Who's Future? Our Future
On September 20th, climate strikes happened globally led by the inspirational young activist: Greta Thunberg. Millions of people took part, from all ages and parts of the world. People want climate justice, and they want it now.
Being a member of 1% For The Planet, I decided to venture down to the Climate Strike in Leicester, which is where I’m from. Throughout my lunchtime, I walked alongside the crowd of people taking photos and videos to share on social media with the aim of generating awareness, engagement, and publicity. It was incredibly breathtaking to see so many give up their time for something so important, and the time-lapse I captured really puts it all into perspective.
One of my pledges, when I joined 1% For The Planet, was to use my influence and skills in social media to help spread awareness for fundamental causes - like this one.
When on-site in the centre of Leicester, I made sure to get the message out beyond my reach. BBC Radio Leicester opted to use my footage to showcase the strikes on their Instagram and so did a handful of charities. I’m just a small creator and if bigger corporations use their platforms to share the same content, it generates more publicity for the cause. I’m very appreciative that people were receptive, the small creators on the ground often see the most.
The Leicester march went down to a place called Jubilee Square where speeches were held. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see the end of the protests but read about it online. Have a read of this article, it highlights a lot of the things that happened.
How We Can All Help
There is so much more people could do to help the environment. There’s a lot more that I could do. Since March 2018, I’ve been donating and spreading awareness to a brilliant charity based in London called 10:10. In fact, it’s their 10-year anniversary at the moment and they’re re-branding!
Whilst this effort should be encouraged, I’ve decided I’d like to start making more changes to my lifestyle to make a direct impact. The strikes have helped inspire many, just like me. I’ll be putting together a proper list of actions for 2020 on what I’d like to do, but I’ll be starting as soon as possible. Becoming more conscious with plastic, how I shop and the way I consume products are just a few general things that can easily be done.
The gesture of donating and being active in the world for Climate Change shouldn’t be under-estimated. Not everyone is in a position where they can change their lifestyle, often donating is the most popular way because the revenue can be given to professionals who know how to create campaigns. But, if you are in a position to change how you live, or just donate, I urge you to do so.
Join me in making a change. And continue to spread awareness. If you’d like to also join 1% For The Planet, don’t wait.
