This is a blog about books, about fandom and nerdom. So you don’t often see the environmentalist side of me.
I’m a vegan from California. I first learned of Global Warming in fourth grade- not from a teacher, from a book. Homeless, dying polar bears. It was quite sad.
I became utterly convinced that I, a tiger, was given human form to save the Earth from Global Warming. I didn’t know how, as my career aspirations were shifting from artist to singer. I stopped eating meat then, although it was more about the morality of eating someone. I did not know about the damage the meat industry does to the planet (Graph from center for sustainable systems explains it) so it was a fortunate coincidence.
In middle school, a teacher recognized my love of debating (or “arguing” as she called it) and suggested that I’d make a good lawyer. Ooh, boy. I have one of those golden child older sisters,who is now a civil lawyer. So while I was cool with that for a few years, up until my senior year of high school, it was hard knowing that I could enter the same profession, but I would never measure up to my sister.
I joined the environmental program at my school, tried out an environmental internship and the debate team. Because of transportation issues, neither of them worked out long-term, but I loved it while it lasted.
But something shifted. I was voted “Most likely To Save The World”, probably because of my incessant attempts to get everyone to go vegan. But I was disappointed that it wasn’t “Most Likely To Become A Famous Novelist.”
So I switched career paths in between having applied to college and getting accepted. I don’t recommend that. Fortunately, my first choice, which had a Journalism minor but no major, rejected me. I go to a good, if isolated, school with a Journalism program that I love.
The whole “save the world” thing? It dimmed, but it didn’t entirely go away. While working for Earthjustice would be more direct, I can always write about science, nature, and environmental disasters. I used to want to write for Nat Geo, but I’ve heard some problematic things concerning a hunting show. I’m not sure where I’ll start professionally, maybe working in charity media, like the Sierra Club’s magazine. Eventually, I want to own my own science multimedia platform.
But… I already have you guys! Don’t worry, this is still a books, fandom, and nerdom blog. What I’m going to do is start a new Sunday series under my Nature Poems category- a throwback from the early days.
Nature Poems won’t be poems anymore- it will be about environmental books, the environmental impact of the reading industry, showcasing books with vegan protagonists, and exploring the spaces where books and the environment meet. After all,
Want to do something now? Tab For A Cause is a search engine that donates money to the charity of your choice!
What are your suggestions for this new series? What is your reaction to Swear Bill Nye?
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