I know, I know, it's been six months since my last blog. I'm not gonna come in here and give you some tosh that bloggers write to make up for their lack of regularity. I've just not been in the mood to be honest. There have been far too many other issues in life that have taken priority of my days. And then of course there are those days that simply feel like a sludge of nothingness. Days spent idly spinning through 'social' media platforms waiting for that next hit of dopamine. We're all guilty of it. Keeping up appearances online while inside literally screaming at life. Of late I just can't seem to shed this utter sense of dread about where we're going as a species and more importantly why it seems so difficult for people to accept the change that is needed for us to alter the course of climate destruction that we're steering our lives toward with reckless abandon.

Joshua, my son. What future awaits you I don't know but I can only teach, and prepare you, from what I know right now.

I look at my son Joshua, he's eight, and plays with the complete abandon that kids his age should do. Outside of school and homework his time is filled with adventures with friends. With trips my wife, Terri, and I create to enrich his experiences. We've taken him to neighboring islands for multiple days camping on beaches, swimming with Sea Turtles and snorkeling over pristine reefs. We've introduced him to a plethora of marine and terrestrial wildlife. We've taken him on beach cleans and educated him about the necessity of nature and wild spaces. But this is in our time. I can show him the what, the how, where and why in these times but in the future as he grows he's going to have to recognize the good, the bad and the ugly for himself.

But how do we get to a point where he, his and future generations will be able to have that luxury of a planet in which to make such decisions? To me, right now, it seems that we're allowing a handful of companies, predominantly the giants within the Petrochemical industry, to decide that future for our children, when it should in fact be a decision made by us, the parents. What kills me even more inside is that we're letting that happen. With Politicians in the pockets of the companies it seems resistance to proposed fossil fuel extractions sees those who care about the negative impact labelled as fanatics, sees them belittled, sees them become victims of forced and often violent removal by law enforcement agencies. And all because they care about the World we're handing to our children. Isn't that insanity?

A lone Ocean wanderer, just one of the numerous Sea Turtles we encountered during a trip to the neighboring Kerama Islands.

In general all I can ask of my friends and fellow humans who are willing to listen is to consider making a few changes to your lifestyle. There are numerous times when I discuss environmentalism that I find myself being both called and labelled a fanatic. It seems there's no middle ground. Naysayers are fast to call me a 'treehugger', a fanatic and a hippie, hey they are welcomed to their opinion. When confronting current issues we have to get to a point where we can table suggestions for change with out incendiary responses such as these. This I think is slowly becoming possible as more and more people see what's going on climate wise and also start realizing just how immoral and corrupt the big names in Oil are.

I lead what I like to call an L.I.F.E, a personal contrived abbreviation that stands for a Low Impact Focused Existence. By this I mean over the years I've made certain changes to my lifestyle that in the long run could have positive implications for the planet. In no order of priority these changes are:

• Even though we live in tropical climes we don't use AC in the house, we prefer to use open doors and windows to create breezes. If we absolutely need to do something on particularly hot days then we will use a dehumidifier to remove some of the humidity.
• We use eco-shopping bags and refuse all single use plastic bags at convenience or vegetable stores. I find it madness when shops try to place goods that are already in plastic packaging into single use plastics.
• We live on a predominantly plant based diet. We do occasionally eat meat, chicken and pork and my wife being Japanese is the only person in the house to eat seafood.
• Diet wise again we strive to live as organically as possible when it is affordable enough to do so. Organic goods in Japan are ridiculously expensive.
• We only watch Television as a family predominantly on a Friday night as we have our Family Movie Night each week. It's just a nice time for us all to congregate, down tools and enjoy a film together. Invariably there are a few snacks and some wine for wifey but as I don't drink alcohol I stick to fruit or vegetable juice.
• Our son plays predominantly outside. He hasn't played video games in the house for almost a year now and he's completely unfazed with that.

There are also other numerous little things we do in our everyday lives that contribute to the shrinkage of our carbon footprint. Making such changes helps us to mentally feel good about what we are doing in contribution to aiding the recovery of the climate. Now I'm not saying these are the steps that everyone needs to follow. Each to their own. With a little self reflection folks may be able to identify certain traits that could be deemed as luxurious that can actually be done away with and in doing so wouldn't have any real noticeable impact on one's existence. What those changes are are basically, again, down to the individual. But change is needed. And fast...

"I am glad I will not be young in a future without wilderness.".

Aldo Leopold