It's fine if your year was chaotic. Ours definitely was.
Redefining 'success' in a capitalist machine.
Over on LinkedIn, people are sharing their achievements this year. Seems they’ve all accomplished more, earned more, are better-connected and more grateful than I am. I know it’s only the internet. I know it’s not the full story.
Still, it’s hard not to compare and focus on all the things I have not done. I still haven’t monetised this newsletter. My net income was around minimum wage as a full-time freelancer for NGOs, again. And people shrug and suggest that I - well, quit. It’s the price of pursuing your passions, I’m told. It’s the price of defending the things that make life worthwhile under capitalism, I feel.
Artists and activists and gardeners and teachers, maybe we should get a Real Job. And yet a society without music or writing or activists or flowers or education would hardly keep us alive.
Anyway. I check my phone. I see that Israel is still bombing Gaza. I read that women in Afghanistan are forbidden to speak to each other. A male columnist argues that it’s unsurprising that we’re losing our rights, because we didn’t pay enough attention to the fact that men are lonely.
And I look at this state of affairs and I look at my life. Me, a white young woman freelancing in the Brussels bubble, sitting in cafes with oat milk cappuccinos and telling a handful of followers online that we can change everything. I wonder if I am delusional.
The stakes keep getting higher, as the right-wing take hold and plan ways to crack down on advocacy. My own home country holds the dubious honour of jailing the most activists in the world this year. They must be pretty afraid of us. I wonder why.
Is it that the people in power know that billionaires have enough wealth to lift over 2 billion people out of extreme poverty - and guarantee healthcare and social protection for half the world? Is it that they know that funding political representation for women will lead to greater investments and protections of rights for women and boost climate action? Do they know that if the 99% of us became a fraction less busy and exhausted, and organised instead, that the whole empire of ill-gotten private profit could crumble?
Do they know that they rely on us paying our taxes, competing against each other and falling for misinformation to maintain their fragile structures of power? Do they know that all of that can be undone?
I look at these facts, and I look again at my life. I ask myself what I will tell future generations I did in the face of these odds. I imagine saying I stayed home and hoped it would resolve itself. I imagine shrugging and saying I complained about immigrants on the internet. Activism didn’t pay very well, I would tell them.
Last year I talked about the value of striving for change even if we never see the results. In many ways I am just repeating myself. There has been no climate tipping point, no human rights disaster or voting outcome that has made me feel like it’s any less valuable to work to make things slightly better than they were yesterday.
I don’t know how to give up or shut up. There is far too much to do, far too much that needs to be said, very loudly.
I don’t think I will ever feel ‘successful’ by LinkedIn metrics: high salary, prestigious title, large following. I look at my life through a different lens.
Did I stand up for human rights and justice? Did I go outside and watch the seasons change? Did I question authority? Did I check in on my friends? Did I work to challenge my own beliefs? Did I spend less time worrying about my own flaws, did I do things that make me afraid? Did I do what I can to be inconvenient and disruptive to the systems of power? Did I sleep, abundantly? Did I stop apologising for my rage and my imperfections? Did I buy the damn coffee without feeling bad about ‘wasting’ money? Did I listen to people who know more than me about what it is to live under an oppressive system? Am I still here? Am I still showing up?
Yes to all of them. I joined more protests than I have before, I sought out more experts in decolonialism (and that is just the start) and I read books about alternative economics. I chose to speak openly online about the experiences of living with ADHD and burnout, and confront the stigma head-on. I let The Green Fix become messier. I did things that younger me would be horrified at: got arrested, tried a professional photoshoot, got paid to do stand-up climate comedy. I posted selfies on the internet with no self-deprecating comments attached (gasp).
Just like last year and the year before, we know how to rapidly and drastically improve the state of the world - and how to get there. But it’s going to take more than signing another petition to tackle the next five years. It takes leaving the comfort zone. I picture myself old, remembering being here now, and in my imagination, someone asks me, so what did you do next?
Team member Nic Fife designed this fantastic wrap-up for The Green Fix this year, available in PDF format here or below.
The Highlights:
We got 1,230 new followers across the Substack app and email, bringing us to 4,620 - and rising!
Gross reader donations were approximately 1,300 USD, which was used for promotional materials for events, Buffer subscriptions, Canva designs, compensating volunteer expenses, and the rest saved for future events (proof available on request).
We collaborated with some fantastic groups including
of , Generation Climate Europe, Countdown Comedy and Fossil Free Politics.We held two climate drinks in Brussels, a park picnic and an open mic night, attracting over 200 people across events.
Our most-read content this year:
It shouldn’t be this hard to find out what’s happening around the world.
Women can do anything. But not while we’re doing everything.
How do you pursue a career in degrowth if you need, like, money to live?
What’s next?
We want to become financially sustainable! We are still entirely volunteer-run and actively looking for sponsors and paid partnerships that align with our values. Reach out to wearethegreenfix@gmail.com to chat.
There’s 2 new opportunities to volunteer with us as Events Officer (Belgium-based) or Funding & Partnerships Officer (remote). Details here. Email us for questions and to apply.
We want to collaborate! You can show interest in being a guest writer via this form. We’re also open to collaborating on events inside and beyond Brussels.
I want to personally thank the volunteers who have been fundamental to keeping The Green Fix going this year:
, Ana Alexandrescu, Martina Razzaboni, Nic Fife, Alexandra Vázquez Mera, Waelkens and .Throw in a donation if you’ve liked our work
If you’d like to support The Green Fix, please consider tipping us a virtual coffee.
If that’s not in your means, we also really appreciate you sharing our work on social media. You can follow us on Twitter @TheGreenFix, Instagram @thegreenfix_ and LinkedIn.
Some of the other newsletters that inspire us
- by
- by
- by Dr Britt Wray
- by Thin Lei Win
Looking Forward - Grist’s solution-oriented newsletter.
Read to Bloom - a feminist social entrepreneurship newsletter.
The Green Fix is now offering low-cost sponsored slots on the newsletter. Book your slot by emailing wearethegreenfix@gmail.com.
Stay in the loop
You can follow us on Twitter @TheGreenFix, Instagram @thegreenfix_ and LinkedIn. Connect with Cass on Instagram @cass.hebron and LinkedIn Cass J Hebron.
A brilliant article, this one. So true. So vulnerable. So painfully close to home.
I think I can say yes to most of your core questions. Except the one about sleep: 2024 was hands-down my worst year for non-child-related sleep deprivation.
You’re writing feels like I’m reading my own thoughts!!! Such a joy to read. Thank you for sharing. 🙏