Over the past couple of years, concern about climate change occurring at an alarmingly fast and destructive rate has been brought more and more into the mainstream media spotlight. Among the many very vocal activists is sixteen-year-old Swede, Greta Thunberg. Greta grew up in Sweden and, after hearing about the issues with the climate in school, she decided that she was going to speak up about it. So, in August of 2018 she protested outside of Swedish parliament for climate change where she was soon joined by many other protesters, including many other school-aged children. Since then she has continued to speak out in Stockholm, London and, most recently, at the UN climate summit in New York City.
Photo by Lexus Jacobs
This young woman has been unafraid to call out elected officials, big businesses and even world leaders. For me she is an inspiration to not only to try and do my part on a day-to-day basis, but also to be firm with my opinions and to know that my voice matters. If you would also like to let your voice be heard, the first step is to inform yourself on the matters at hand. For me it was a simple as googling “climate change facts “ and I was provided with many articles. The second is to start with your day to day life, whether it’s not eating meat that day or making sure all your lights are off before you leave.
Photo by Lexus Jacobs
Lastly, I would say have conversations. I feel that it is very easy to believe something and never talk about it, especially when there are a lot of opinions on the matter. I’m not saying you have to get on your soapbox and preach to the masses, but just little by little. So why don’t we all go out and show some love to the Earth today.