by Maria Psarianou, AWO Greece
…Old Year take your leave, your time has run out, the New Year has arrived with gifts, with songs and joy, Happy New Year, happy golden New Year…
Translation of Greek carol sung on New Year’s Eve to bring good luck for the new year to each household
Oh what a wonderful year 2025 was, with a cornucopia of articles from members of the Environment Team who worked together to inform, awaken and inspire FAWCO members on a wide range of topics. As your chestnuts are roasting on an open fire and Jack Frost is nipping at your nose, take a moment to read and reflect. Begin the new year with optimism and include a resolution dedicated to saving the environment. This personal commitment can range from a simple daily habit to a larger, systemic change in energy and consumption.
The start of 2025 found the team exploring the main outcomes of COP29 held November 11–22, 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan with two articles from the COP29 delegation present at the conference. The first was a closer overview of the matters dealt with at COP29 and what made it exceptional, and the second focused on another side of COP, the satirical but sobering Fossil of the Day awards.
In February, changes in eating habits were in the spotlight with an eye-opening piece on an alternative plant-based diet and how this eating regimen can combat climate change.
The months entering spring in the Northern Hemisphere put everyone in the mood to travel to see local projects at work. Who wouldn’t want to go to Italy in March and particularly to Tuscany where luxury brand scraps are repurposed and recycled? From there on to Spain in April for a closer look at the acequias, an ancient solution that is being revisited to address Spain's current water crisis.
In celebration of Earth Day in April, the book Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist by Kate Raworth was discussed. May’s article was a joint effort of the Environment Team members who gave their feedback on the book and what they perceived as the economic issues raised and their significance and impact on our environment.
In June, Sheila Doucet stepped down as Co-Chair of the Environment Team, a position she held with much success for several years, and as the Team parted for summer holidays, June’s article recounted the inspiring Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training held in Paris. FAWCO member Jill Amari participated and reported on the valuable information she learned..
When the Team resumed its activities in the fall, Rosie Deane, AWBS IWC Berkshire & Surrey, and Maria Psarianou, AWO Greece, were ready to leave the starting gate as the new Team Co-Chairs, and the September and October articles touched on two ecological hazards – one not so obvious to most, AI and its environmental impact, and the second, the adverse effects of the 2025 Canadian fires on the surrounding areas and their inhabitants.
Finally, the year ended with a bang with the Environment Festival at Dundreggan Rewilding Centre in Scotland. The last article of 2025 in November was a personal recollection of the Environment Team participants’ favourite moments and activities at the Festival.
The Co-Chairs, together with the entire Environment Team, take this opportunity to wish you Happy Holidays and a happy, healthy and productive New Year!