the help of Pesticide Action Network, who are doing a great job of persuading many local councils to stop spraying toxic weedkillers on parks and grass verges. You have to be outraged, but your motivation must be love, not rage. You have to smile in the teeth of opposition”, she adds.

In terms of changing things globally, Jenny’s advice is, yet again, simple. “We can all see what is happening to the planet. What you can do is boycott toxic, non-sustainable, non-renewable products. And find a local handy-person who can repair rather than replace damaged items and appliances. There will eventually have to be a shift to renewables. If we can consume less, we can manage with those renewables. Why do so many shops have their lights on all night, burning energy for no purpose? Ask them to switch them off – they will listen to their customers”.