Zero Waste Week 2019 starts today, September 2nd, and runs until Friday, September 6th. I’m delighted and honoured to be a Zero Waste Week ambassador again. You can find a list of all the ambassadors here. This year the theme is climate change, which is appropriate because I don’t think there’s ever been a bigger threat to human existence than the looming climate emergency.

I’ve been feeling a bit anxious about climate change lately and never is this feeling stronger than when I set foot in a supermarket. After a recent trip when I felt particularly down about consumerism and the state of the planet, my husband asked me what I was going to do about it. I felt like I was already doing what I could by having a blog and social media platforms to spread the word, trying to bring up our children to care about the planet and reducing our waste at home. At first I was affronted. Wasn’t I already doing enough?

Then I started thinking about Greta Thunberg, sailing to New York to avoid the carbon emissions of a long haul flight, making speeches to world leaders and giving up school one day a week in her Fridays For Future campaign. What an impact she’s had! My thoughts went to Emma Greenwood, Holly Gillibrand, Dara McAnulty and Lilly of Lilly’s Plastic Pick Up. I looked up Youth Strike for Climate on Twitter. They’ve been doing an amazing job of getting the adults of the world to listen to their concerns and now they’re calling on adults to join them in global climate protests on the 20th September.

I think we owe it to our youth to support them in trying to save the planet for their future. So, I’m hoping to get myself to our nearest protest in Durham and I’m taking any of our three children that would like to join me. There are protests all over. I could have had my pick from Newcastle, York, Middlesbrough and Durham, but I’ll have a lower carbon footprint going to the closest one and I can get the train easily and cheaply to Durham. If you’d like to join the protest, you can find your nearest one on the link above.

I also discovered, much to my disappointment, that I’d missed a climate action meeting in a local town whilst we’d been away on holiday. It was organised by the wife of one of my husband’s friends. I got in touch with Harriet and she told me there was going to be another meeting on the 6th September. I’m looking forward to meeting her in person and attending the meeting. She said she’d like me to help with some workshops they’re planning on holding as well. As someone who is a little bit of an introvert, I’m feeling a bit nervous about putting myself out there by attending a protest and getting more involved in climate action, but it’s all for a good cause.

There is a different challenge for every day of Zero Waste Week. Day One’s challenge is to read an article about how landfill contributes to climate change. Here’s one to get you started.

Are you joining any climate protests on the 20th or taking part in any local climate action? Let me know in the comments. And please share your articles on how landfill contributes to climate change if you find a different one.