We are in the midst of the holiday season, but we imagine most people are finding it hard to relax and actually enjoy these days and nights. It’s hard to think of Christmas carols or Christmas cookies when the world seems to be exploding in a different way every single day. There’s so much violence going on that it is dizzying, a tough pill to swallow when you load up Facebook or check the news. There is, however, one good thing that is happening in the world right now and that is the climate talks happening in Paris, the COP21 conference where world leaders have gathered together to come up with a solution for climate change. It’s about time for us to focus on our future and our relationship with the world around us.
In this Newsweek article, actor Sigourney Weaver puts it this way: “The world is watching the international climate talks underway in Paris right now. The negotiators have our children’s future in their hands, and we want them to act like it. Think about it. Climate change is one of the few forces that can drastically reshape the world our children inherit. Do we want it to include cleaner air or more asthma attacks? Vibrant coastal cities or neighborhoods inundated with storm surges? Justice and equality or the most vulnerable among us suffering the worst.”
Weaver makes a good point, not necessarily a new one, but one that resonates deep within all of us: The future. After all, at Cold Stream Farm, we sell bare root trees, something that you can plant with the knowledge that you are leaving behind something for the future, for your children, your grandchildren. We must apply that same attitude to the entire world around us, understand that green makes us tick, and we should everything in our power to make green tick for our children, our grandchildren. If anything, the COP21 conference demonstrates what the holiday season is truly about: Making the world a better place by any means necessary.