Who are you?
Hi, I am Emily and I am a recent graduate from the University of Warwick where I studied Liberal Arts. I am currently working as a Project Co-ordinator for an environmental charity called Earthwatch Europe. I am super passionate about the natural world but also how climate change is impacting people both locally and globally.
I love trying new activities, learning new languages and cooking new dishes even if they sometimes take me a really long time 🙂
You’ve specialised in ‘ecological justice’ – can you explain what this term means to you and what justice would look like on our planet?
Yes, so my Liberal Arts degree allowed me to specialise in a topic or two of my choice and I picked Ecological Justice and Sustainable Development, as a lot of the modules I studied intertwined with these two themes. I studied modules such as the Sociology of Green Transformation and Gender in Sustainable Development.
Ecological justice can mean various different things, especially in literature, but for me, it means making sure that social justice is emphasised when discussing the climate crisis. It is also important to uplift and listen to communities in the Global South, who are not only often the most impacted by the climate crisis but also possess valuable knowledge that is frequently overlooked. Ecological justice also invites us to question the fundamental structures that exist in our society and how we can work together to enact meaningful change.
You’ve done quite a bit of volunteer work in your time – can you share some information about this and what some of your highlights have been?
Over the last few years, l have tried to do as many new things as possible, not only so I could learn new skills and put them on my CV but also so I could grow as a person.
I volunteered at a Women’s International Day event a few years ago, where I helped to organise workshops and run activities and I met so many amazing people. I’ve also volunteered at a local vet, assisting with animal care and administrative duties. It was not only good to see how these kinds of places were run, but I also got to see cute puppies and kittens regularly.
During University I also volunteered with a non-profit organisation that worked on encouraging more people to get solar panels across the midlands. This is where I was able to work on my researching skills which are still very useful to this day.
Volunteering meant I put myself out there and met new people who worked in so many different industries. All these experiences was one of the reasons why I decided to join UKY4N. It is a wonderful feeling to be part of a community that I not only have so much to learn from but also share my values and passion to enact positive change.
This is a photo from a recent in-person meet-up with UKY4N where I met a group for the first time. It was so lovely.
Describe your perfect Sunday
A perfect Sunday would be very dependent on how busy my week has been. But if I had to pick, I’d say it begins with a relaxing morning – sleeping in, followed by a couple of hours lost in the pages of a good book. As a lover of food, I would then go out for brunch either alone or with some friends and family. If the weather is good, which is very hard to predict at the moment, I might go on a walk in the countryside. I am lucky enough to be near nature and being outside is super relaxing for me. I also enjoy writing so I might bring my journal along with me. In the afternoon I would bake a cake, whilst listening to some upbeat music. For the rest of the day, I would put on of my favourite series or film.
I recently went to the Eden Project and it was amazing to see all the different plants and flowers.
You can only listen to one genre of music for the rest of your life. What would it be?
This is a really difficult question but currently, it would be indie rock or pop as a lot of my current favourite artists fall within those categories and I have enjoyed going to small and local gigs recently.
Take parts of three different wild animals to make your dream pet
I think I would pick a butterfly as they are so beautiful. And then I would pick a quokka as they have super smiley faces and then I would pick a wild cat of some sort. I’m not sure what the dream pet would look like, but I wanted to pick some of my favourite animals and some that make me smile 🙂
Would you like to join our community of nature loving 16-35 year olds who are on a mission to save the UK’s nature? Find out more here.
