I’m currently desk-bound, against my will.

Having resigned from my reasonably well-paid, full-time job around 10 months ago to gain a bit more time for working in the renewables sphere and some other passions of mine, I’ve recently had to bite the bullet and head back into the workforce to do some temp work in a finance company in order to continue to be able to pay the bills. Whilst I’m enjoying the structured hours (there’s nothing like working from home to mess up your sleeping patterns!), it’s really different work from campaigning, and not just because I can’t work in my pyjamas.

Firstly, I’ve met so many friendly and fabulous people in the course of working with my local climate group and on the 100% Renewable campaign that heading into a large open-plan office every morning where silence reigns, and nobody says “good morning” or “thank you”, is a bit of a culture shock. Occasionally they just call my name when they want my attention, without even turning around to confirm that I’m at my desk at the time, or whether I’m free to leap up and attend to them immediately!

I know I’m only going to be around for a few weeks so no-one is really that bothered about becoming my friend, but I’m really missing having some kind of personal connection, and I’m realising just how important those relationships are, because it’s that human connection that binds us all together in what we do. Interacting with each other gives us the support and strength we need to continue on, it means someone will always listen when we need to rant or despair, someone will always have a way to further an idea when we stall, and someone will always be there to help us rally the troops. 

But last week, just before the NSW state election, I overheard a few people in the lunchroom talking about the carbon tax as action on climate change, and instead of what I was expecting (support for the "people's revolt"), came well-considered, economic and rational arguments, and support for putting a carbon tax into place, for taxing the coal mining industry and setting up renewable energy technologies.

I was utterly gobsmacked.

These were people heavily involved in the finance industry - a place that I had long seen as being a part of the less supportive side of town. They were not your average environmentalists. In fact, they were the last people I was expecting to be in favour of action on climate change, and I’d written them all off as being very unlikely to give a stuff about any of the things I give a stuff about.

And then I realised something.

We are going to win this fight to price pollution and see renewables get up this year. We’re going to win it because there are people from all walks of life supporting this change. We're gonna win cause we have vision and strategy.  We have personal connections to give us strength and support. And because our arguments stack up. We have to pick the battles to match the people, but when we get enough people talking, enough people advocating for change, and enough people revolting against the people's revolt, we will win.

Let's get out there and have 20,000 conversations.