“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing will be changed unless it is faced”.
James Baldwin (1924 – 1987)
Rethinking What the Environment Means
Reach offers a distinctive and holistic understanding of what we mean when we speak about the environment. Traditionally, the term has been used almost exclusively to describe our relationship with the natural world. This includes how human activity has damaged ecosystems and how we might better steward the planet’s finite resources. While this planetary dimension is undeniably critical, it represents only one aspect of a far more expansive reality.
The Four Environments framework recognises that human life unfolds within four interdependent contexts, each of which requires care, attention, and responsibility. Together, they form an integrated system that shapes our health, behaviour, relationships, and ultimately our impact on the world.
These four environments are:
- The environment of the self
- The environment of the body
- The environment around us
- The environment of the planet
Understanding these environments, and the ways in which they continuously influence one another, allows us to approach well-being, responsibility, and sustainability in a deeper and more effective way.
The Environment of the Self
The environment of the self describes our inner landscape: our thoughts, beliefs, emotions, values, and perceptions. It is the lens through which we interpret reality and decide how to respond to it.
A neglected inner environment, dominated by chronic stress, negative self-belief, and or emotional overload, limits our capacity for clarity, self-compassion, and constructive action. By contrast, when this inner space is nurtured through positive narratives, reflection, stillness, emotional awareness, and compassionate enquiry, we gain greater insight, resilience and perspective.
Cognitive neuroscience research consistently shows that a healthy inner environment improves focus, emotional regulation, and empathy; these qualities then ripple outward into every other environment we inhabit.
The Environment of the Body
The body is not merely something we inhabit; it is an environment in its own right – an extraordinarily complex ecosystem made up of tens of trillion of cells, organised into systems that sustain life. These systems depend on adequate nutrition, hydration, movement, rest, and recovery to function optimally.
The relationship between body and mind is particularly important here. Neurochemicals essential for mood, motivation, and cognitive clarity, such as serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin, are produced from the raw materials we consume – water, essential fats, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Without these nutrients, maintaining emotional balance and a positive outlook becomes biologically difficult. Willpower alone is not enough.
Therefore, physical health underpins mental and emotional well-being which means a depleted body will make it difficult to establish a resilient mind, capable of kind reflection and purposeful action. And the opposite is true… a neglected inner environment (the self) will eventually manifest as physical tension, exhaustion, and illness.
The Environment Around Us
The third environment encompasses our relationships and our physical surroundings: our families, friendships, workplaces, communities, social cultures and the spaces we inhabit each day.
Humans are at their core social beings. Our nervous systems are shaped through connection, belonging, and relational safety (attention, affection and affirmation). Supportive relationships lower stress hormones, strengthen immune function, and enhance emotional and psychological stability. Conversely, chaotic, hostile, or neglectful environments can destabilise and erode both mental and physical health.
Our physical surroundings also matter more than we realise. Order, light, and intentional design promote calm and clarity. Research in environmental psychology shows that cluttered, disordered environments increase cognitive load and stress, leading us to feel overwhelmed; while orderly, clean, purposeful spaces promote calm, focus, and a sense of control.
When we bring order to our surroundings, we often experience a corresponding shift in our inner world.
The Environment of the Planet
The planetary environment is the vast and complex system that sustains all life. Unpolluted oceans, clean air, fertile soil, stable climates, and biodiversity are not abstract concerns, incidental to human existence, they are the foundation upon which human health, social order, economies, and communities depend.
Damage to the planet inevitably feeds back into the other environments through polluted food and water, climate instability, displacement of people, economic strain, and social stress. Caring for the Earth is therefore inseparable from caring for ourselves and one another – it is an extension of that shared responsibility.
The planet is the stage on which the drama of human existence unfolds and as such, deserves our care, attention, and greatest respect.
Synergy: One System, Not Four Silos
While each environment has distinct needs, none exists in isolation. They function as a living system, constantly influencing and reinforcing one another. For example, creating space for silence and reflection nurtures the environment of the self. This inner calm triggers the release of neurochemicals associated with safety and connection, which wash through the body, supporting immune function and homeostasis. A regulated body makes it easier to act with patience and kindness, strengthening relationships and social environments. In turn, healthier communities are more likely to act responsibly toward the planet.
The same interdependence is evident in our need for meaning and purpose. When individuals feel disconnected from purpose, mental health often deteriorates. Prolonged emotional distress places immense strain on the body, causing perception and behaviour to suffer, eroding relationships and community engagement. Over time, this disconnection often manifests as apathy toward wider social and environmental responsibilities.
Therefore, to speak of one environment without considering its effects on the others is not merely incomplete, it is dangerously short-sighted.
Where to Begin
Create a sanctuary: Where possible, establish a physical space dedicated to reflection and self-nurture. Even a small, ‘intentional’ corner can support self-respect, build discipline, foster emotional balance, and enhance your physical well-being.
Cultivate social responsibility: Develop a culture of respect and inclusion within your immediate circles, family, friends, colleagues. From there, extend this spirit outward through small, consistent acts of kindness. Remember, we all win in a charitable world.
Choose order over chaos: Order creates peace; chaos creates peacelessness. Letting go of what no longer serves you, physically or emotionally, frees energy for attention, determination and growth.
Avoid waste in all its forms: Waste is not only a material concern, because emotional, mental and energetic waste all obstruct flow. In the body, waste impedes recovery and healing; in the mind, it blocks creativity and resolution; in the spirit, it drains vitality, meaning and purpose; on the planet, it threatens life itself.
Conserve and use resources wisely: Whether energy, time, attention, or material goods, the conservation principle requires awareness, discipline, and conscience. Using less is often an act of mindfulness, creative intelligence, not deprivation. It’s about always leaving something in reserve.
A Call to Action
When we truly understand the Four Environments, indifference becomes impossible. We are compelled to offer each environment our attention, care, and respect, recognising that nurturing one strengthens them all.
Reach’s 4 environment framework invites a deeper form of responsibility, one that nurtures the mind, is kind and respectful to the body, strengthens relationships and community and ultimately shapes the world we leave behind.
So, make a pledge today to walk kindly and gently across the planet, leaving only a beautiful fragrance behind you as evidence that you were here…
Also see: Planet of the Humans and Soil, Soul and Society