'It's our choices, Harry ... '

It’s feeling summery – time for enjoying picnics after school, relaxing in the park, meeting up with friends by the river, lake or maybe even the seaside? What summertime choices will you make? As Dumbledore said … ‘It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are…’.

Let’s have a think about ‘OUR choices’. Do you think it’s easier to be a Young Climate Warrior at home, but maybe more difficult when out and about having fun? This challenge is about helping combat climate change whilst out and about enjoying the summer. Can you choose to remember the reusable carrier bags, to take a picnic in a reusable container, choose to fill up your water bottles and avoid drinks cartons? Will you say ‘no thank you’ to the straw in the café, choose to take your friends’ crisp packets home to recycle them at supermarkets, and take homemade snacks?

This summer you could choose to join in with Ali’s 1 Million pick-up campaign. Ali is 11 years old and lives in Spain ... and she’s ‘Kids Against Plastic’s Chief Pickup Officer’ (CPO!).  Ask your parent/carer to download the app, pick up litter, and log it!  Check out all the plastic that has already been rescued from littering our countryside and towns – here’s the map.

If you’re with your family or friends on a beach, you might choose to join the ‘Great Nurdle Hunt’. Nurdles are small lentil-sized plastic pellets. Billions are used each year to make nearly all of our plastic products, but a large number end up in our oceans and beaches as a result of accidental spills. Microplastics such as ‘nurdles’ are broken down in the ocean into smaller and smaller pieces. They are then absorbed by plankton, reducing our ocean’s ability to store carbon, as well as harming other sea life. Is it a nurdle? This identification chart might be useful. Check this out – environmental company 'NURDLE' have invented a ‘vacuum cleaner’ that sorts plastic nurdles from sand – that’s a cool job choice! You may find these Beach Guardians inspiring:  ‘tackling beach plastics’. 

What factors do you think have the most influence over the choices you make? Understanding the issue? Feeling it’s just the right thing to do? Following your friends? What would you choose from these summertime choices? …  Would you rather … buy a drink on the beach every day or fill up your own water bottle each morning? Would you rather buy a new frisbee, or make do with the slightly battered one you found in the garden? You might choose the cheaper option, the easier option, or the ‘cooler’ option, but if you have a Young Climate Warriors hat on, you might also think about the longer term and wider impact that your choice could have on our natural world. Avoiding plastic, avoiding waste, and reducing consumption are all ways to help combat climate change.

When you’ve made your summer choices and rescued some plastic, email Kate – hello@youngclimatewarriors.org or HIT THE RED BUTTON – and let her know!