Extinction Rebellion Ibiza. Photo by ©Juan Sabatino
What if we thought that we have the power to change global trends from the local? What if we thought that through individual changes we can achieve collective changes?
Of course the world would be different. Think global to be aware of the health of the planet, the current situation in different parts of the world, gain awareness and sensitivity. And then act local because it's the only way to start: with our individual habits and decisions and supporting the people around us: local businesses, KM0 products, among other solutions. Only in this way would root-based efforts be produced, which are a set of local and voluntary actions of people protecting the environment in which they live, all through small and individual actions within small communities.
The big question is, if as individuals we want to change and act for the preservation of the environment, what happens when large companies continue to produce waste, plastic packaging, cut down and burn forests and jungles, burn fossil fuels, pollute huge amounts of water, among other atrocities, and governments still allow this to happen as if it was a “legal activity”?
What and how we consume is like voting for the companies we “support”. Evolving our habits is key, and on a daily basis it makes a huge difference: recycling our waste, modifying our diet, choosing to use less polluting transport, etc. But, we must not forget that we also have a voice and that voice can be used to express the dissatisfaction we feel towards larger entities that produce much more damage to our planet than we could ever commit personally during our lifetime. For this reason, with the cessation or changing of their activity, all the damage they have done over all these years can be remedied or at least greatly diminished.
We must always consider that a change of system to one that prioritises the conservation of the environment and natural resources is fundamental for our future as a planet. Neither must we forget that we are also part of this planetary system in which we live and where all our actions, no matter how small, can make a very big difference when multiplied by the number of people making the same action!
