Where in the world are you? Wellington, at the moment. What do you do in the world? I try to be an inspirer of thought and positive action (I'm taking a break from science) In one sentence, what is climate change? Climate change is a forgetting, a disconnection, a disease of modern culture. How does climate change affect your life? The same way it effects everybody's life, what that means for my future I will only know as time goes on. It makes me think twice about having children. What do you feel you can do about it? Try to learn how to adapt, communicate the issue to people, look to solutions. Try to reduce apathy and increase empathy. Do you feel there is more you could do? If so, what is stopping you from doing those things? Fear is often a limiting factor, not having the money or the time to do more. If I could give up needing to make money and travel the world on my bike trying to educate, help and learn then I would... and I still might. What's your favourite Sunday afternoon activity? I have too many. Free space: write anything you like, nothing at all, or ask us a question I really believe we have just forgotten. There is a huge reconnection that needs to happen, to ourselves, to the other and to this planet. I think it's starting to happen but it's slow. People aren't willing to be inconvenienced... They will still fly and drive, yet talk about climate change without even seeing the hypocrisy in their words.... The more we shift the lens, the focus, to ourselves and our actions, and as we strip away the outer and look at our true intentions and why they're there, the better. We have to step into the uncomfortable truth of what we have become. Recently Jen met KaiCycle...KaiCycle is a bike-powered food scrap collection service. Their cyclists collect food waste from residents and businesses in the Wellington CBD and compost it, turning it from waste back into a resource. How did you start working with KaiCycle? When I first moved to Wellington I found myself living in a flat of "eco-conscious vegetarians" yet we were throwing all of our food scraps away. It actually physically pained me to do this. I was so upset, I just wanted to get on my bike and ride it to a local community garden. I had seen such bike powered food waste collection services start up around the world and I thought, why not Wellington?! So, I had an idea to start one. As luck would have it, someone had already had the idea. I was keen to get involved, however, I couldn't quite find much information. At the time I was working for Kaibosh and it so happened that one particular Monday night I came across a group of people in the front meeting space... I was like: "URMMM, hello?" And they were all like: "Oh we are from KaiCycle and workerBe, the Newtown urban farm". Well, if that wasn't a sign from the universe! So I sat my bum down and I haven't left yet. What does KaiCycle mean to you? To me KaiCycle is group of people working hard towards something bigger than themselves. For little or no financial gain but for the greater good of a connected, healthy and resilient community! It's amazing to be involved with an organisation trying to make grassroots change - one that is tackling important issues such as food waste, lowering carbon emissions, and local food provision. To be involved with people who understand the importance of soil and the beauty of worms. To be involved with people who wholeheartedly care about change. I mean it's not easy, so much time goes into these projects and most of us have other jobs too. We exist in a time of change and people involved in organisation like ours have to put in a lot of work. Sometimes it hurts, sometimes you want to give up, and sometimes you wish you could get everyone to care all at once. But we keep on going. KaiCycle, a link in the chain. KaiCycle is an important link our urban food system chain. We don't just compost your waste, we use your waste and recycle it into more food. We are food recyclers. Lots of residents and businesses in Wellington don't have access to composting facilities and we think they should. 30% of all Wellingtons kerbside collection is organic matter, which means it's recyclable. And more than that, it can make compost that can make food. Plus organic matter in landfill = methane... which is not so great for climate change. We have a sister called workerBe oasis, an urban farm in Newtown. Our farm uses permaculture and bio-intensive farming methods and we do our best to use only organic seed. We are serious about delivering nutrient-dense food to the people of Wellington. When we say the people of Wellington we mean the people of Wellington - half of the produce we make goes to Kaibosh who distribute this local, fresh, and real food to charities in the region. Jen's looking after comms, PR, and resident clown work at the KaiCycle headquarters, which is currently outside at an urban food farm in Newtown. KaiCycle were selected for the Low Carbon Challenge, a Wellington City Council and Enspiral-run accelerator for social enterprises. KaiCycle are running a crowd-funding campaign to raise money to build a shelter to provide a home for their bikes and community workshops.
You can sign up for their food waste collection service, or donate to their PledgeMe campaign at the links below. The Low Carbon Challenge will match their funding, so any money you contribute is doubly awesome. Where in the world are you?
