I absolutely loved recording this episode. Riyong works and has worked doing so many things I’ve only dreamed about. All the time I have held this belief that climate change is a class war but Riyong was able to fill in so many more gaps for me. It would not be an undersatement to say I am an fan.
I get so passionate about my every purchase, the little decisions we make. We’re so protected from the bigger picture, so privileged, so disconnected from how our everyday decisions are impacting our world, our environment.
We have governments who’d rather hold onto power than effect change. We have corporations that don’t value their environmental impact because they don’t beliveve their customers demand it. Because most customers don’t understand. We don’t see the impact of our everyday decisions.
The casual consumption and exploitation of our Earth’s finite resources keeps me up at night. And I live in a country where I still encounter climate change deniers and those who aren’t interested in the science. To say it’s disheartening and depressing is an understatement.
However tonight I got the opportunity to talk with Riyong Kim who works to inform the government in Denmark on climate issues and has a real impact.
It gave me chills as I got to live vicariously through her for an hour.
Riyong left Australia in the 90’s and hasn’t returned. She traveled around South East Asia specifically Indonesia and Timor for years and was present during the tumultuous times there in the early 2000’s.
Riyong has dedicated her life to educating herself and now an actual government on what can be practically done to protect and preserve the world’s resources. To mitigate our collective impact.
Riyong’s life has been intense, exciting and struck me as full of meaning and purpose.
Work to live not live to work came up, but when your work is about all of our lives and our futures, I for one, am so glad she goes to work.
One of the most amazing parts of making this podcast is getting to live vicariously through each of you for an hour or so.
I think I got a little too excited tonight and got off the session both exhilarated and exhausted.
Thank you Riyong Kim for everything you do, and for allowing me to hear your story. I hope my overly verbose conversational style doesn’t detract from everyone else’s enjoyment of the episode.
ANNNNNNDDDDD….Riyong had a picture from the bear pit!!! Yayyyyy!!! i so wanted pictures from back then….so very please to be able to publish this!! 😀
shinemealight 