Young Writers Project, an independent nonprofit based in Burlington, engages young people to write and use digital media to express themselves with clarity and power, and to gain confidence and skills for school, the workplace and life. Each week, VTDigger features a writing submission – an essay, poem, fiction or nonfiction – accompanied by a photo or illustration from Young Writers Project. YWP publishes about 1,000 students’ work each year here, in newspapers across Vermont, on Vermont Public Radio and in YWP’s monthly digital magazine, The Voice. Since 2006, it has offered young people a place to write, share their photos, art, audio and video, and to explore and connect online at youngwritersproject.org. For more information, please contact Susan Reid at [email protected].
On a list of disquieting modern topics inciting you to backspace on the news article you’ve just opened, climate change can be more than a little overwhelming to wrap our heads around. Avoidance, however, is never the solution, argues Shelburne essayist Madeleine Connery this week. Through her emphasis on small-scale habit adjustments, and helpful reminders to others rather than caustic criticism, she prompts us to revive our hope and our diligence.
Little changes save lives
By Madeleine Connery, 15, Shelburne
To help our planet, all you truly need is a fresh mindset. In the past few months I’ve grown from someone who simply enjoys nature into someone who deeply appreciates its value. Since then I’ve wanted to find ways to give back to this lovely Earth we’ve broken so much. However, focusing on the negative is part of the problem. Yes, our ecosystems are dying, you know that. What needs to be known again is hope. The hope that you and others can change your ways and open your mind. You can save the planet. The sooner you realize that, the more empowering it is.
I started small, by shopping at thrift stores more often. Not only is thrifting the most ecofriendly way to shop, it is also a lot more fun. After I started thrift shopping, I stopped buying from big retail stores. I even brought out my old sewing machine and patterns and made myself a few shirts.
Sustainable living is a wonderful rabbit hole sort of thing in which, upon entering, it feels so good and becomes so interesting that you just want to keep going. I cut red meat out of my diet, started reminding my parents to always bring reusable bags, stopped killing bees when they entered my house, and bought plants for my room and seeds for our garden. Yet there are still so many more ways I can help, and I will not stop.
You cannot deny the fact that our planet is dying, but with every positive adjustment you make, you add more time to the ticking threat of humanity’s end. Change is simple. It doesn’t come from one person coming up with some big solution. It comes from you, and everyone around you, and everyone on this very Earth who makes little changes and shifts their mindset to the question “How can I be better today than I was yesterday?” You don’t need to be perfect, and you don’t need to feel guilty (or worse, guilt others), so long as you encourage yourself and those around you to open their eyes and their minds, and start carving our path of hope for a healthy planet. A healthy home.
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August 21, 2020 at 10:00PM
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YWP: Little changes save lives - vtdigger.org
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