Women Leading Climate Solutions was the title of the event. One speaker referred to her like-minded female colleagues as eco-babes, which made me squirm, somewhat. Anyhow there's an "unwavering spirit" among them. Us.
JL used to do Don River cleanups in Toronto as a child, "hands-on stuff". She studied science but came to the conclusion that no action came from that. Since then, her aim in life has been to change policies and find practical solutions. The approach matters, she said. We have to be committed to optimism without being naive. We have to realise that there are solutions; the general public is not so aware. It's challenging to have to do the same thing over and over again. JL has been fighting for the environment since the 1980s, up against big institutions entrenched in their ways. We are in the denial stage of grief for the planet and that needs to be overcome. Others will take the credit for the work we shall push them into. Never mind. Needing everybody, we're obliged to work with people who are not like us.
MB was an outdoor child who also left pure sciences for environmental studies — human health and biodiversity. She finds it hard to "stay true" to her motivation. Councillors make condescending remarks to younger people, failing to appreciate their expertise. The mentoring work she engages with is ongoing and reciprocal. She mentors young children as well as adults. In her region she is developing a Climate Hub.
ES reminded the gathering that not-for-profit organisations have to create their own marketing team, and on a very low budget, too. Her motto is Occam's Razor — go for the simplest solution always.
We had some representatives of Generation Z at the meeting, mentees. I always have to do a Google search to remind myself which generation is which, but these two girls appeared to be in their 20s. One of them had young children and wanted to know from the panellists what she should be teaching them.
Answers: simple habits like not leaving taps running, turning lights off. Teach your children easy meal planning or meal preparation.Teach food habits or garbage habits in manageable chunks, and make sure you model them yourself. Where fashion is concerned, teach them about quality versus quantity. Get them to understand that one country's actions will affect others in the world. Get them making posters for strikes and demos; show them there's strength in numbers. Encourage them to keep asking questions.
Get your kids outside: nature has so much to teach us! The medicine for Nature Deficit Disorder is Eco Action!
The other Gen. Z girl wanted to talk about holding authorities accountable. Why isn't the government doing more? complained MB. We need to understand the bigger picture rather than getting stuck in our individual guilt for not doing enough. Be aware that the oil companies are deliberately shifting the blame for environmental damage onto consumers.
Did we know that half of our emissions come from buildings? [I quote, but question that statistic.] Retrofits need to be ramped up. It should be pointed out that retrofitting creates jobs, benefits whole communities and improves people's health. People can be helped to claim their rebates for retrofits; let's make the process easier for them.
Final quick questions for the panellists were sentence completion prompts:
When I'm confused, I ...?
...consult a colleague / ... make a list / ... ask a lot of questions.
When I'm sad, I ...?
...go outside / ... spend time with my family / ... talk to somebody.
When I'm scared, I ...?
... go back to my purpose / ... go for it! / ... freeze!
*****
If I'm not mistaken, Pink Tea women seem to be implying that we can do whatever it takes to change the world for the better without involving any men, but this seems rather short-sighted. Not being a very ardent feminist, I think the men in our lives should be joining in as well.
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