In 375 hours of radio and podcasts Mik Aidt has realised the world cannot afford to wait for a climate change saviour.
“There probably won’t be a climate Churchill,” the joint winner of Geelong council’s Community Green Achiever Climate Action Award said.
“It’s not somebody else’s problem, it’s everybody’s problem. It starts when people come together and realise they are stronger than they thought they were.”
The East Geelong environmentalist, who migrated from Denmark in 2013, admitted he was initially reluctant to accept the award.
“What I have been doing, so many others have as well,” he said.
“I don’t want to be put on the pedestal.”
But he decided not doing so would “defeat the purpose” of the radio show he and three other locals put together each week, The Sustainable Hour, which highlights “positive green solutions” in Geelong.
“The city is buzzing with community groups,” he said.
“It’s very rewarding to hear about all these great things that are happening.”
Among these was a project by the awards’ other joint climate action winner, Geelong Sustainability, to help people renovate a room in their home to be more energy-efficient, Mr Aidt said.
He said the world’s response to COVID-19 had filled him with hope for his three children and the future.
“When things get really dark all the best things in humanity come out,” he said.
“COVID has shown us that we’re better than we thought. We need to create a world where there is positivity and hope, and life is worth living.”
The awards’ other winners were Lids 4 Kids, Friends of the Hooded Plover Bellarine founder Andrea Dennett and Friends of Waurn Ponds Creek.
Luke Voogt
