“We’re going over the waterfall, but I’m paddling my little boat upstream.” That’s how author Rod Taylor describes the scale of his personal resistance against the tide of climate change. But he does himself a disservice.
In his book Ten Journeys on A Fragile Planet, Rod has sewn together ten stories of otherwise average Australians doing remarkable things. From maggot farmer to solar pioneer, from politician to social advocate, we meet people motivated to do what they can for the environment and the community. We learn that the people in Fragile Planet have a common and fierce desire to avert the worst of climate change.
My favourite journey is that of Olympia Yarger, whose life story is unimaginably chaotic. From being a single mother at 18, losing her two-year-old son, working in a Darwin sex shop, a horse-groomer in Texas, running a tanning salon…that’s not even half of it. An interest in farming led her to seek a sustainable way of producing animal feed. She started with insects, experimented with crickets, but landed on black soldier fly larvae fed on food waste and compost. Her company, Goterra, operates a natural recycling system which produces high-protein feed for chickens and potentially aquaculture. It’s a win-win – less waste to landfill and reduced methane generation, while reducing the demand for grain.
Olympia recounts that at age thirteen she saw a documentary on the ‘greenhouse effect’. After an immediate bout of panic, she resolved to do something about it. Now she is.
The other stories are equally diverse. Men and women, farmers and scientists, 20-somethings to 80-somethings. It’s uplifting to know that this activity, this motivation, is all around us.
As we learnt from Rebecca Huntley, we act on emotion and we connect with stories. So Rod Taylor has done us a great service in sharing these stories with us. They are inspirational. They show that despite the roadblocks put in the way by self-interested parties, progress is being made and individuals can make a difference. They provide a glimpse, a hope, of what will happen when we collectively work together.
So, if you feel like you’re losing hope in the race against climate change, read a chapter from Rod’s book. Lift yourself up and do what you can, within your ability, to make a difference. You will.
Lead Image Credit: Kiril Dobrev
