Open for lifehacks to fix the world without getting as stressed as we were last year
The Green Fix is at it again.
And so, what happens now?
I said I was ready for whatever comes next. I said I was entering 2022 so fired up by love for this upside-down planet and rage at those who try and strip away the best parts of it. And I am.
(And by the way, your response to the last edition of 2021 was amazing and overwhelming, so thank you for that - I read every single message).
But uh, now what?
I don’t make New Years’ Resolutions. But it’s not just the world that needs to change. Last year I tried to be radical in all the least radical ways. Tried to rebel against a broken system by sinking deeper into it. Thought that if I was tired and stressed and overworked, I must be doing something really meaningful.
How do I keep taking action without falling into the same trap? How do I help fix a world on fire without burning out, again and again?
I don’t know, yet. But over Christmas I did nothing. I read books. Visited friends. Got sucked into YouTube abysses. Walked around aimlessly. And I did not have a single original thought.
A couple of weeks ago I was walking to meet a friend and a thought appeared, unprompted. What if the most rebellious and defiant act is just… to be happy?
Because failing governments and a growth-obsessed economy have taken our clean air and water. They have jeopardised our futures. They have made a joke of democracy. They have silenced and excluded the Global Majority.
And they try and seize our happiness too.
The people in power tell us we should feel guilty for not being more productive, and dissatisfied unless we keep buying, and that we can and should blame ourselves and each other for failing in a society built to make most of us fail.
So my rebellion is to reject that. To be relentlessly dissatisfied with the political status quo, without being dissatisfied full stop.
It’s not easy, god knows it’s not easy: happiness without ignorance feels like the hardest damn thing in the world. Giving up is easy. But I’ve been there, done that, don’t need a repeat. The people in power aren’t getting rid of us that quickly.
So strap in for another year of The Green Fix and let’s go.
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What’s Going On?
Campaigners force Shell to stop oil exploration on South African coastline.
Relevant: Campaigners behind Shell climate case now set sights on 30 multinationals.Covid conspiracy theorists may start pushing climate misinformation this year, according to experts.
Useful: How does climate misinformation spread and what can we do about it?Here’s 11 climate solutions to follow in 2022.
Relevant: And here’s 10 humanitarian trends and crises to look out for.Fossil fuel firms among biggest spenders on Google ads that look like search results.
Relevant: An illustrated history of fossil fuel companies lying about the climate crisis.Rich nations could see double climate win by switching to plant-based foods.
Relevant: Unsustainable and unhealthy meat and dairy corporations are taking up farming subsidies worldwide.Ghost flights are polluting the skies thanks to Omicron.
Useful: Join the campaign against #BullshitFlightsDon’t Look Up was good for climate cinema despite its flaws.
Relevant: Netflix has created a website to help take climate action.
Focus On… a Green New Deal
Ellen tells us how young people in the UK are rising up to hold politicians accountable.
My name is Ellen, I’m an organiser with Green New Deal Rising (GND Rising).
GND Rising is a UK-based movement of young people from all walks of life, coming together to fight for climate justice, a transformative green new deal, and a liveable future.
Why do we need a movement like GND Rising?
Time is running out to stop runaway climate change, and millions of people around the world are already feeling its effects. Every ton of carbon we keep in the ground means lives and livelihoods protected.
But politicians are not willing to drive change at the speed and scale necessary - maybe they’re scared to admit what is really needed, or they’re in the pockets of those who benefit from the current crisis.
It’s our job to force these politicians to pick a side, out in the open - a transformative Green New Deal, or climate collapse?
Useful: What is the UK’s Green New Deal?
Why is the movement targeted and run by young people specifically?
Young people have grown up in a world at the tipping point of climate chaos. We’ve seen austerity rip apart our communities whilst putting up with low paid, zero-hours contracts.
We’ve seen the gap between rich and poor get wider and wider and we’ve seen how all of this is so much worse for people already struggling all over the world. A secure job, decent home and financial security are impossible for most of us.
But we know that what we’re fighting for is huge, and that things only change when we rise up together. And we know that everyone has something to lose to the climate crisis and everything to gain by stopping it.
Politicians haven't given us many reasons to trust them to follow through on their promises. How do you know you're making a difference?
We’re not asking politicians to make promises - we’re asking them to act by supporting and voting for the Green New Deal Bill. Anything less than this is just more empty promises - you’re right, we’re low on trust at the moment!
We’re not planning on trusting current politicians to pass a Green New Deal on their own either. We’re building a movement with the power to shake up the political system by electing Green New Deal champions - people whose central motivation in Parliament is to win a GND.
What can someone reading this do to support your movement?
If you’re 16-35 and in the UK, come to our next welcome call and get stuck in! We run them most Wednesdays.
What about someone from outside the UK?
If you’re not in the UK, there are loads of other powerful youth organisations out there fighting for climate justice, like Fridays for Future and the Sunrise Movement!
If you really want to support us from abroad, there are definitely things you can help with - our volunteer teams work mostly online, and we could always use donations! Come along to a welcome call to see how you can fit in.
You can find out more about Green New Deal Rising on their website and follow them on Twitter @GNDRising and Instagram @gndrising.
So Now What Do I Do?
LEARN MORE
Calling budding female conservationists! Sign up for this webinar on Women in Conservation on the 22nd February @ 7.30pm GMT.
Bookmark this giant database of climate resources put together by Piotr Drozd on LinkedIn.
UK climate activists from the Global Majority can apply for free online climate activism workshops with Shybairn Theatre. Deadline 23rd January.
TRY SOMETHING NEW
Apply to join the volunteer team making EU policy easier to understand over at youth non-profit ClimaTalk! Deadline 26th January.
Volunteer as a web developer or a podcast producer for Extinction Rebellion! Get in touch at xr-global-web-recruitment@protonmail.com for web development, or email xr-podcast@protonmail.com for the podcast team.
Got ideas on how to make cities greener? Apply for the Lead2030 challenge for the chance to develop the idea into reality. Deadline 2nd February.
CHANGE THE SYSTEM
Youth & Environment Europe are recruiting a full-time Project Manager in their Prague office. Apply before 23rd January.
Job opportunity! The International Development Law Organisation are hiring for a Climate Justice Specialist. Deadline 31st January.
UK folk! Tune into the welcome call of the #StopCambo campaign tonight at 6pm GMT to support the movement against this new coal field.
By the way…
Save Our Happy Place is a newsletter full of simple & effective climate actions, sustainability, and eco-friendly lifestyle tips to make helping the planet easy. Subscribe for climate action from a place of positivity and optimism.
The Green Fix is now offering sponsored slots on the newsletter. Rates are on a sliding scale. To discuss a shoutout or collaboration or to see our sponsorship package, please get in touch at casshebron@gmail.com.
Stay in the loop
You can connect with The Green Fix on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can also say hi to me (Cass) directly via my Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Lifehack: wear your socks as individual (not in pairs), make a sustainable fashion statement and get more miles out of your sock collection at the mean time! Sockbysock.org