Hello everyone!

I'm Esther Boyd, a wife, a mother of three children in their 30s plus two grandchildren, a community activist, a cyclist, a retired architect and a Quaker. I live in North Moseley, which has changed considerably since we moved here in 1972.

I welcome the opportunity to write this blog about a "green" lifestyle, as I am passionate about social justice. If the whole world improved their lifestyle to the average lifestyle in Birmingham it would need the resources of three planet earths, and there is only one. By making more sustainable choices we do our bit to save the planet for our grandchildren, and for our friends all over the world and their grandchildren - and at the same time we save money and have a lot of fun.

Agreeing, talking and writing about a "green" lifestyle is not enough, we have to act. It is up to all of us to make changes which will save our planet, we can't leave it to others to do it for us. I hope that things I will say in my blog will encourage others to make their footprints lighter, aiming to even out the North-South divide, which is not just a worldwide issue, it exists in Moseley.

Lighter footprints are not an option for people to choose or reject, the future of life on this planet depends on us taking action. I recommend that you take a short break sometime soon and watch Leo Murray's 11 minute film "Wake Up, Freak Out - then Get a Grip": He ends with this statement:

"Preventing runaway global warming is the single most important task in all of human history - and it has fallen to us to do it. If we don't, then everything else we work to achieve in our lives will be destroyed, or become meaningless. Those who came before us didn't know about this problem, and those who come after will be powerless to do anything about it. But for us, there's still time! We'd better get a move on though."

Please respond to my blog with constructive comments and suggestions of your own. Together we can, and will, make a difference in tackling climate change.