It’s not too late to save the world
“People think I’m strange because I know all the names of plants, but I think that’s just the natural state of being.”
I’m standing by the Waikanae river, notepad and pen in hand, staring at a tree. M. is behind me, talking to K., and when I hear her say that, I immediately jot it down.
“What’s this one?” I ask.
M. looks up.
“A pine.”
At the Kāpiti Writers’ Retreat, I attended a workshop called “Writing About Nature While The World Is Burning”. Part of it involved going for a walk in the woods, and taking notes of everything we encountered on the way.
This was my first time attending a writing workshop that wasn’t about creative writing. On day 1, as we went round the room introducing ourselves, we were prompted to share why we chose that particular class.
What worries you? What keeps you up at night?
Climate change. Melting ice sheets. Bushfires. Floods. Innocent creatures dying. Social injustices. Racism. Sexism. Transphobia. People not giving a crap. Being overwhelmed.
By the time we finished the round, people were crying.
Climate change is always on my mind. Even though I no longer wake up and have a panic attack over the state of the world every day, I am in a state of constant awareness of what’s going on, what’s been happening, and how much time we have.
Most of my crises are related to the fact that I don’t know what to do. I mostly do my best. But my best often feels like not enough. I cook plant-based meals, refill my water bottle, bring my own bags and make my own deodorant.
Yet, I often beat myself up for not pushing myself to do more. But what else? What else can I do? Where am I supposed to turn when I feel like, no matter how hard I try, I’m not making any difference?
