This is the very first article I ever wrote. Written in October 2022 To be exact, whilst sitting waiting for the arrival of my son, extremely late at night whilst my partner slept, tucked away in the corner of a hospital room in the middle of Bristol.
So, this is new for two reasons. Firstly, I'm trying something new and using writing as a way of venting the noise in my head by pouring out the never-ending excessive noise that echoes through the gap between my ears onto a page, dumping it out into words, making sense of it, and shutting it away in a folder.
As for the second reason, well, as I write this, I'm sitting in St Michael’s maternity hospital in Bristol, in an induction suite, waiting for the arrival of my child. It's just after two AM, and the only light in the room is from the hallway, pouring in through the small window in the door, and I’m currently camped out in the corner of the room on a bright pink reclining armchair. Well, when I say 'reclines', what I mean is when you lean back, it tilts backwards just far enough to be kind of laid back, sort of recline you get from a cheap airline seat. But as soon as you even think about shifting your weight, it tilts forward with such force that it launches you into the nearest wall at Mach three and comfort-wise It makes a church pew feel like a sun lounger. I’m sure there are people reading this who will know exactly what sort of chair I’m talking about. It’s also made of a weird waterproof vinyl, so it’s like trying to sleep on a slip and slide, and it means the sheet of tissue paper they’ve given me as a “blanket” keeps sliding off.
But none of this is important, because I’m not here to have a comfy sleep; I’m here to support my partner, who is definitely a lot more uncomfortable than I am. Thankfully at the moment, she’s getting some sleep, having finally dropped off again after the observations they have to do every few hours. They make me laugh when they come in to take her observations, waking us up full of guilt that they’re disturbing us, before doing all these tests at lightning speed so as to not disturb her sleep for too long. Then when they’re finished, they tuck her back in and wish her a good night's sleep. They’re all the most genuine, lovely, friendly, kind-hearted people who always have a beaming smile even when they’re rushed off their feet. I’ll always appreciate everyone here.
Anyway, sitting here in the dull glow, listening to the world outside the half-open window, listening to the hum of machinery from the plant room in the courtyard three floors down and the rumble and tooting of horns from the cars and buses in the city has got me thinking, what are we doing for the next generation?
I’m in a hospital that is absolutely packed with parents-to-be (some currently becoming parents, by the sounds of it), all bringing in the next generation. But what are we doing to create a better future for this new generation? Well thankfully, quite a lot. We’re right at the point where works like “sustainable” or “alternative” are buzzwords, and everything is being made to improve our carbon footprints.
The future for the next generation is looking green and bright. Everything is changing, and everyone's attitude towards the climate has changed. Whilst it is true that new builds are popping up quicker than ever, they’re being built with more sustainable products, they’re insulated better than ever, they’re having solar panels built into the roof, electric car chargers are pre-fitted, and LED lights are fitted throughout. They’re also including more wild spaces and parks, which are filled with wild flowers which are perfect for wildlife. Appliances are becoming more efficient as well, using less and less power, and most homes have LED lights in place of the old incandescent bulbs or the horrific energy saver bulbs that, whilst they did save on power, took so long to warm up that by the time they reached full brightness, you were finished in the room.
Electric vehicles are becoming commonplace as well, the sci-fi whirring that sounds like an ethereal alien spaceship coming from the motors replacing the grumble of internal combustion engines. Public transport is turning electric as well, with more and more electric buses popping up in towns and cities. It’s the same in the countryside, with wild meadows, places where farmers have given control back to Mother Nature to help all the insects and animals, and even people wilding parts of their own gardens, letting wildflowers grow free, providing perfect homes for insects. Farmers are also rethinking how they utilise their fields; I read a story in the news recently of a farmer who has put solar panels in his fields but put them up high and then put his sheep in the field underneath, which in turn provides shelter for them from the sun and rain. Clever thinking like this – making small changes to our lifestyle – is going to be the key to creating a cleaner future, and right now it’s full steam ahead on creating a clean green and blue planet.
So, what’s the point of this random rant about climate change in the early hours whilst waiting for my child to arrive? Well, I want the future to be bright for my yet-to-arrive child, who we don’t yet know the gender of because we want it to be a surprise, but we can’t wait to find out. I want the air to be fresh for them, where they can swim in the sea without the risk of swimming past a turd leaked from the local treatment works, and I want them to be able to venture into the countryside to enjoy the wildlife and flowers and watch the bees buzzing around. I also want them to be able to look up at the night sky full of stars that haven’t been washed out by street lighting, and and on that note, I’m going to stop rambling on and get some sleep.