Green, happy and connected

By Aarti Bansal

A couple of years ago I went to watch a documentary film called ‘Happy’ at the Sheffield Friends of the Earth film festival. The film examined what makes us happy as humans. One of the parts of the movie that stayed with me was where they examined the possible impact of communal living in Denmark on their high levels of national happiness. Children living in such housing said they felt they had an extended family of friends to play with and parents to look after them. I remember feeling very similarly growing up in family hospital accommodation with 8 flats in a building where the entire building became our home and the people in it our family.

Having recently and unexpectedly retuned to Sheffield from Australia, my family and I found ourselves without anywhere to live. Kind friends offered us their homes. We didn’t expect to take up these kind offers for more than a week or two, expecting to find somewhere to rent in school catchment for our boys. This proved much more difficult than we could have imagined and we ended up living with friends for 3 months. It was wonderful. It may not have been as materially comfortable as living in our own home, but our friendship has deepened and their open-hearted example has inspired us to notice how others may need help and support and to offer what we can.

Interestingly, current research shows that giving is receiving in terms of happiness. Yet we don’t generally see acceptance of generosity as an act of kindness. We feel obligated to people when accepting help, burdened, somehow ‘less than’. Perhaps these negative feelings prevent us from asking for help. As well as fear of rejection, fear of crossing a line of appropriateness… Yet asking for help and sharing gives us the opportunity to connect with our neighbours and build friendships, expand our sense of community and our sense of self. It is a kindness to others.

We are social creatures and thrive from being interdependent rather than independent, connected rather than isolated. So let’s ask for help! Or if that is not so easy, lets offer help before it is asked.

As well as being intricately interconnected on a personal and local level, we are also inteconnected on a global scale. Politically, economically and most importantly via earth, air and water. It’s an illusion that somehow our choices don’t influence the lives of others. We need to see ourselves as part of the community of humans and indeed life on planet earth.

We can do this at an individual level and make positive choices such as changing energy provider, using more public transport etc. But what about what we can do together? We can share the lawnmower between houses. We can share car journeys. We can help look after each other.

We can also do this through being part of the global climate movement which can make our voice heard at events like the UN Climate Conference in Paris in December. That is why I am actively supporting the #Timefortheclimate event in Sheffield on 28^th November 2015. This event is part of the Global People’s Climate March taking place on 28^th and 29^th November across the world.

For me, most importantly, being ‘green’ through building community is not overwhelming, upsetting or paralyzing, it is motivating, uplifting and energising.

Post Flash Mob High

 

By Emily Pickles

So; we did it! We sang our song and had our flash mob on 7th March at Sheffield train station and it was fantastic.  Personally I did not really want it to end – it was a magical feeling being with  a group of like-minded people all doing the same thing and for the same reason.  In the past I have been on numerous marches, demonstrations and rallies and I find that feeling of collective cause & purpose simultaneously motivating, humbling, enlivening and almost paralysing (in the sense that I want to do nothing else but continue in that collective moment). I lost count early on of how many times we sang the song; in the ticket hall, by the fountains, on the bridge on the platform, waving the train off…I’m getting a bit emotional just thinking about it now…Music is powerful and very important to me, lyrics matter and stay with me for years, our song plays over and over again in my head and the message is a clear and powerful one that resonates again and again, take a moment now to re-consider them:

We need to wake up, we need to wise up, we need to open our eyes and do it now, now ,now! We need to build a better future and we need to start right now…We’re on a planet, that has a problem, we need to solve it get involved and do it now, now, now! We need to build a better future and we need to start right now…Make it greener, make it cleaner, make it last, make it fast and do it now, now now! We need to build a better future and we need to start right now…No point in waiting, or hesitating, we must get wise, take no more lies and do it now, now, now! We need to build a better future and we need to start right now…We need to build a better future and we need to start right now…

Who could disagree? Who would not feel motivated by such words? My kids insisted that we did not drive or get the bus to the flashmob as they worried that doing so would cause climate change.On one level of course they are right and I am glad they have an understanding of how their actions impact on our world.  I can remember teaching my kids the words to our song – it did not take long– my 4 yr old had the chorus nailed in 5 minutes, complete with foot stomping & punches to the air and my 7 yr old was humming the tune for the rest of that weekend.  But what struck me the most about introducing them to the song & rationale behind it was the emotion it stirred in me – as ridiculous as it sounds it was a kind of  (relighting a) lightbulb moment – remembering that this is about their future and future generations after them; this is our planet and it is our responsibility to safeguard its future and time is running out.

Personally, for my family, we are still considering our ‘next move’ – what I / we can do ‘extra’ to help combat climate change – current considerations include how to divest, fitting solar panels, best use of my vote in the election, how to get more schools / youth groups singing for the climate in Sheffield,  getting  the  boiler  serviced  &  radiators  cleaned  out  to  improve  their  efficiency,reorganising our recycling, passing on so many things in our house that we do not use enough any more to new homes…the list goes on and often overwhelms me to the point where I do nothing. However, one thing on my list is now done – this blog, and that’s what I am doing – small steps, one at a time – when I have the time and if we all pledge to do one small thing every now and then,when we can, then we can make it greener and build a better future.

We’re all in this together!

