Open Letter

Photo by Markus Spiske on Pexels.com

There is a saying that holds a lot of truth… We Do Not Inherit the Earth from Our Ancestors; We Borrow It from Our Children. I used to hear it a lot when travelling on Air New Zealand flights. And it always makes me think about how deep its gets and to what extent it should govern our lives. For in our pursuit of more, we often forget about our children and what planet they will receive from us, when our rent is over. What house are we going to leave behind? Are we going to be the good tenants that leave behind a better house, nicely furnished, clean and painted on the outside and inside, with improvements built along the way and planning for future additions? Or are we going to be the bad tenants that brought the walls down, destroyed the furnishing, broken down windows and generally forgot that they live in a house and not in a cave?

I used to think that climate change action is the remit of governments. That the power to stop bad behaviours and encourage new, better ones lies solely with the powers that rule countries. But I have come to understand that truth is always in the middle, hiding in the shadows of the grays.

These days I think that the responsibility sits with all of us. It is not just governments’ control. It is something that we can also influence through our choices. For everyday we can make choices that take in consideration environmental impact. We can choose products that have been built in sustainable ways, with a small carbon footprint. This, in the long run, through numbers will sway the balance to organisations that embrace the balance that might bring us on a better path towards the future. It will weed out those that don’t care about the planet or the future. Or it will make them reconsider their practices so that they are forced to adapt in order to survive.

We can demand more from companies and governments, we can say no to consumerism, and profits and pollution. We are many in our pursuit of a better future. It is our children’s lives that we are fighting for. We need to get past the selfishness of ME and move towards the benefit of US and future US. We are not built in this way, it will take a while to fight our inner workings. But it is a war worth fighting for.

To reduce environmental impact, we can adopt several practices.

1. Energy Consumption: One effective approach is to minimise energy consumption by using energy-efficient appliances, and implementing energy-saving initiatives such as turning off lights and electronics when not in use.
2. Reduce, reuse, and recycle materials to minimize waste.
3. Buy if needed / buy the right thing: Choose sustainable and eco-friendly products. In our chase to buy more, first ask ourselves if we need a new thing… If yes, then pick the one that has the least environmental impact. It is not just energy efficiency, but the impact that producers have on our world. Choose the ones that actually make a difference, the ones that have the right practices in place to protect the environment. And constantly ask this from everyone that sells you something. How do they play their part in our efforts to build a better future?
4. Treat water as gold. Water is and will be one of the most important resources of our world. We often forget that we cannot live without it. So treat it like a precious resource that has to be used wisely. All of us can implement water conservation measures, like harvesting rain water and use it for various needs around the house. We can also demand local governments to invest more in water retention solutions and treat water leaks whenever possible.
5. Use environmentally friendly transportation means like walking, biking, or using public transportation. Invest in EVs and stop demanding for fossil fuels cars. Without demand, these types of vehicles will slowly disappear and the focus will shift on EVs. We will also put less pressure on existing and new sources of fossil fuel.

Let’s all play our part for a better future. Let’s imagine a future where we have adverted climate change, where our descendants have their chance at a good life, that allows them to prosper and evolve… not scramble for food, water and air.