“We Are All Greta” Authors On Climate Activism During Coronavirus

Valentina Giannella and Lucia Esther Maruzzelli, authors of the book “We Are All Greta” and “Green Nation Revolution” offer advice on what everyone can do for the climate movement whilst stuck at home during the pandemic. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has been keeping half of humanity on lockdown. For those of us fortunate enough to do so, working from home has become the norm. More than 90% of students – 1.5 billion young people – are still facing school closures. But aside from work and education, the climate movement has too been impacted by the coronavirus, with many of us now wondering how we can continue to participate in climate action despite widespread social restrictions. 

As the pandemic continues to linger across the planet, we asked authors Valentina Giannella and Lucia Esther Maruzzeli to share their personal advice and tips on what we can do to keep the climate movement alive whilst staying at home. Following the success of Giannella’s We Are All Greta last year, Giannella and Maruzzeli have together penned the upcoming book Green Nation Revolution, which dives into the new “nation” without geographical borders that unites young people of today in their fight for the planet. 

How can we each individually keep the climate movement alive at home? 

The climate movement has grown around the huge potential of online communication and social media. Greta has kept herself aligned with the social distancing and quarantine measures recommended by scientists, while her messages and climate strikes have become a 100% online activity.

How can kids who are now learning from home continue to participate in climate action? 

Learning is the keyword: we should make the most out of this time to deepen our knowledge around climate change but also new green ideas, changing economies, sustainable careers. We should get prepared for a new future that can help us, and the planet, at the same time. 

What can parents do to support children’s climate action? 

Parents can learn from their children during shared time. Ask them questions, get involved in their interests and worries around the future. Fight their anxiety, supporting them and their climate actions, even the smallest ones.

What are some simple activities or actions that you have personally participated in to raise awareness about the planet during the pandemic? 

We have decided to dedicate these days to growing vegetables on our small balcony, especially regrowing vegetables from scraps. Not the easiest thing in practice, but we are becoming very passionate about it and starting seeing some results.

We are also going through our wardrobe looking for clothes we can donate or swap with friends, or recycling materials to make something else – a pillowcase using an old, linen shirt, for example.

Additionally, we are studying geography together, following Covid-19 news on a big map and trying to figure out what type of climate and economy each region bears. This exercise helps us understand everything from pollution to the economic impact of the virus.

What we have figured out so far is that we depend too much on travel and logistics – two leading climate change culprits – to run our everyday lives. Reducing this dependency can help tackle climate change while making us more resilient to any new global crisis. 

What must we remember during difficult times to stay motivated to save the planet?

Remember that saving the planet means saving us! A healthy planet will keep its inhabitants safe. We should find the courage and the strength to remember this and to plan our lives accordingly.

This story is published as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.

Lead image courtesy of Lucia Esther Maruzzelli & Valentina Giannella.