PASSIVE NO MORE

I've been in a bit of a ferment recently and think quite possibly I am
moving into my eco-freako, feminist-radicalist phase. I'm probably
borderline menopausal and a bit psychotic - but in a good way.

What the planet needs is for a lot of us women to go a bit barmy and
stop conforming to what the ads on telly tell us how every aspect of
our lives should look, smell and be revitalised with Pro Ketamin B
with added organic botonox or whatever.

I know this message is stroppy and believe me, a couple of years ago I
honestly would not have presumed. But I was younger and more patient
then. The time to give a damn about what people might think has gone:
I'm a woman on a mission and my oestrogen is turbo charged.

For the last couple of years I have felt that women have been pretty
passive over this whole climate change thing. Women make ALL the major
consumer decisions for their families. They have an immense effect on
the amount of waste, chemicals and energy used in the home 'cos they
manage the show.

A survey in Spring 2007 carried out by the Women's Environmental
Network and the National Federation of Women's Institutes, showed that
80% of women surveyed said they were 'very concerned' about climate
change. They also wanted it to be made 'easier' to live greener, to
have good quality information etc etc etc. It also showed that they
made the majority of ALL household purchase decisions including
holidays - and cars.

This was the first UK survey of women's views on climate change,
so all positive stuff - but way, way overdue and well, a tad passive. Now
we have this information - what do we do with it?

Well I would suggest we need to be thinking beyond our next batch of
mains powered room fragrances. We need to get aware and evangelise -
which is exactly what supermarkets, car manufacturers and banks are
spending millions on, telling us and their shareholders how green they
are.

Picture this. You wake up to a breakfast offered to you on a neatly
laid tray. The perfumed steam of freshly brewed, organic coffee
carried by cruelty-free donkey train from the foothills of
Killimanjaro, mingles with the salivatingly good smell of warm
Ethically Baked, Real French, All Butter Croissants.

This is not just food porn, it's ethical, organic, food porn.

Mmmm.... totally delicious, utterly seductive and immoral because we
can't afford this lifestyle anymore. The cards are maxed and the
interest rate the planet is charging us, keeps on climbing.

Women, put down your cleaning products, switch off your iron and
forsake the daytime TV for 5 minutes. Sit back, have a cup of tea and
question where all this stuff is leading for your kids.

Women, you hold the key to reducing household carbon emissions - which
account for nearly a third of the UK's total output.

We need to become an army of conscious consumers - and to become
conscious PRETTY DAMN QUICK. We can't buy our way out of this one with
carbon credits. It is simple, we have to learn to live with less.

Women are bloody brilliant, scarily strong when we want to be and our
potential to become an army of change makers, utterly awesome.

And we will have a blast doing it