The Generation X Files

I’ve just lost a fight with one of those new plastic caps on bottles…you know the ones? They’re attached to the neck of the bottle so you can spin it round and round but it will never come off. It also doesn’t screw on very tightly and takes a minimum of three attempts to line it all up…..juuuuuuuuust so. You can try to break it off but risk breaking it completely, so you end up with a lop-sided half-seal which risks dribbling….

And please, for the love of all things….hole-y, do not get me started on the paper straws! I know, it’s good for the environment and there are a lot of good arguments to be made for them. But, try telling me that as I’m going cross-eyed and narrowly avoiding an embolism while trying to use one. I swear they begin the disintegration process the second your lips make contact!

I feel like we are all pro-level recyclers ♻️ at this point and most of us are aware of the importance of separating our daily detritus. I do my best to make sure the relevant things go in their colour-coded containers like most of us do.

We got rid of our car years ago and walk everywhere we can. Otherwise we use public transport. It’s cheaper and less stressful as well as reducing our ‘carbon footprints’. I do miss the days where you could go for an aimless drive. But, that ended around the time the petrol stations had to widen their price boards (to fit the extra digit).

Overall, I think we’re all trying to be more responsible and environmentally aware. A lot of it is by directive and we can face fines if we don’t dispose of our household waste correctly. We’ve also had decades of information about the damage we are causing to the planet in one way or another.

People have been sounding the ‘climate alarm’ for a long time now so it’s been almost impossible to ignore.

It’s confusing then that in order to host a climate change conference it would be necessary to chop down trees in the Amazon forest… I guess it’s important there’s somewhere for all those private, fuel-thirsty jets to land. 🌳❌ ✈️✅

I’m glad there’s no celebrities out there advocating for climate change and using private jets. That would be hypocritical surely? Sorry, I just did a quick Google search and there’s actually quite a few so strike that…..

Okay, let’s get back on solid ground. Old Bill(ionaire) Gates, he’s been hot on this for a while. I’m just going to do another quick search for a quote from him. I definitely remember he’s been warning us for years about the climate crisis! I’ll be right back……

Oh ffs! Apparently,now he’s calling for a “strategic pivot”…. But I thought he said…..oh never mind! That’s enough internet for today! I give up.

*Next they’ll be telling us that all those layers of packaging on our individually wrapped grapes is a bad idea! I think I remember writing a letter to Santa asking for that. Not just for grapes……for everything. I can’t get enough of plastic! There’s nothing I look forward to more than ingesting more microplastics leaked into my food.* (*types in sarcasm!)

Speaking of large amounts of plastic, there’s a whole ‘island’ made up of them out there floating around. It’s called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and it’s murky outline can be seen from Space.

Ahhhhh Space, the one place we can’t f*** up! Oops, nope space debris! Forgot about that for a second.

Hmmmm, it’s almost like there’s no real point to any of the things we’re trying to do to improve the planet. Maybe it’s a little pessimistic but, it feels as if it’s not going to get any better any time soon. Not while we’re waiting for ‘the powers that be’ (whoever they are!) to do something about it anyway.

I think it’s time to start more local.

It’s almost the time of year for New Year’s resolutions. This year, instead of making promises to ourselves (that we’ll break a month later) I have a suggestion. Why don’t we each resolve to protect the planet that we live on instead?

You could volunteer for a beach clean-up for example. It could be a way to clean up AND socialise with like-minded people. A small way to build community again. You can find local groups online to get involved in.

Another great thing to do is to buy locally. It’s a great way to support your local small businesses and less carbon footprint to boot!

It’s not too late to stop the ‘throwaway society’ and start re-using or repairing things again. You could have swap-shops with your friends and family for unwanted items. Up-cycle or recycle things instead of adding to the landfills.

There are so many small things that we can do that will start to make positive ripples. These are just a few ideas to get us started.

Now I really want to hear yours so please let me hear from you in the comments box below! 👇👇👇

We might not have started the fire on Earth but maybe we can be the ones to try to start putting it out….I’m game if you are!

Citizen Jane x