Guyanese Online

I grew up in Germany making my own granola bars and relying on my bicycle for transportation. Now that I am in Denver, though, I drink coffee out of a Styrofoam cup and eat my meals off of plastic plates. In America, there’s no way around it.

Anna Clauß | Der Spiegel International

It wasn’t actually my intention to destroy planet Earth when I flew off to Colorado in July for a two-month stint at the Denver Post. But now, like all those around me, I am leading the life of a climate killer.

“Our house is on fire,” says Greta Thunberg. She is, of course, referring to a world facing the grave threat of climate change — warming temperatures caused by people like myself. From the perspective of the Fridays for Future activist, I am the girl playing with matches.              

Here in Denver, I drive to work every day in an SUV, I drink beer from an aluminum can and sip coffee out of a Styrofoam cup using a plastic straw. Every time I go shopping, I come home with at least five plastic bags. Recently I went out for a lunch of spaghetti and meatballs. It was served on a porcelain plate and the knife and fork were both metal — a sign that the restaurant’s best days were behind it. It closed down the next month.              Continue reading →