At this year’s Hug Green Arts Festival, several visitors came to the ‘Hands up for the Earth’ stall. This had a few visual examples within and outside the tent of small pictures of wildlife, plants, wind turbines, pollution posters etc. All visitors regardless of age, were asked to draw round their hands and either draw or write a message within it of what mattered to them about the Earth and what they would like to say to others, especially people in power.
There were 20 contributions from visitors from the age of 2 through to older adults. Here is a selection of the messages from 9 of the youngest contributors:
Lila 2 Said to her mum, ‘Save animals’.
Ben 8 Wrote, ‘Save the planet – there is no Planet B. No more nuclear missiles. Recycle. Help the ocean. Wind Turbines. Solar panels.
Martha 5 drew, said and wrote, ‘CKT toamsld’ (Insects and animals).
Laura (10?) wrote, ‘Stop mowing and cutting the grass on the sides of roads and grow flowers for wildlife.
Dylan 10 wrote, clean beaches, Stop Deforestation, Clean Energy. Appreciate wildlife. Don’t litter. Stop pollution.
Amelia 14 wrote, Climate change. Clean water. Sustainable housing. Clean sustainable food.
Mitzi 12 wrote, Art. Light pollution. Clean water. Electrical charging points. Biodegradable packages. Don’t waste resources – (e.g., coal).
Lauren 10 wrote, Biodiversity. Stop littering. Use less cars. Use less electricity. Look after the wildlife.
Megan 8 wrote, not to eat meat. Plastic Free.
Once messages were written on their paper hand these were glued onto the display board.
Overall, children and young peoples’ messages appeared to focus on a concern for habitat/wildlife/animals, which is perhaps understandable, but interestingly an equivalent number mentioned aspects of energy/power use, followed by clean water/oceans.
Many adult contributors called for protection of birds, bees/pollinators and biodiversity through stopping pesticide use, protecting the environment and wildlife habitats.
Others called for bigger and better grants for insulation, for Clean Air, Rivers, Oceans, and Transport alongside Sustainable travel and Green Energy e.g., wind turbines.