Auckland, New Zealand What do you do in the world? I'm a business journalist In one sentence, what is climate change? The greatest danger humankind has ever faced...but if we tackle it, we will transform our values, societies, economies...and, oh, our energy sources too! How does climate change affect your life? It's bringing me into a closer relationship with the ecosystem - our life-support system. It constantly challenges me to work with nature in everything I do, not against it. As a business journalist, I'm excited to see more companies starting to think and act this way. What do you feel you can do about it? As a journalist, I'll keep writing and talking...to show where things are going wrong on climate change, and how we can get them right; and above all, to encourage people to act. As a family we're working on our carbon footprint. We've turned our 74-year old house in a net zero energy house, we drive a 4 year old Leaf, and we converted our 12 year old Prius into a plug-in hybrid so we get about 60km to a litre around town in it. We're down to one small bag of rubbish a week, plus some recycling. And we buy carbon offsets for our flights. As a member of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia, I've worked with others to persuade our Church trusts to divest from fossil fuel investments...and we're setting up a carbon offset program for Church air travel. We're working on this with Enviro-Mark...and we'll buy offsets in a Pacific biodiversity or ecosystem restoration project...since it is the Pacific members of our Province of the Church who are already suffering the effects of climate change. Do you feel there is more you could do? If so, what is stopping you from doing those things? I want to be a far more effective communicator on climate change. Sometimes I wonder if I should be more strident on these urgent issues. But then I think, well, no...I'm more effective as a journalist if I deliver the facts in as clear, concise and honest a way as I can...both on the great dangers of climate change, and the great upside and benefits from tackling it. What's your favourite Sunday afternoon activity? I'm a very keen cyclist...so I'm usually out and about our great city or nearby countryside, on road or off road, in almost any weather! Extra for experts: Do you remember how you first became active in climate change? Was there something specific that triggered you to act? How old were you then? How old are you now? As a student, I was involved in the first two Earth Days in the US in the early 1970s...but they were about point-source pollution such as industrial waste in rivers, or toxic chemicals on fields. I didn't latch on to climate change until the early 2000s, I'm embarrassed to say...and then I began including the subject in the presentations I give to the business community, and began working on my own carbon footprint. Free space: write anything you like, nothing at all, or ask us a question The work you're all doing with Social Climate is fundamentally important because... Climate change and other intense issues such as poverty and inequality are global….but the solutions are increasingly local. Each of us has an infinitesimal impact through our own actions...but if an infinite number of us act, we can change the world. The better we get at local solutions, and spread the knowledge, the greater our chance of aggregating that up to achieve global change. Then, we can achieve the absolutely unprecedented speed, scale and complexity of change we have to for survival. Such solutions require very strong, learning communities...with the essential attributes of:
Such communities are places where individuals are valued, helped and encouraged…so they too can participate in change. Wishing you all the best with your work! Rod Last week was exciting - we heard from our youngest climate millionaire yet. We were pretty inspired by what we heard, and wanted to write back... Dear Mystery Millionaire We can tell you're very aware already. Believe it or not, you know more about climate change than some of us older humans. You pointed out impacts that you've already seen - "The sea wall in Island Bay washed down. They fixed it but it will probably wash away again." And some great solutions that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions: "Get an electric car; use public transport and human transport; eat less red meat; don't travel so much for holidays". You asked us "How can intermediate school kids help?" Here are 5 things that we can think of:
There are lots of other things that you can do too, especially with a bit of imagination. You could think of something you love doing - like telling stories, making art, playing music, or being active - and then brainstorm ways of combining that with climate change. For example, I like making up bad jokes and putting them on posters. I've included a sneak peek of one of them at the end... Let us know if you can think of something we can do to help. Feel free to share Climate Millionaire - we'd love to hear more from you and your friends. Thank you, Mystery Millionaire! Where in the world are you?
