I’m sad to inform you that the 2020 Global Leadership Summit has been postponed until April 2021.
This decision was due to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic.
Currently, we have made the difficult decision to suspend our campaign and will review what our next steps will be.
We will refund everybody that wants to be compensated for their contributions.
For those do not want a refund we would put the money to good use and use it to continue our efforts to fight the climate crisis.
Also we have been offered a spot for the next year’s trip and will likely accept to continue the fight to make people aware of the impacts of air travel.
It has been a long time since I have last posted. But since then a lot has happened, and I am still as dedicated as ever to reach my goal. If you have not read my initial post: https://thegreenchoice.home.blog/2019/10/27/example-post/ please do so because otherwise this current article might be confusing.
To begin with, I have had had a couple of major breakthroughs in advertising and spreading my message. First, my story has been published in the Oliver Chronicle (https://www.oliverchronicle.com/middle-school-student-raises-awareness-of-climate-change/) and in a local NGO named First Things First Okanagan that addresses local Climate Change issues. Also, we raised awareness through the KLO weekly updates and I am trying to make a difference in my school. To go further I am talking to a consultant that has volunteered to help me and we’re actively in discussions with media outlets including some in the U.S.A.
Secondly, I have raised more donations and I’m really hoping to reach our initial goal of $4000, with already $3000 fundraised. Also, we’re exploring our next steps for fundraising including selling of goods and products but also approaching some companies that may be keen on receiving media attention in return for support.
Finally, we are finalizing our plans for the “trip” and might look to participate in leadership events through the communities we pass including the one I am going to in London, Ontario. I may have a chance of being a guest speaker or have another leadership role to share my experience or thoughts.
Even though the road looks good, challenges will arise but with dedication and participation, I hope this trip will achieve a bigger impact than just my Carbon Footprint. With luck, my action may help many other people to consider the impacts of their decisions.
As the snow falls only one thing dwells on people’s minds, the arrival of Christmas. Christmas is a holiday of giving and spending time with loved ones. Yet many people concerned about climate change let it all fly for the sake of Christmas.
Even though Christmas is important, climate change is also important especially with major emission targets looming closer. For me, I find it hard to chose over the environment or X-mas so I chose both.
In this blog, I will try to teach you some techniques any person can do to reduce their overall environmental footprint while enjoying this magical holiday. It may be a really simple step or a may but more difficult one, but it is important to try to as much as you can do.
I will try to divide this blog into three sections (Presents, Food and Decorations).
Presents
The first and debatably the most important section. I will always remember the mysterious feeling of Christmas night. Trying to hear Santa come down the chimney or guessing what presents lay under the Christmas tree. But, presents can have a tremendous environmental impact. Many people buy new presents that are either not responsibly sourced/made. But one way around this is to buy used. Since it’s made it creates not harm using it again. For example, my Dad loves a book and especially an old old book that talks about past events. So this Christmas I am getting him used books from a huge used book store with a lot of selection (This is a secret!!!!!!!!!!!). Another thing that a person can do is try to buy from companies that put the environment and their workers first instead of profit. Some examples of companies like this or Patagonia, Tentree or others. Finally, you can gift events or actions instead of physical presents. This could be a dinner, a day together or a special event.
Decorations
The first thing is to buy Christmas decorations that will last for years to come. Also, a thing to look out for is LED Christmas lights (most are LED nowadays). Before you buy something think about how it was made and where it was from.
Christmas trees are so beautiful. But when I come to realize millions are cut down and they take a little under a decade to grove this worries me a bit. Even though it is “impossible” to eliminate Christmas trees it is possible to reduce the impact. The first and best solution is to get a potted Christmas tree, this is a tree that can be reused year after year. You buy then return it to the store you bought it and they keep growing in during the year. But not all cities have this. Another thing is to not to get a single-use plastic Christmas tree because that is the worst thing a person can do.
Food
The first and maybe most controversial topic is to use fewer animal products when having your Christmas dinner. Maybe it may be getting smaller higher quality meat instead of a factory-farmed turkey. Another solution is having no meat on Christmas Eve and then have a small amount on Christmas day. Also try to find local, plant-based food that hopefully comes in minimal packaging. Finally, save your leftovers for another meal instead of tossing it in the trash.
With this guide hopefully you can have an amazing Christmas while not hurting the enivorment.
Plastic surrounds us, it engulfs us; take a second and reflect how much plastic you have used. It is probably a lot! Even though in this modern world it is almost impossible to rid yourself of single-use plastic, there are many things an average consumer like you and me can do to reduce our intake.
It may seem like an overwhelming idea, but if you start small and over time improve it can add up to a big difference. It may be as simple as bringing reusable bags, and then stop using plastic straws and then… Nobody can change in a day so it is important to be patient.
I will be using the five R’s, since it is an effective and easy-to-understand process. The five R’s (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rot). The list is from the most important to the least.
Picture by : CO2 Living
Refusing stuff you don’t need is a important first step that can reduce a lot of plastic waste. Refusing is not accepting plastic objects that you don’t need. For example this may include a plastic straw at a restaurant or a plastic bag at a store.
Reducing is minimizing plastic that you do “need”, for example this may include packaging on food that you can’t find plastic-free. The way to reduce this is by buying less of that product even though you need it sometimes. Also, you could try to see if you can find the same product in bulk or in a form that has less plastic.
Buy reusable stuff. Much of our plastic intake can be easily reduced by buying a reusable bag, containers, wraps and so on. It may cost you more upfront, but in time it will save you money and the planet. Finally, if forced to use a plastic bag try to keep it for later use, since using it multiple times does not hurt anything if already used.
