What CA-WN means to me

If you’re reading this, you’re visiting the CA-WN Exchange, and you too understand that climate change is real and affecting us now – just look out of the window at the third heatwave of the year (or don’t because it’s probably covered to stop the room reaching volcanic heat).

Are you scared? Frustrated? Don’t know what to do to help? Then this is your place.

CA-WN’s roots were set down not quite a year after the 2019 February heatwave and just before COVID. Back in 2019 Brexit was in every headline and it seemed that no-one was questioning the unseasonably warm February or making the link with greenhouse gas emissions. So when a few of us created this local climate action group that we now call CA-WN, it quickly became a safe space where I could talk frankly about the climate crisis without feeling weird. It also helped my climate anxiety. I’ve since realised that feelings of doom and despair are normal healthy reactions to realising your way of life is under threat, especially when you have children whose futures you struggle to imagine. Normal or not, these feelings are very unpleasant. So having a group like CA-WN to engage with helped me realise how much others also care about the environment and gave me the opportunity to feel I’m doing something. Even if that something is just showing up to meetings to reassure others that I get it too. When you’re a parent or have other major commitments, it can be difficult to find the mental space or physical energy to contribute to projects, so you just have to do what you can.

So bring to CA-WN what you can and take the comfort that you need. And remember people often don’t advertise their climate worries, so you can pay it forward by letting others know we are here for them too. Hope that’s not too CA-WNy!