Wellington, New Zealand What do you do in the world? I enjoy myself and take up space. I think a lot about climate change, so much so that I co-founded Social Climate with Nat. In one sentence, what is climate change? Climate change is the long term change of climate due to human activity, and the biggest challenge we'll face as a species. How does climate change affect your life? Climate change has a huge effect on my life. Firstly, I think about climate change and sustainability all the time. I put a lot of energy and time into it. Secondly, I consider climate change when making major life decisions, and I suspect I will do for the rest of my life. I don't think these things are inherently negative, they're just there. What do you feel you can do about it? I feel quite empowered! I feel so encouraged and excited by the people around me, active and doing good work already. Everyone has skills that they can contribute which I find so inspiring. My passion is food. To me, food is happiness, health and security. Food is also the source of our highest green house gas emissions as individuals*. I want to increase food sustainability and explore all the ways we can make a difference in climate change from the ground up. I feel like people are the answer, and that we can solve climate change by working together. Do you feel there is more you could do? If so, what is stopping you from doing those things? I feel like there is always more that I can do! What is stopping me right now? Hours in the day perhaps? What's your favourite Sunday afternoon activity? I like quiet Sunday afternoons. A cup of tea and working on sustainability projects/ideas is my jam. Do you remember how you first became active in climate change? Was there something specific that triggered you to act? How old were you then? How old are you now? I was about 16 or 17 years old when my chemistry teacher gave me a copy of 'An Inconvenient Truth' on DVD. I watched this at home and remember feeling so amazed and frustrated and scared all at once. I wanted to do something, something real. I didn't want to buy an eco light bulb. I'm 27 now and I have moments every few months where the enormity and urgency of climate change hits me. This is usually when I learn something new that allows me to comprehend climate change in a new way. *Based on stats for the average NZ household Where in the world are you?
Wellington, New Zealand What do you do in the world? Analyst helping drive large change. In one sentence, what is climate change? Each day, month, year will be a roll of the dice; with rising seas and a redistribution of water, food and prosperity, we will no longer be able to plan our own destiny. How does climate change affect your life? It stimulates anxiety and passion. What do you feel you can do about it? I'm positive that we can overcome the worst of climate change; it's not a technology problem but a people problem, and I can help to be the change we need. Do you feel there is more you could do? If so, what is stopping you from doing those things? Yes - a need to lead a balanced life in a world that isn't focused on climate change. What's your favourite Sunday afternoon activity? Exploring the hills. Extra for experts: Do you remember how you first became active in climate change? Was there something specific that triggered you to act? How old were you then? How old are you now? I was 16 and wanted to date a keen climate activist. It was the right thing for the wrong reason! I'm 25 now. Where in the world are you?
Wellington, NZ What do you do in the world? Environmental scientist and behaviour changer In one sentence, what is climate change? The response to human hubris and the belief that we can subjugate nature and the laws of thermodynamics by blindly following the fantasy of unlimited economic growth in a resource-constrained world. How does climate change affect your life? I am a coral reef scientist by training and my favourite things, namely marine creatures, are under threat of going extinct. This makes me unbelievably depressed, angry and sad especially seeing us biologists have warned of this happening for 20 years and totally foresaw it to be particularly bad in this year's El Niño. There is a new disorder recognised called 'pre-traumatic stress disorder' and it affects environmental and climate scientists who have foreseen this catastrophe but have been ignored or even vilified for it. What do you feel you can do about it? Continue to fight with my expertise as an environmental scientist and behaviour changer. I lead a global research project on how to change Behaviour Changers' behaviours. I believe that is one important step we need to make to create the systemic change that is needed. Do you feel there is more you could do? If so, what is stopping you from doing those things? I am flying a lot for my work and to date there aren't effective enough tools to make up for the importance of face-to-face workshops with Behaviour Changers. What's your favourite Sunday afternoon activity? Rambling around the South Coast in Wellington, or hanging out in the garden with my cats and chickens. If it's bad weather, playing games with friends. Extra for experts: Do you remember how you first became active in climate change? Was there something specific that triggered you to act? How old were you then? How old are you now? I always knew I wanted to be a marine biologist to save the ocean from human activity. I heard about global warming when I was about 13 in school and realised it was a massive threat to our environment. As soon as I started studying coral biology in 1996, I was confronted with issues around warming sea surface temperatures causing bleaching and the discovery of ocean acidification. Free space: write anything you like, nothing at all, or ask us a question Good luck with your work, I hope you will collect a million stories! |
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