August 25th, 2019
Hello, readers!
This is a bit of a different ‘entry’ today – I’ve sent an email to everyone I know : see below…. had one supportive response so far, with more people sending ‘out of office’ replies: holidays must go on….?!
Dear Family & Friends (and people I’ve ‘met’ via my blog…),
I know I’m taking a risk here, and I’m prepared for some of you to ignore/delete me!
I hope you’re all well.
I’m having such a happy time at the moment! Retired, with a grandson I adore, enjoying the sunshine and the bank holiday weekend….
I can’t put aside thoughts of the Amazon rainforest on fire, however.
As some of you know, I’ve been a ‘one woman band’ campaigner against climate change, since becoming a grandmother!
Now, with these shocking fires raging, I feel I have to interrupt my perfect relaxing life for a moment…
I’ve signed petitions organised by Greenpeace, Sum of Us and Extinction Rebellion, but I also want to connect with you people personally today….
I sound like a missionary (appropriate for Sunday)!
Influencing friends & family is supposed to be the easy bit, but I haven’t found that – I really don’t want to come across as obsessed and intolerant (I’m beginning to get that way, though, all in a very good cause I believe….!).
I’ve avoided appealing to some of you before now: I really don’t want to preach, make judgements about people’s lives etc.
BUT I feel the time for being timid is over – I just want to tell you how I feel, passionately: then you can dismiss me if you like, but at least I’ll feel I’ve tried.
Whatever you think of the above organisations (I have a friend who ‘loathes’ Extinction Rebellion people!), the ‘bottom line’ is that climate change affects us all;
and there are ways to stop it.
And you don’t have to be an ‘eco-mentalist’, extreme or even immediate – we have 10 years to make a big difference.
I haven’t joined any of the pressure groups, though I’ve signed things, even donated a little.
And I haven’t changed massively (yet) – of course it’s important for us all to enjoy life too.
I’m still driving (trying to have some car-free days though) and eating dairy products (cutting down on milk though – oat milk is actually delicious: try it!)
But I know the way the world works has to change – ‘business as usual’ is no longer an option.
Dependence on fossil fuels has to be phased out.
We need to live in a post-oil future.
The Amazon fires, according to a CNN meteorologist, were definitely human-induced, associated with industrial farming, mining and drilling.
So, is there any chance you might join me please?!
First, in not buying meat any longer (particularly beef) and products containing palm oil (shampoo such as ‘Head & Shoulders’ would you believe it?..); and second, in ‘spreading the word’ – talking with more people about the importance of such things we can all do to help…..
It might seem like an impossible problem to solve;
but change has to start somewhere.
The inspiring, brave, dignified and determined Greta Thunberg says ‘If not us, who? If not now, when?’
Companies like JBS, Ineos and BP only thrive (for their rich owners etc, but that’s another story…!) because we are buying their products.
Let’s stop buying them!
I’ll go in a minute, but just before I do, having said I’m not a member of any of the ‘eco’ groups (partly because I don’t want the important message of reversing climate change to be dismissed as just a ‘green’ concern…), I’m definitely going to do something positive around September 20/27th and October 7/19th – please check globalclimatestrike.net, XRUK and Fossil-free News (the latter for their beautiful art work, if nothing else!)
The first is particularly moving, for its international young energy (the people kind…..!)
So, I’m going to publish this email on www.grandmothersquestions.blog now – was going to give the activism a bank holiday too, but decided against it…
One of my wonderful ‘children’, Gecko/Will, has helped me open a Twitter account today too, so please do follow me, with tweets, blog comments or whatever…!
Love, Emily
Grandmother's questions 