A Wild Year’s Work

WILD might look like it just happens without any work (I mean, if it does, you might need to get your sight checked, but we do our best), but 15 people work tirelessly behind the scenes make this magazine happen. Over the last year, we’ve been amazed to see how something that started as a one-person venture has inspired so many people to get involved and make it better.

As students and recent graduates, we know that sometimes it seems like middle-aged rich people make the world go round and the rest of us are just along for the ride.  But with the right people on your side, there are no limitations to what you can do.  That’s why Wild has succeeded over the past year: because of students like you who stepped up to make a difference.

At the risk of getting a little sentimental, here are a few stories from the team who make Wild happen.

SUPPORTING EDITOR | KIRSTY DONALDSON | 2ND YEAR APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF YORK

Working with Wild, I feel I am contributing (in my own very little way) to the fight for this sustainable future, and a socially and environmentally just world. I grew up a wee hippie child with a wacky mission to save the bees and make recycling cool. But caring deeply about environmental issues can be frustrating and isolating when it seems so many people don’t. Though, being a part of the Wild team brings me such hope. Wild has grown to give voice to a community of compassionate individuals and organisations, all fighting for a sustainable world. I’m constantly inspired by the words, the actions and the work of our contributors and readers. I’ve seen for myself that when we come together, as ordinary people, we really do have the power to create change! From where I’m standing, the future is looking very green indeed.

With a renewed hope, the wacky mission to save the bees and make recycling cool again continues…

WILDLIFE AND ENVIRONMENT EDITOR | ROISIN CONNEELY | MASTERS, BIODIVERSITY, EVOLUTION AND CONSERVATION, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

The passion that our contributors convey in their articles is truly inspiring, and being part of an editorial team that are equally as passionate about spreading the word about sustainable living really does motivate me to do my bit for the planet in any small way I can. Public engagement to help people from all walks of life understand the impacts that we as humans are having on the environment, and what we can do to improve things, is crucial, and I’m proud to play a small part in that through my role at Wild.

NEWS AND POLITICS EDITOR | JACK STAPLETON | GRADUATE, HISTORY AND POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX

From the perspective of a standard-issue lefty liberal environmentalist, writing, current affairs, and sustainability have always gone hand in hand. The opportunity to be a part of WILD Magazine therefore suits me perfectly. Working with talented contributors in order to produce top-quality articles for our distinguished and discerning readership has been a pleasure and a privilege. As News & Politics editor, I’ve been able to learn about all sorts of issues and ideas surrounding sustainability and help bring these to a wider audience. I’ve had a fantastic time so far, and I can’t wait to see where we go next.

DEPUTY EDITOR | RUTH HALLIDAY | 3RD YEAR TELEVISION, FALMOUTH UNIVERSITY

I joined Wild basically the minute I first heard about it. I knew I was supposed to care about sustainability, but I didn’t really have time, and to be honest, if big companies were the real problem then what difference did it make whether I sorted my recycling or not? Since I joined the team, my point of view has totally changed. What I’ve learned is personal responsibility. It might only be a drop in the ocean for me to cut out meat or stop shopping on the high street or limit my plastic use, but hey, the ocean’s made of drops.

Wild’s full of people who are going to make sustainability a big part of their careers and make waves in looking after the planet. I’m going to write TV shows. I don’t think sustainability will play all that big a part in my career. But it will play a part in my life. Watching Wild grow from one person’s slightly maniacal idea into what it is today has been a fantastic journey and with so many focused, sustainability-minded people getting ready to enter the workforce, I can’t wait to see the difference you’ll all make.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | CASS HEBRON | 3RD YEAR ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTICS, UNIVERSITY OF YORK

What I didn’t realise was that I was already doing more to be sustainable than I realised. I was shopping second-hand, buying less meat to save money, reusing things I already owned. Over time it occurred to me that this was reducing my environmental impact and even better, I could afford it! A journalist at heart, I immediately turned to writing to talk about my newfound ‘revelation,’ reached out to students that might also be interested in writing, and quickly it became clear that this was a topic of interest to hundreds of students around the country and also – they all knew a hell of a lot more than me.

A year on and I’m still learning (yes it’s a cliche but it’s true) and I’m happy to have played a part, however small, in helping create a platform for people to talk about how to live more ethically within their means, and to shout about the amazing work students, businesses and charities are doing up and down the country. I’m eager to see what happens next!