Hello everyone!
This is Amy’s Hot Topic of the week.
Last week we talked about the importance of academia for living under 2 kWh. This week I want to discuss the dominance of planet-friendly jobs.
Jo’s Story
A story that really stuck out to me that showcases this move to planet-friendly jobs (from the Financial Times) was of Jo Taylor, she says she was bogged down with her schoolteacher job, concerned about the climate crisis and struggling to find a plumber for her new houseboat.
So, she learned to do her own plumbing, her friends asked her to do theirs, so she retrained to become a plumber. That’s pretty cool if you ask me. Six years later she works for Octopus as an engineer installing energy-efficient devices for UK homes.
Now this is the perfect example of turning thinking into DOING. Plenty of people are concerned about the climate crisis and reducing energy consumption alike. There are lots of people like Jo Taylor who do fabulous things and are an inspiration to us all.
Taking Change Into Our Own Hands
Changing an entire career choice is a huge difference, so I don’t condone everyone quits their jobs! But, if you are worried about the climate crisis, what can we do to help? Living under 2 kWh is the perfect example.
There has been major growth in green jobs. This is defined as roles focused on sustainability and environmentally friendly activities. They now make up a third of postings in the UK, according to LinkedIn.
It really shows the change from awareness to making a difference. More people are choosing their jobs and career paths by what they care about and how they want to make a difference in the world. This is the exact sort of initiative that will help the climate crisis.
As we said last week, education is extremely important. The knowledge on climate crisis is the foundation to then start to do something about it. Sitting with the knowledge that the planet is suffering may be uncomfortable but we can help!
Measuring Your Personal Energy Use
You don’t need to change career paths to make a difference, it starts with the little things. For example, knowing how to measure and manage your personal energy creation and consumption will lead to be able to reduce it to under 2 kWh. Getting yourself under 2 kWh is very attainable, like something as simple as letting laundry air dry instead of using a tumble dryer (on average a tumble dryer uses 4.5 kWh per cycle!).
I hope you gain some inspiration from what other people are doing to help the climate crisis, but don’t feel you need to be doing everything. Every little step is putting ourselves on the path to a greener future.
I hope everyone has a lovely week, and I will see you next week for another Amy’s Hot Topic.
Bye! #2kWh #undertwok
References:
Financial Times – New jobs, green jobs: planet-friendly roles dominate hiring by Martha Muir, January 21st 2024.
Energy saving trusts, markselectrical.co.uk – January 23rd 2024.
