I had a radical thought this morning, while doing my regular litter-pick in and around the church yard. The place is a popular meeting place for young folk, and it is a constant source of annoyance that almost the entire collection of litter on any occasion can be predicted to be the remains of junk food and drink, which they leave behind. I began to have rather annoyed thoughts about this. Here I am, in my eighties, doing my best for the environment, on the belief that we should try to leave the planet in better condition for following generations, and a great part of the problem we are facing originates with their indifference.
It is fashionable these days to think of environmentalism as a product of youthful radicalism, usually giving prominent attention to the Blessed St. Greta. Reflecting on the situation, however, I am struck by the fact that Greenpeace was founded in 1971, as was Friends of the Earth, and the former “People’s Party” became the Ecology Party (later the Green Party) in 1975. Chucking into the calculation Sir David Attenborough, I want to affirm that concern for the environment is a product of my generation. What I want to ask is why we have been so unsuccessful in communicating our concerns to young folk?
Well: I guess that is enough of a rant for one day!
PS: Although I have generally classed myself as a bit of a technophobe, very slow to adapt to the mobile ‘phone, I have discovered that it is possible to have an Italian-English dictionary on my ‘phone. It is astonishing how much more convenient this is than thumbing a paper dictionary all the time when I’m reading.