Hi! I'm Hayley

About me

I've always loved learning, writing, and the natural world; this website unites these loves.

I'm a wildlife photographer, writer, walker, and lover of the outdoors. I'm also a climate transition lawyer at an international law firm, specialising in renewable energy, sustainability, and climate policy.

I read law at the University of Cambridge, then completed a Master of Laws at the University of Law whilst working full time and went on to qualify as a solicitor. My grandpa always tells me "never stop learning!" - so, in 2020 I started a bachelor's degree in Environmental Science with The Open University. After three years of studying the natural sciences (hydrology, geology, carbon cycles, and much more), I'm now studying the cultural, economic, social, and political aspects of our relationship with the natural world. I love it. Studying whilst working full time is hard work but incredibly inspiring and rewarding.

I have a deep, spiritual bond with the natural world that I'm still exploring. I care deeply about finding ways out of the ecological and climate crises, and that informs my learning and writing. I'm increasingly aware of the interconnectedness between social and environmental issues and I'm starting to form the view that radical societal change is needed. This is something I'm still investigating.

This website

This website is many things, and lots of lovely people have given me feedback on what they like about it, so I'm hopeful that it achieves some of its aims. I hope it allows you to find out more about the natural world, that it helps you share my love, and perhaps even inspires you. It's not a lecture-style final product, more a journey through my and our learning and imagining during this time of beauty, devastation, and crisis. It includes my learning, interpretations, and opinion, and posts are labelled by category. I also review books.

I'd love to hear what you think, and your ideas for how it can be improved or pointers for learning and exploration.

Collaboration

I'm always keen to hear about opportunities for collaboration, so do get in touch!

Subjects

You'll notice this website traverses many subjects. They're linked in ways we should recognise, but they also promote the virtues of being a generalist. To fully embrace the cultural, spiritual, economic, political, geographic, and social elements of the natural world and our relationship with it, I can't box myself into a narrow field of learning or writing. I'd love to encourage others on my journey of wide exploration.

Writing style

My writing style has evolved and will, and should, continue to evolve evermore. In particular, I'm still exploring the most authentic way for me to name and describe other species and elements of the natural world. You can explore along with me by reading my posts about old nature books, and looking out for new posts on writing conventions.

Referencing

I always endeavour to provide you with enough information about my reading and sources whilst maintaining an accessible, enjoyable style. Like everything else, this will continue to evolve. Where I'm writing about something I've learnt from a particular person or book, I include that in the post. I'm often writing from general knowledge or my own observations, interpretations, or opinion, in which case I don't usually retrospectively seek references to support each point, as some students are encouraged to do, because this doesn't accord with my understanding of the value of referencing (acknowledging sources that informed your writing). Rather, I try to make it clear when I'm writing from personal experience or giving an opinion. Having said that, if I'm basing my writing on my own general knowledge, I try to include references to any sources that have informed that knowledge over the years. If I find out later that one of my interpretations or ideas has already been written or spoken about by somebody else, I'll update the article to acknowledge that person's work, even if it didn't inform my piece. It's always important to acknowledge the contributions of others, particularly women and minority groups whose contributions have historically been omitted or undervalued.

Changes of opinion

Like everyone, my opinions can and should change over time as I learn. Where my opinion has changed since a previous post, I usually write a new post explaining the change or add a note to the original post. Older posts don't necessarily represent my current view.

Photos

I love photography, and all photos are my own unless expressly stated. Please don't use any photos on this website without permission.

Views

All views I express are my own unless otherwise stated. My work here in learning, writing, and creating art is separate to my work as a climate transition lawyer. I can't, and don't seek to, fully compartmentalise myself, which is why legal issues and aspects of the legal profession crop up on this website, and my learning makes me a better climate lawyer. But any views expressed here represent my personal views as an individual exploring a scientific, cultural, and social learning and development process, not the views of my employer or any other organisations with which I'm involved.

Ads and sponsorship

There are no advertisements on this website, and no sponsorship. I was once sent a free copy of a book with a request for a review and that's noted on the review itself. I will always note anything given for free or any connection I think should be declared, though I have since decided not to engage with free book invitations in case it interferes with the direction of my reading. Otherwise, this website is written freely and without financial ties or incentives.