February 16, 2021

by drplasticpicker

Yesterday was an epic climate advocacy day. Yes it was. Do you know what I did? [DRAMATIC PAUSE] I sat in front of my computer and sent emails. Yes I did. And it was an epic climate advocacy day. I am not being facetious.

Back in January, I had been invited to attend the National Children’s Health and Leadership Forum. The AAP National Leadership had signed the local chapter climate advocates up, and registered us. I just virtually showed up. But it was a very useful conference, as I was able to virtually meet person after person working on climate issues. There was a panel of speakers from the youth climate movements, who had organized the climate marches two years ago. What struck me is when they were asked about how they were able to mobilize and their activism, they were open and said that the reality of activism is that it’s a lot of sitting in front of the computer.

Now that I’m so deep into the climate and health movement, truly trying to shift my part of the world toward sustainability – I can echo their truth. Organizing and advocacy is sitting in front on your computer and emailing. It’s also really thinking carefully and sending well composed emails, and that is what I did yesterday. It was technically a vacation day for me, but as there is no vacation from the climate crisis I spent 5am until 7pm yesterday organizing. But it was an epic day, because each project I touched yesterday and nudged forward will have an impact on carbon emissions. I am amazed how much I can do, just because I see the stark reality of our future if we don’t do anything. And this is what motivates to put one foot in front of the other, picking up litter. This is what motivates me to finish one email after another, touching on the regional Air Pollution Control Board, Youth Education Outreach regarding Clean Air, Film Screening on Indigenous Foods Rights, another PodCast Interview within our HMO, Instagram Account linking food systems and agricultural systems, youth arts exhibition and so on and so forth.

I can only explain it all by knowing that I’m in that beautiful creative and growth stage in life, at the same time our world is crashing headfirst into an existential crisis. We are getting thre with recent changes in our government, but it will take all of us to cement these changes and make sure public opinion within four years time keeps the forces of chaos and discord at bay.

And today will be another epic climate advocacy day, and I will be at home working virtually and attending some work meetings and climate meetings. When I go back to work on Wednesday and see patients, it will be a relief. But I have to keep on organizing.

I don’t often plog in the evening. I’m more of an early morning runner and litterpicker. But after so much emailing and thinking, and organizing – I needed to get out of the house for a bit. I gathered a small bag of trash, but I saw this beautiful world in the dusk. Blues and purples are more beautiful as the world gets dark. It was starkly beautiful. But to be honest, I prefer the brightness of the morning. But here is the world when it gets dark. #bethechange #onlylightcandefeatdarkness