GET CLIMATE WOKE

Words by Jessica Peace

It’s time to get ‘climate woke’ and see how the little things we can do can make a MASSIVE difference…

BABY IT’S NOT THAT COLD OUTSIDE

In a hot nutshell, we’ve all been over consuming, and over burning and now Mumma Nature is pissed off.

Since that Industrial Revolution we’ve been burning up coil, oil and gas like Nobody’s business, and while lots of us have gotten cosier homes and more cash in our pockets, we’ve heated up the earth to breaking point and the cracks are showing as the icecaps melt and we experience increasing droughts, floods and wildfires.

The UN recently reported that we only have 12 years to stop climate disaster. (!!!) Although we’ve been hit in Blighty with people losing their homes to floods and this summer’s heat wave setting the North West moorlands on fire, it’s the world’s poorer countries that are the worst affected. The UN Refugee Agency claim that major conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Somalia and Darfur have been compounded by climate change.

OUR POWER

Successive governments have failed to take the dangers of climate change seriously; it’s actually been talked about since the late 1900’s, with scientific evidence proving the link between fossil fuel use and climate rise in the 1950’s and big media attention in the 1980’s, not much has been done… So we little people must make our own changes.

EAT LESS COW

It’s just a fact mate that the meat and dairy industry are adding to the problem. Research came out this year from Oxford University demonstrating that the industries use 83% of the world’s farmland and produce 60% of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. Basically, it takes up loads of green space, leads to deforestation and gives off tons of carbon.

PLANTING FOR THIS NEW WORLD…

As greenfingered freaks we’re making a good start, at G&T we’re always bangin’ on about using houseplants as air purifiers, greening up with houseplants, dried flowers and terrariums rather than cheap bouquets and knockin’ back herbal remedies - why wouldn’t you?

More green equals less pollution. Natch. That’s indoors and out - it’s actually the Ginkgo’s and the London plane trees de-polluting our filthy streets, so shove green where you can.

As plantheads there are other things to think about depending on our living situations, how much time we’ve got and whether our neck of the woods is getting drier or wetter. First, what are we planting? If London keeps getting summers like the last one is it time to ditch traditions like our English lawn that needs so much hose time? And where are we getting our plants from? How many miles do they travel? How much plastic are they wrapped in? And have we got space to grow our own fruit and veg and make our own compost in either our own backyards or community gardens?...

Just a few things to think about.

Plant power. People power. X