Why I start my day reading about Climate Change (solutions)

It seems to be the topic of the day, and rightly so. With increasing doomsday predictions, obvious changes in weather patterns, and rising global activism (especially from younger generations), climate change is something we should all be talking about.

But what if this isn’t doing us much good? What if talking about the impending catastrophe is actually causing us to do disassociate from it, to view it through a lens of hopelessness rather than action?

I’ll caveat this by saying that I don’t think climate change shouldn’t be a topic for discussion. It’s more the nature of this dialogue, which seems to be centred more around doom, gloom, and even misinformation, that I think could do with an uplift.

I myself am guilty of many a conversation bemoaning the impacts of climate change and the bleakness of our future on Earth. But recently, I’ve changed the way I’ve talked about — and acted on — the topic. Why?

I’ve started reading.

Not just about climate change, but about climate change solutions. And not during harried moments on public transport between stops, but in the quiet hours of the morning before the world wakes up.

I’ve always been an early riser, knowing that I do my best thinking in the morning. I’ve trained myself to spend this time working on things that are ‘important but not urgent’, instead of my previous ‘reactive’ use of time responding to emails; I find that this helps me to bypass the addictive cycle of tackling urgent matters and then seeking distraction.

What could be more important (though arguably, also urgent) than the changing climate of our planet? After all, it will — and already is — impacting us all. In saying that, it’s still easy to drop it down the priority list that is our daily lives, as our schedules and routines take over.

Which is why I’ve made it part of my routine.

That time to really think without interruption, gives me space to consider this highly complex and divisive topic. By starting the day using my best ‘brain juice’ reading about climate change and current/future solutions, it keeps it at the forefront of my mind throughout the day, instead of being a fleeting topic of anxiety.

It keeps me focused on what I can do, rather than feeling like the passenger of a sinking ship. With so much to learn, it’s not like there’s a shortage of information — or opinions — on the matter, meaning that each morning poses the opportunity to carry a new insight into my day.

So why (other than the obvious) has this become a topic of importance for me?

With a consumer marketing background, a passion for the equine industry and my own equestrian apparel business to boot, climate change was not something I had previously made a lot of time/space for in my life. Sure, it worried me, but at the same time; what impact could I really have that would ‘move the needle’ on this issue?

And how could I justify advocating for sustainability, when my hobby, equestrian sports, involves so much driving (and hence carbon dioxide emissions)?

I know what you’re thinking: being the founder of an apparel business, shouldn’t I have felt that my impact could be larger than most? I’ll be honest though: in a society that doesn’t prioritise this issue, I found it all too easily to brush sustainable manufacturing off as a ‘nice to have’. Not to mention, the very nature of a retail business is contributing to our consumerist culture — and the combination of an Australian base + global distribution makes transport emissions inevitable.

And so I did nothing.

My daily activities as an equestrian and apparel business owner (in fact my very identity), sitting uncomfortably alongside my fear for our planet’s future, resulted in strong cognitive dissonance. Who was I to pursue sustainable practices, when my business model is inherently contributing to the problem?

Instead of focusing on what I could do by researching topics like recycled materials and carbon offsetting, I ignored the issue altogether… Which made it an even more frictional topic in my head. Add in my feelings of helplessness on the scale of the problem and a lack of knowledge around solutions, and you have a recipe for inaction.

So what changed?

I was lucky enough to spend the past year and a half living in Dublin, where I completed a Masters and start-up accelerator at Trinity College. Being exposed to some incredibly inspiring, successful, and visionary founders working on some of the world’s biggest problems, I experienced a shift in mindset.

Witnessing the impact that these people were able to have with their businesses, which oftentimes were based on innovative technologies and out-of-the-box ideas, made me reconsider my own role in climate change mitigation.

I’ve always admired people with an entrepreneurial spirit; those that are willing to challenge the norm and think of the world as it should be, rather than how it is. Seeing how the founders I met were able to apply that spirit to climate change solutions, and how their wide-ranging empires began with a simple vision, was game-changing for me.

Something that stuck with me was a comment made by an entrepreneur about how warped it is that much of the world’s resources (brainpower and money) are put toward software that optimises the lives of first-world citizens. Why are we focusing on solving the minuscule problems of those that already have an excellent quality of life, when we should be focusing on the problem that has the potential to destroy millions — if not billions — of lives?

As well as this, coming from Australia and travelling around some of Europe’s oldest cities, it struck me how badly we’ve treated the planet in the past century. It put in perspective how quickly society has grown, without much thought about how this growth can possibly be sustained or maintained in the future.

Finally, being in Europe in a time of such political and social turmoil, I saw first-hand the impact that education and dialogue can have in inspiring action. The ‘small actions’ that I brushed off as insignificant, suddenly seemed a lot more powerful when applied at scale. I realised that there was a ripple effect when this became a priority in people’s lives.

All of this has coalesced into me wanting to change my personal narrative with regards to climate change. In short: it gave me hope that I can make an impact. I still don’t have the answer on how this impact could be meaningful on a larger scale, and I’m still a far-cry from being well informed on the topic. But I do know that I want to learn more (and perhaps have my own ripple effect).

So far, some of my most interesting morning reading topics have included:

• Carbon sequestration as a means of offsetting emissions. I’m particularly intrigued by how companies like Nori will apply sequestration methods (basically, long-term capture and storage of carbon dioxide) at scale through the use of block-chain and a marketplace for farmers + consumers, and how companies like Climate Friendly make carbon farming accessible for farmers.
• Related to this: carbon as a currency. My reading thus far has led me to believe that we need to rethink our growth obsessed economy (which overlaps with my general feelings towards venture capitalism and the ‘growth at all costs’ mindset that comes with it), and that maybe carbon itself could play a larger role in how we value goods and services.
• Renewable energy; particularly solar, virtual power plants and solar communities. As the technology for energy storage through renewables improves, I believe that this will become an important part of our energy production mix. Close to home, I admire the work of ShineHub and Clean Power Australia in making solar a more attainable choice for everyday home-owners. I was also interested to come across biomass energy production; of particular interest was the concept of using horse manure to generate power!
• The relationship between population growth and climate change. It makes a lot of sense; the more people on the planet, the larger the strain on our natural resources. My reading has led me to believe that we should be aiming to slow growth through strategies such as education around family planning and empowerment of women in developing countries.

Now that I’m becoming a little more educated on both the wider topic of climate change, as well as what I can do as a citizen, business owner, and possibly even future entrepreneur in the climate space, I’ve started to re-frame the way I think, talk about and take action on the subject.

In doing this, I hope that my conversations about climate change will shift from being largely defeatist, to being more positive and proactive. I also hope that by making it a greater priority in my mind, becoming more informed and taking small actions, this will coalesce into larger changes; and eventually even allow me to make the meaningful impact that I seek.

I’m not sure whether it was inspiration, education, or hope (or a mixture of these) that sparked my initial shift in mindset, but I do know that while I consider the future of my apparel business (and career trajectory in general), I believe this use of my ‘best brain juice’ in the mornings is a worthy investment.

PS If you, or someone you know, has any knowledge/contacts in the sustainable apparel manufacturing space, I’d love to get in touch.