I just wrote a long paragraph about the bushfires that are rampaging across Australia, but I deleted it. Nobody can be unaware. Everyone can see the destruction and count the cost. The better question is: what can we do about it?
An intransigence of climate-change sceptics deny any connection between this disaster and humanity’s actions. It keeps them busy, I guess. I see no hope of winning that argument. Instead of bashing my head against the stoutly defended walls of Big Money, I’m regretfully abandoning them as impossible to save.
In my quest to remain hopeful and positive – because humans do have children who deserve a future – I’m seeking new ways to support the Earth. Plus there are only so many pictures of mummified wallabies I can carry in my heart. Fund raising and physical help (money, goods, offers of accommodation and assistance) will continue years into the future as we strive to recover, so there will be no shortage of actions to take after the event (so big and so new it doesn’t yet have a name). Yet I don’t want to just sit and watch, so…
Here’s a starting list of seven tiny things I can do right now:
- Something that I’ve only just heard of: Ecosia, the search engine that plants trees
- Plus a new blogger to follow: InspireCreateEducate
- Check out The New Joneses for tips on living a big life with a little footprint
- Grow your love of retro every day: make Buy Nothing New a permanent resolution
- Share hopeful images to help nurture mental health, like the dog playpen on HMAS Choules
- Step outside and observe your world: the air, the birds, the plants, the locals, and think about how much you love them all
- Tell your people you love them
I’m certain I will find more and stronger actions as time progresses. We really have no choice but to do so. The future is coming. Let’s try to make it one we can live in.