Where’re your roots?
I grew up on the coast of East Anglia, under huge clear skies and with a view of Sizewell Power Station from my bedroom window. I spent my youth messing about in the lane with the other kids along our terrace, tree-climbing, tearing through the backroads on my bike, taking long walks along the pebble beaches and playing mix-tapes on my Walkman.
What’s home?
I feel so lucky to have ended up in Box a couple of years ago, as one of the many families with young children that have moved in recently.
What’s work?
I’m a graphic designer which is a wonderfully versatile career where I have had the chance to work with people from all manner of other sectors, and can do my work pretty much wherever I like.
What do you do, when you’re not doing Minch CAN?
Life feels very full at the moment – parenting has a way of filling every spare moment; and doing up our house seems to take up the non-existent remainder. But if I do get any time to myself, I’ll be gardening, walking, cooking, reading or daydreaming.
Why did you join Minch CAN?
I’m doing as much as I can possibly cope with to try and minimise my own carbon footprint. But deep in my heart I know that simply isn’t enough. Alone, I feel outnumbered, as if climate change was a thing I was “in to” like a rock band or a sports team, as opposed to something we all need to urgently make a part of our lives. By 2050, many of my childhood haunts are predicted to be under water. The problem feels too big. I know there are plenty of others locally that I can learn from and feel inspired by, and that together we can achieve so much more. I need it to be easier and cheaper for me to make sustainable choices. I want Minch CAN to be successful and so I’m doing whatever I can to ensure it is.
What are your priorities?
I would like to see a shift in attitude. It’s very easy to forget that this is the biggest crisis humanity has ever faced and very difficult to imagine how a small community in rural England could have any meaningful impact. But it is, and we can. At the moment we’re sleepwalking into unimaginable catastrophe. It isn’t someone else’s problem, that might happen in the future; it’s our problem and its happening now.
What’s the CANniest thing you do?
The regular thing I do is nag my kids not to waste stuff but a much nicer, more fulfilling thing is that last year I planted five fruit trees in my garden. They’re still only small, but doing well and I can’t wait for them to become a carbon negative food source for my family and a home for local wildlife.
What’s your climate confession?
I eat way too much chocolate and drink way too much coffee. (Never from a disposable cup, mind you). I stay up really late – If I went to bed at a reasonable hour I think I would more than half my electricity consumption. I’m also really clumsy – and it’s no good forcing your children to eat their crusts and reheating leftovers if you break the telly or ruin your brand new shoes.
