It’s easy to despair when you see the problems we face. Flooding here, poverty there, extinctions and shortages everywhere. A clueless government, riddled with ministers who don’t get the basics of climate science. And closer to home, here in Manchester, a set of promises from 2009 that are unkept and unloved.

It’s easy to say “the government should sort it out.”  But they won’t.  And local government is being cut to shreds, for ideological reasons.  So we have to act – we have to be the ones we are waiting for.

We can try acting alone, but that doesn’t get you very far.  We need to act together. We need information. We need ways of maintaining our morale. We need specific and winnable goals.

On Tuesday 25th February there is a free meeting at the Friends Meeting House, 6 Mount St. (behind the Central Library).  It’s from 6.30pm onwards (come when you can, stay as long as you like).  At that meeting you will meet other people who give a damn, who want to DO something.  You will be able to volunteer to take part in some very specific projects, around

• getting a “Low Carbon Culture” in Manchester
• in food-growing/community-building/disaster-preparedness in different parts of the City.
• lobbying our elected officials over the long-term, helping them understand better exactly what is at stake, and how they can help us to make Manchester ready for the challenges ahead.  That will not just involve emailing them, but in researching, writing reports, making videos etc.  And in those actions we will get to know our friends and neighbours better…
• And there will be time to seek help for YOUR projects too.

If you can’t come to this meeting, but you want to be involved, please, get in touch – mcmonthly@gmail.com