Valentines Day climate strike: All love to Mother Earth

It’s the 14th of February, a magical Valentine’s day. People express love in many different ways. Buying presents, going on dates, or cooking lavish dishes for your 'little sweetheart’ is a good solution, but saving a planet is definitely better. Leicester youths decided to show love to OUR better half, Mother Earth, for the eighth time in a year.

From midday, Leicester’s city centre was overflowed with consciousness. Teenagers skipped lessons to teach us one instead. “Climate change is not a lie, don’t let our planet die,” resounded around the clock tower. Love is in the air, but unfortunately, pollution is too.

“We need to keep on striking and fighting,” – it’s not about a one-time act. It needs to be constant, a continuous battle for a better future. Today marked one year of action – the 15th of February 2019 was a breakthrough for Leicester’s climate strike.

A full-house at Leicester's clock tower: Valentines Day Climate Strike

“Everyone talks about Coronavirus,” says the representative of the strike, Erica Lees-Smith. “Global warming is no less of a disease”. Coronavirus cases are negligible. As global warming worsens, the world will inevitably dissipate, something that has already started to happen. Wildfires, floods, and natural disasters are all slowly indicating the end of time. It’s good to be conscious that every single action counts, and climate strikes are here to remind us about it. They exhort to change. It’s not a difficult task to stick to certain rules, so here are some of them…

Reduce your plastic usage: there are many funky cups out there. Buy one and always keep it with you!

Support your local food suppliers – not only for the environment's sake, but also for your health.

Offset your carbon emissions – walking is better (and healthier)!

Become a vegetarian or at least, reduce meat consumption – it’s possible! Meat is not all that healthy, especially those in plastic containers.

Don’t litter, bins are not an ornament.

And the most important: contacting Leicester’s climate strike members. Leave a message on their Instagram @climatestrikeleicester to get involved. Changes are around a corner, and you can be involved in making them happen.