If you're anything like me you've been watching people from Extinction Rebellion getting arrested with a weird tinge of jealousy. "I would do that, but I don't want to get sacked," you might be saying to yourself. Or, "If I really cared about the environment, I'd be out there gluing myself to the pavement too." But not everyone needs to serve the climate justice movement by getting arrested. In fact, it's a privilege that not everyone can have. But that doesn't make the rest of us less of an environmentalist. I've been donating to the fund that helps with legal fees for those arrested, but I think there's a lot more that each of us can do at our jobs than we might realise.
Whether it's the BBC magazine staff demanding that their employers boycott fossil fuel adds, or the Amazon employees walking out over a bold set of demands including a zero carbon target, workplace climate activism is having a moment in the spotlight. If something your employer does sits uncomfortably with your values, you can certainly make your voice heard.
I believe that one of the biggest impacts I can have is by keeping the conversation going and questioning the status quo at work. I've been an environment and energy coordinator for a few months and I've just started a Green Impact team at work. I'll keep this blog updated with what we end up doing, but I'm glad to have some structure for environmental action, and the camaraderie of the network of other Green Teams at Cambridge to lean on.
Along a similar vein, I decided that I will try to blog more regularly and to get back on Twitter. Silence doesn't fix anything. Not that my opinions are particularly insightful or valuable, but I can add my voice to the growing movement and not be the sort of person who sits waiting for someone else to speak up for me. If I do nothing else, maybe I'll convince some of my co-workers to become part of the movement as well, or at least make better choices in their own lives.