By Isobel Thomas

Recently I was shocked to discover that around 7000 properties on the English and Welsh coastline will be lost to rising seas in the next century, according to the UK Environment Agency (see the BBC report here).  Apparently 800 of these will be lost in the next twenty years.  This means many families will lose their homes.  There is no doubt that the rising sea levels and resulting coastal erosion is due to climate change.  The question is who will pay the price for the loss of these properties?  Currently it will be the people living in these homes.  Can you imagine facing the emotional and financial trauma of your home falling into the sea in the next twenty years?  I can’t.

Some communities in Alaska already know what this is like.  According to an article in HuffingtonPost (which was mentioned in our ‘Dreaming of a White Christmas’ blog), there are people in villages who are actively trying to relocate away from the coast because homes have already started to fall into the sea. Coastal erosion for these communities is in part due to the melting of the permafrost on which homes are built.  This melting means that when storms come the ground is weaker and large chunks break off and fall into the sea. What’s more shorter, warmer winters are threatening a whole social, cultural and economic way of life for communities in Alaska.  This fun film by a group of Alaskan school children illustrates the point well.

Back in the 1980s my mum had friends in London who campaigned on ‘green’ issues.  They were a bit unconventional.  I remember after a visit to these friends my mum rather dismissively said of their environmental action ‘I care more about people, than the environment’.  I’ve been thinking a lot about what she said recently.  How could such an intelligent woman who spent much of her life defying convention and fighting for justice have this attitude?  Perhaps it’s because in the 80s the impact of human activity on the environment was not as widely understood or accepted as it is today.   And perhaps it’s  because the consequences for people all  round the world were not as obvious then.

My mum passed away last year, but I’m sure if I  could have the conversation with her again she would agree that the consequences of climate change affect us all and this is most certainly ‘about people.’  People have caused the problem; people are already suffering the consequences, including people in this country; and people can be part of the solution.  I know that my mum would want me to try to do what I can, however small, to safeguard the futures of her grandchildren.  And she would want me to have fun along the way!  So that’s why I’ve decided to get involved in Sheffield Sings Out for the Climate.  It’s about people. From Anchorage in Alaska to Aldeburgh in Suffolk, we really are ‘all in this together’.

The dangers of ‘passive living’

By Sean Ashton

In recent years, the dangers of passive smoking have been well documented and many measures have been introduced by the government to reduce exposure to second-hand smoke such as the prohibition of smoking in the workplace and in public places. Could it be though, that ‘passive living’, that is just sitting back and watching things happen to the world we live in and the environment without doing anything about it could be far more dangerous in the long run?

But what can we do, you might ask? I used to feel that the little things that I could do made no difference; and to be honest I didn’t always do a lot (and still don’t do enough) to try and change things. Now though, I realise that the small things that each of us do can make a difference and if enough of us commit to making these changes it can have an impact on climate change.

Although it may seem that the changes required are not compatible with a modern western lifestyle, they don’t necessarily have to be too painful. A year ago my car broke down and I spent three months without a car. Far from being the inconvenience I imagined, it was a liberating experience; I walked more, lost a few ‘spare’ pounds and had significantly more money in my pocket. Although I have now bought another car due to having ageing parents who live at a distance, low carbon emissions and fuel economy were the criteria by which I chose a new model and we now do less than half the mileage compared to a year ago. When this car gives up the ghost, I will give serious consideration to whether I need a new one or whether I can manage without one, using public transport and hiring a car for those occasions when it is really needed.

I thought running a car was pretty much the worst thing I did with regard to impacting on the environment. Then I heard recently that eating red meat was worse for the climate than driving a car. How could that be and would I be able to give up a bacon sandwich or eating meat? I didn’t think so. But a recent Horizon documentary, ‘Should I eat meat’ (http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x24ieya_horizon-2014-2015-2-should-i-eat-meat-how-to-feed-the-planet_lifestyle) caused me to re-evaluate my opinion. In Europe, each person eats on average 80 kilos of meat a year! Now, whilst I haven’t given up eating meat, we only eat meat once a week and have discovered a new, interesting and exciting range of vegetarian meals.

So it isn’t as difficult as I thought – and there is so much we can do. Making sure we switch off the light, recycling conscientiously, eating less meat, using public transport, changing your energy supplier to a supplier using more green energy are just a few easy things that will make a real difference.

So why sing for the climate? The answer is simple; as well as making personal changes to your lifestyle it is equally important to get the message heard by as many people as possible and by any means. Climate change is real and it is affecting people now; and the real injustice is that it is people in countries such as the Philippines who are paying the price for our profligacy (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/typhoon-hagupit-power-lines-cut-trees-torn-down-and-800000-people-in-shelters-with-another-pummelling-potentially-on-its-way-9908596.html). So tell your family, friends and people in your work place. If you feel comfortable doing so, write to your MP and get involved with demonstrations. Only if enough people show concern will MPs have the mandate and a reason to really tackle climate change. So please join us in singing for the climate in Sheffield.

I wouldn’t dare lay claim to be a climate warrior – I just feel I am at the beginning of a journey to try and make a difference to the way I live my life so that my children and grandchildren are not left with an unpleasant legacy because I couldn’t be bothered to do anything.