Why I am joining "Solar for Schools" (Dec 03, 2020)
Solar power is our greatest hope for a better future.
A decentralized, clean, limitless source of energy, I would go so far as to say that it is the bedrock upon which the energy crisis; which we face over the next several decades, will be broken. Before that though, it will take the money, time, and talent of a thousand different groups and millions of people; all playing their part, to change the world.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
My name is Marley Eleven Bury. I’m a twenty-two-year-old filmmaker and freelance writer, I live in Hampshire and have grown up here since I was four-years-old. I know the local community well and by that, I mean the local restaurants know me well and are always delighted to see my face; knowing they will make their largest profits of the day in chips/chicken nuggets/cake sales. You’ll usually find me watching films and television shows, writing about them near as much; my passion for Marvel alone has led me to purchase a working Infinity Gauntlet. Money well spent; without question.
However, some problems are far too complex to be solved with a ‘snap’ of the fingers.
Over the years, I have had another great passion and that has led me here.
When I was ten-years-old, I wrote a speech for my primary school’s public speaking competition, titled: ‘The three main crises of the world’. I believed then; as I believe now, that the threats to our water, food, and energy security were the greatest dangers facing humanity’s continued prosperity. Yet energy is the game-changer for the other two, the tiebreaker between catastrophe and stability.
My passion for this issue grew from that day onwards and for years, I have tried to fight for these vital changes. At my secondary school, I was a Student Representative and urged my school; on several occasions, to consider solar-technology. At my university, I ran for Student President in my second-year; one of my central tenants being the installation of solar-panels across every building. In both cases, I was frustrated by apathy and failure; yet I refuse to give in, for this is not an issue we can ever ignore.
To do so is a betrayal of the future generations, to who we owe a better world. They deserve a world where they do not have to see hundreds of millions screaming at heavily armed borders, desperate to find nations where the lights are still on. They deserve a world free of the massive social and economic unrest, that would see those with incredible talents forced to slave-away in unsuitable jobs and conditions; desperate to put food on the table. They deserve a world that is not drowning in darkness; nor despair, yet instead has been renewed by the life-giving light of our nearest star.
We all deserve that world.
If 2020 has shown us anything, it’s that complacency towards a world we assume is immutable is folly. Lockdown with modern luxuries and medicine has been extraordinarily difficult for many. Lockdown from rolling blackouts, yearly riots, and a collapsed energy infrastructure would make us long for a decade of COVID-19. Our lives have changed forever, the fragile machinery that keeps everything running laid bare, and after years of being torn between wanting to change it; while also not believing it truly could be, I decided that excuses were no longer an option.
Life is far too short and our time to make real change, shorter still.
So, I began to look into ways I could found my own solar-charity; centred around installing solar-panels in schools within the UK. At the time of starting, I had no idea of Solar For Schools' existence and was delighted to come across them, my rekindled hope soaring as I saw others were committed to the same cause I had believed in for so many years. Making contact, their extraordinary team were happy to answer my questions, giving me guidance and honest advice on their successes and difficulties; leading me to conclude I could make a far-bigger difference as part of a team.
Their mission; which has already seen national and international success, is one of unquestionable importance. A world without enough power is frightening, yet a world where schools and by extension, the next generations; our future, cannot learn properly: That is apocalyptic. It is a nightmare I refuse to let come to pass and I will fight with everything I have; with every skill, I possess, to prevent that world from stealing the hopes and dreams of millions. That is why I believe so strongly in the mission of Solar For Schools.
One of the questions they asked me in our initial meetings was: “What would you like to do with us?”.
“What do you want to achieve?”.
Quite simply, I want to see every school in the United Kingdom powered by solar-technology.
From Londonderry to Canterbury, Cardiff to Newcastle, Edinburgh to London, Great Britain could earn its name in the modern world by becoming a global leader in clean-energy and educational infrastructure investment. I believe this would go a long way to ensuring the safety of our future generations and would serve as an inspirational proof-of-concept for the widespread use of solar-technology on tens of millions of homes across the country.
It is not an easy goal but I believe in it, we believe in it, and to those who feel hopeless; unable to change things: You are not forgotten. I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Solar For Schools for showing me that and reminding me that; together, we can make a difference.
Because solar power is our greatest hope for a better future.