“Nowhere is safe from extreme heat,” is the scary translation of what climate change is, so it is easy to understand that we’re in a climate crisis. Cutting a tree down is clearly a climate crime. But is mowing a lawn in May? Or having a job with a company or school that has no interest in sustainability?
Whatever the answer, it is noticeable that the people who are least to blame in the UK, are our younger generations, who are making big efforts to do the right thing.
Alex Beswin, a 29-year-old new joiner to Tier, an e-scooter rental company running trials in the City of London and five other boroughs (but not yet Islington) said: “I grew up in London so wanted to work for someone I feel will contribute to healthier, cleaner air. The Fridays for Future had a ripple effect on my generation as they are slightly younger and such activists, so now my generation want to work for companies that make a difference.”
It would be fantastic to do an eco-audit of companies based locally but even without this, change is in the (warming) air. For example, behind Caledonian Road & Barnsbury station, the Roman Way Industrial Estate is busy with businesses that are changing life for us all. We all know how Deliveroo works (not exactly green), but there’s Zapp, which promises a more sustainable delivery service, with an array of electric vehicles for delivering shopping in under 20 minutes. There’s also an e-cargo bike service centre that enables supermarkets and other retailers to offer zero carbon last mile delivery. As a bonus there’s Hammerton Brewery making craft beers so that Islingtonians can even drink zero-mile pints.
Environmentalists have always promised green jobs – energy retrofit, electric batteries, e-vehicles, local food coops and sustainable investment – now at last these are slowly starting to appear in Islington.
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