Jake Torrie of the Solar Generation

But despite all the doom and gloom and apocalyptic predictions of global warming, which could certainly put a damper on his future, Jake, just 21 years old and still a student, is, instead, optimistic. In fact, he is probably not as depressed as those who might be less aware of the climate crises, he says, because of all the people he has met “who are so enthusiastic about what they can do and how they can make a difference.”

He counts himself among them. Since high school he has been involved in environmental issues and has a number of “actions” with Greenpeace under his belt, including an arrest of which he is quite proud. In the fall of 2006, he headed to Nairobi for the United Nations Conference on Climate Change. As part of Greenpeace’s Solar Generation, he joined some 70 or so other young people at a preliminary youth conference.

“One thing that united young people was the feeling that we need to be brought into the negotiations and the discussions as legitimate stakeholders since we have the largest stake in the outcome,” he said. The youth did make their concerns known by mounting a huge thermometer to stress the urgency of keeping the rise in global temperatures to below two degree, “when the weather really starts to get wacky.”  Environment ministers were then asked to place their country’s flag below the two degree mark, indicating their commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The most mind opening aspect of the conference for Jake was the consensus among the developing countries of the need to adapt to climate change. “Everyone was saying they needed money because they were really feeling the impacts of global warming.” Suddenly global warming became personal. A woman he met from Tonga in the South Pacific described the coastal erosion as the sea rises and hotels falling into the ocean.

His hosts told him that traditionally in Africa the names of the seasons are based on the agricultural cycle but that because of global warming “the growing seasons no longer correspond with the names, so people don’t plant in the season called planting and they don’t harvest any longer in the harvest season.”

In contrast with the urgency of people in developing countries to mitigate the impacts of climate change, the slow pace of the conference was a big disappointment for Jake. “A great success for them was just a small step in the process.” But it showed him how important it is to lobby in his own country, “because it is at home that the government determines its position.”



While learning a lot at the conference, Jake was also able to share some of his own experience as an environmentalist, which is quite extensive. As far back as high school, Jake was involved in green programs, speaking to teachers and students about how they can save energy. “Sometimes you would have a whole library full of computers that were never turned off,” he remembers.

He really got involved when he joined Greenpeace’s anti-nuclear campaign after he moved to Toronto from Ottawa to study peace and conflict at university. He has taken part in several demonstrations including a protest at a golf tournament for the premier and at a Liberal Party policy convention to which Greenpeace showed up with a flatbed truck carrying fake barrels of nuclear waste.

He was even arrested after occupying the offices of the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. Although he only got a “ticket” and didn’t actually go to jail, he was prepared to be imprisoned so convinced is he that that the provincial government’s plan to build nuclear reactors is wrong. What makes him so sure he is right? “It is the scale and the permanence of it,” he says, “and the investment of huge amounts of money - $40 billion – in a technology that will cause problems for hundreds of years.” He is also convinced that this in the perfect opportunity to develop alternative source of energy such as wind and solar.

Many environmental groups oppose nuclear power and advocate renewables, but Greenpeace has a particular appeal for Jake.  “It has real political goals, and that is how change is best achieved,” he believes. Moreover, he says, “There is a real sense of connection to the decisions being made when you confront those who are making those decisions, more so that writing a letter or signing a petition. When you go to where they are, they can’t ignore you and they realize the depth of commitment within the movement.”

But Jake doesn’t see direct action as the only means of changing things. He also believes in setting an example and has been involved in greening his university campus so people can see what realistically can be done.

He supports Greenpeace’s strong stand on issues. “I think it gives hope to others when honest people are true to their values and can make a difference whereas so much in life has to be comprised.”

True to his own values and commitment to protect the environment, he offset the huge carbon cost of his flight to Nairobi by purchasing trees with money raised at a concert held by his band prior to his departure.  Music, he says, is an important medium for relaying the message of global warming. Many young people have no real sense of community even if they are aware of the issues. Instead they follow the music. “People you go to a concert with are often the same people you go to a demonstration with,” he says.

“What excites people most is when they have solution, so if they can do something at home or at work that makes a difference, people jump at the chance,” he says. Jake does his bit: rides a bicycle, eats a vegetarian diet, recycles, and takes shorter showers. However, for him it is no sacrifice. “It’s fun to ride a bike and it’s really healthy to eat less meat and you can save money conserving energy.”

Direct action also makes him feel like his is doing something. “ Sometimes,” he says, “I feel like I am doing very little, so I am surprised it is not more common and that more people don’t act when it is so easy.”