Recycle all the plastic that you do use. Even though it is not a perfect system it does still conserve energy and reduces the production of new plastic. It is really important to make sure that you put proper materials in the recycling bin, if not the whole bin goes to waste.
Finally, Rot: rot is a term for composting, even though this one is not related to plastic (this system is normally used to reduce waste generally). Composting is an effective way to reduce methane from landfills while producing nutrient-rich fertilizer. Finally, it is a good use of your food scraps.
Plastic is in everything, but with the five R’s (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rot) we can reduce our use of plastic. I know it is overwhelming at first, but if you start small and over time improve it can add up to a big difference. Using less plastic will help keep our communities and ecosystems clean!
I was selected by my school to attend a student leadership summit, with one of the topics focusing on environmental issues. However, it required me to fly to London, Ontario this spring. Though I think this a great opportunity for me to improve my skills as a climate leader, it is hypocritical to talk about “solving” the climate crisis while producing multiple tonnes of carbon dioxide at the same time. Flying expels huge quantities of greenhouse gases during a short time frame. To put this in perspective this flight there and back collectively will generate around the same amount of carbon dioxide as the amount of the average citizen of India in one year. This greatly concerned me and made me question whether I should go.
I realize that there is a bigger picture and one could argue that going to the summit you will learn many skills. You could use these skills to make an impact and therefore reduce the emissions of corporations, individuals or groups, and supposedly this would exceedingly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions caused by that one flight. But, one could counter that by saying that it is unfair to expect people will change if you don’t change. For example, if you ask people to reduce their meat intake but you eat steak each meal nobody will listen to you, and this same reasoning applies to transport. So, I find just because I have good intentions that I do not deserve a free pass. Finally, before I go further I want to acknowledge that it is really hard for many people to eliminate flying. But it is important to reduce it as much as possible to some extent.
So now I am faced with a problem because I was chosen to go to a leadership conference and I have no sustainable way to get there. So one night I tried to find all the possible ways to reach my destination while producing low quantities of carbon dioxide. First, I researched the possibility of taking a train but quickly concluded that it would take a lot of time given that we do not have a well-developed passenger train network in Western Canada. Then I looked at buses but then realized there are no companies that go cross country and it would take too many transfers and it would be extremely uncomfortable for multiple days. Finally, I considered driving across the country. Then I looked at the possibilities of cars since we do not have a long-range electric car. After a while, I found a local car dealership in Vancouver that solely rents electric cars.
We looked at all the possibilities of cars but the only car that had enough of the range was the Tesla Model 3 long range. It would be the perfect car for this trip. But when we checked the price of the car and added the extra KM it was about $4500. This was way out of my budget.
I realized I needed to find a solution. So I decided to make it a bigger issue than this one flight. I decided this trip could be a chance to take a strong stance to raise awareness about this issue. Similar to Greta Thunberg sailing across the Atlantic Ocean.
To raise the money for this trip we would ask for donations and sponsors and we will try to connect with media outlets to see if they are interested to spread my message to the world.
I know so far this might seem crazy but I think that is beneficial because it will get the attention of people and that is my goal.
Since we have started, we have raised $2 000 so far, and we have already a couple of informal offers by news organizations to publish my story. This is way better then I could have hoped for and I hope my journey will be a success.
In the next few months, I will try to get additional media attention about me and my journey. Also, I will approach corporations about the possibility of sponsorship.
Finally, I want to thank my parents for supporting me during this entire project and since I was born. If it weren’t for them all of this would have never happened.
Thanks for reading my blog!!!
Also, don’t feel obligated but I do have a GoFundMe so if you want to contribute this would be an excellent way to do so.
My name is Owen Clark, I am a thirteen-year-old boy from the province of British Columbia, Canada.
I was born in Geneva, Switzerland and at the age of six, my family returned to Canada to be closer to relatives. We settled in Kelowna, British Columbia and I started school at a French school.
Since moving to Canada I have changed, but one thing that has never changed is my love for nature. As a young child, I can remember canoeing with my dad, camping with the family or simply playing in the woods. Therefore, when I first heard of the impact of the climate crisis I was devastated, and right then and there I decided I would do everything in my power to fight this phenomenon. I could not imagine a future with no healthy forest or with devastating starvation.
From that movement to now I have altered my life to fight this crisis. I have decided to mainly have a plant-based diet and buy local, organic and plastic-free produce. Secondly, I try to use environmentally conscious products. Also, I try to use “greener” modes of transport instead of fossil fuel reliant modes of transportation. Finally, I try to spread my message because I think it is a really important one. For example, I am trying to start an Eco-Club at my school and I try to encourage my family, friends and peers to try their best to reduce their environmental impact.
Why a Blog?
I am writing a blog to share my perspective on the climate crisis and advice on how to live in the most sustainable manner possible. Even though I try my best, I am not close to being perfect. I want to try to share my success and failures navigating this fossil-fuel dependent world. Simply, I want to help people become more environmentally friendly. I know I am just a kid but I also think that my generations deserve a bigger say in the decisions today, because these decisions today impact our future not yours.
Right now I am planning future things to write about but in the next few months, I would like to talk about daily life, how to raise awareness, what I am doing and finally how to make a lasting impact.
I am planning to post at least every other week and hopefully more!
I would love to hear your ideas, you can comment or email me (owen.alexander.clark@Gmail.com)
The Green Choice 