*This piece was originally written for and appeared in the Razz Magazine, found here*
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll recognise the name Extinction Rebellion. Since the beginning of their ‘International Rebellion’, they’ve become renowned for their civil disobedience, unlawful action and general disruption of the cities. Whilst many may not agree with their methods, this radical activism is vital for creating the change we need to see in policy and legislation. The sad truth is there is only so much we as individuals can do. In becoming vegan, I singlehandedly reduce my individual carbon footprint by 73%. Yet, this is not enough when 20 companies [who are responsible for] a third of the carbon emission of the world. “If we’re not tackling that then we’re not going to get the drastic reductions we need” according to Skye Frewin, XR Exeter University’s group representative.
Firstly, the quickest way to get involved in eco activism is by joining a group or society focused on this issue. This is a great way of learning more about the situation, meeting like-minded people and getting stuck in without having to organise anything.
Some of the noteworthy groups include:
Amnesty International Exeter
Amnesty International is a human rights organisation and consequently, the campaign run by the uni’s group is primarily focused on climate justice. They are currently petitioning in regard to indigenous rights abuses and are also organising a clothes swap for next term. To find out more on how you can get involved at https://www.facebook.com/exeteruniamnesty/.
Be The Change Exeter
This is a group solely focused on the environment and sustainability. They are running a number of campaigns, including the Veg Share, an Ecobricks project and a petition for the university to stop using single use plastic cups. They also have plans for future campaigns such as lobbying for more accessible paper recycling bins across campus and to develop their food focused campaign alongside a design competition for the new university huskups (cups made from rice husks). Find out more at https://www.facebook.com/btcexeter/.
Enactus
Enactus is a social enterprise group that aims to better lives through entrepreneurial action, focusing on creating business ventures that are socially and environmentally beneficial. They host and contribute to a number of useful events such as a clothes swap and environmental talks. Their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/exeterenactus/.
Extinction Rebellion Exeter Uni
Many become nervous when XR is mentioned due to its radical protest methods, however, XR Exeter Uni’s group wants to stress that they welcome any help and that members do not need to commit to extreme approaches. The uni group has four subsections: Media and Messaging, Action and Logistics, Art and Outreach and Regenerative Culture and Welfare Support. This means that you will be placed where you are most comfortable and where your expertise will best be put to use. If you are interested in joining, this is the best time because the group has only just started and therefore by joining now you can help mould the agenda for the future and how this is achieved. They have a general meeting on 6th Nov at 5pm with their first protest, a funeral march, in the planning stages. More info is on their page at https://www.facebook.com/XRExeterUniversity/.
Tree Charter Branch
This is a group was created by Skye Frewin, a student here, and is associated with the Woodland Trust. The Woodland Trust has pledged to plant a million trees by November 30th and therefore, during National Tree Week (23rd Nov – 1st Dec), the Tree Charter Branch will be running a number of events will be organised in collaboration with uni societies including RAG, UNICEF, Amnesty International and others to plant many trees on campus. I really recommend those of you who are maybe hesitant or nervous of joining a society to help a campaign of considering this one. It only requires a couple of days of commitment, where you can get involved and consider whether it’s a fit for you. It’s also not affiliated or tied to a specific university society and so you don’t commit to a specific group when you help out, if that’s a concern for anybody. To find out more look here, https://www.facebook.com/ExeterStudentBranch/.
UNICEF
UNICEF is currently running a campaign focused on the illegal quality of air that hundreds of kids across the UK are enduring and have hosted a number of environmentalism events and pushed the Divest protest in the Forum. Get involved at https://www.facebook.com/exeterunicef/.
On the other hand, diving headfirst into a new group can be intimidating and overwhelming for some. Sometimes, starting with smaller things on your own is the best route to easing your way to political activism. Here are some easy ways you can contribute to the environmental movement in your own time:
First and foremost, educate yourself. The more you learn, the more you can implement methods in your own life and encourage others to do the same. Stay politically engaged and up to date on environmental news.
Act on what you learn. There is no use learning environmental tips if you’re not going to put them to use.
First and foremost, educate yourself. The more you learn, the more you can implement methods in your own life and encourage others to do the same. Stay politically engaged and up to date on environmental news.
Change your diet. Cutting down on meat and dairy products have a huge impact on your carbon footprint. Additionally, try to buy locally as you’ll not only support local businesses but also reduce the carbon footprint of your food and the actual process of shopping.
Reduce your food waste. You can’t currently recycle your food waste in Exeter as no council bins are provided. However, you can easily cut down on your food waste by making only enough food that you will actually eat, freezing leftovers and even attempting to home compost.
Take glass, paper, and textile waste to your local recycling point. Exeter Council doesn’t currently provide bins that can recycle glass. However, you can drop off any glass or textile waste at a place near you; find out your closest recycling point at https://exeter.gov.uk/bins-and-recycling/recycling/recycling-banks-in-exeter/.
And finally, THE NEXT GLOBAL STRIKE IS 29TH NOVEMBER! MAKE SURE YOU GET INVOLVED!
