Youth Culture and the Environment by Alexandra Hoskyn

Hi my name is Alex and here is my take on being young and environmental...

Most young people's idea of an enjoyable night involves the words Xbox, Sky Plus, car and mobile phone so it was no surprise when I went to a Susmo meeting to find that I was the only person under thirty in attendance.
To make matters worse I was only there through the desire to meet new people and get out of the house I am living in which closely resembles a squat, meaning that if my house was ever so slightly more habitable there would have been not one person to represent one of the largest demographics and future generations.

I am what you could call a typical twenty-something girl, a slave to technology and my social life. I would like to add a slave to fashion but anyone with taste would disagree. I am a marketers dream and Starbucks is a staple part of my diet, yet I was enthralled by my first Susmo meeting.

I was greeted by a table of warm, friendly faces who didn't judge or interrogate and even though a lot of environmental jargon was lost on me I understood the main focus of Susmo was to simply help cut carbon emissions on a local level and couldn't help but feel disappointed that people of my generation seem to be avoiding direct involvement with the environment like an episode of Heartbeat.

The environment has experienced what you could call a makeover in recent years with the word 'organic' being put in front of everything to make it more appealing. Nowadays it's difficult to find something that isn't organic with even make-up and chocolate being 'natural' and it is very credible to be seen taking your reusable shopping bag to the shops. In fact to be perceived as an environmentalist can have a positive effect on your image these days but how many of these people are actually taking their commitment to the environment any further?

Ok so it's a start, lots of young people have cut out plastic bags and eat 'organic' but there is so much more to do and that can be done. A key issue that was raised at the Susmo meeting was getting young people involved in visible projects.

There are a million ways that people of my generation can make a difference and impact on the environment in their area, some of which I will discuss next time. If you can think of or are aware of anything then get in touch, get yourself heard and support Susmo.