I’ve lived in Warrington since I was old enough to pronounce its name. As a small town in the North West of England, it is, to say the least, far from progressive. I love the people in my home town, it has always been a safe place for me and my family to live – but it isn’t without its flaws. Warrington is the kind of town where everyone knows everyone (and apparently everyone also knows for an absolute fact that global warming is a myth?), and once I began reading into world politics and global issues in sixth form, I came to a devastating conclusion.
I am woke.
My friends tried to tell me it was just a phase, that if I deleted the BBC News app and unfollowed the Women’s Equality Party on Instagram (Rest In Power) I would be able to reassimilate myself into civilisation. It was at this point that I began venturing into my neighbouring cities of Liverpool and Manchester, and experiencing what life was like in these areas. I have since then become an outspoken advocate for climate, social and political issues and moved myself to London to seek the highest quality education that I can, in line with point four of the UN sustainable development goals. I am hoping that my time in New York will allow me to meet new people and access new institutions, which will give me the chance to expand my own knowledge of sustainable development and climate issues, which will allow me to increase the ways in which I combat them in my own life.
I am keen to save water, not just because I find it impossible to drink the recommended amount (whoever is drinking 3 litres of London tap water every day needs to be put on a criminal register of some description), but because in a time when AI engines are using immeasurable amounts of fresh water every day, every drop of water saved counts. I am conscious of running my taps and using my boiler, and as I’ve mentioned I consume markedly less water than ChatGPT does. The same goes for energy, as a student living with flatmates we each try to keep our energy levels low, if nothing else for the cost only. I have made sustainability a habit that I don’t plan to change anytime soon.
