"Learning To Be More Eco Friendly" - Brogan Christieson

I’ll be honest, it has only been in the last year or so that I have begun to think about the environment. Before this, it just was never in my thoughts. With all the campaigns and the protests that have been happening in the last year, it has been hard not to think about it. Personally, I think this is both a good and a bad thing. Good in the way that it brings attention to something that is going to have such a large impact on our lives in the future but along with this I can’t help but feel anxious and I have found that it is the same for others. I feel as though I don’t have much say in something that has such an effect on me. 

The more I hear about the state of the environment and how little time we have to fix it I feel so overwhelmed and annoyed that I can only do a small part. However, to try and ease these feelings I have tried my hardest to make changes in my life, although they are very small I find they do help to some degree. I have always been someone who walks a lot which I now really appreciate even more and I try to walk more in times where I might get the bus. Recently as well I have become vegan after learning about how this can help the environment. It hasn’t been easy though but it does ease my mind that I can do something at least. Although I’m not very good at being environmentally friendly in other aspects of my life due to limitations such as money and facilities available to me and I can get stressed over this as I feel sometimes I have to be perfect or there is no point which I know is untrue but it is difficult to shake. For instance, my street does not have recycling bins or food waste and it upsets me when I have to throw away so much that could have gone somewhere better. 

Another thing I have come to realise is that it has been really hard for me to talk to other people about my concerns over this as whenever I do I feel alone. It feels like there are people around me who don’t realise that our environment matters and that there is a lot of stigma around talking about the environment and sounding very extreme when it is a genuine concern that I and many others have.