John Symond

I am passionate about fighting climate change. There is no more important and all-embracing issue today. Since 2004 I have informed myself about the causes and effects of climate change and what can be done to halt it, economically and technically. I have been an activist in small groups, in the print media and in social media.

I am always seeking ways to be more effective as an individual in this activity. I use @john_symond on Twitter and have over 900 followers.

I work voluntarily for a variety of good causes, sometime anonymously.

I have modified my lifestyle to accord with my principles. I have not flown since 2002 (for an employer). I have not driven outside my city more than once per year since 2012. I rarely drove more than 20km per week for several years.

I ride a bicycle for most journeys. After two second hand bikes, I bought a new bicycle in 2008. I bought an electric bicycle in 2012 and sold my car in August 2015.

I do not heat or cool my apartment. I do not use my water heating unit. As a result I use very little electricity and it is all 100% Green Energy, mostly wind power.

Currently I am working on more environmentally responsible banking. The bank I have been with for 43 years invests twice as much in fossil fuel projects as any other bank in Australia. So far I have opened an account with a smaller bank, the Bendigo Bank, that has zero investments in fossil fuels, and transferred all my savings to it. I let the other bank do most of my transactions.

Although currently rather inactive, I am a 'Senior Editor' at Wikipedia. I keep away from activism there, because neutrality is one of their key principles. It is a great way to contribute to the world community.

Ignorance is the problem underlying most political conflicts and social problems, and education is the solution.

Wikipedia contributes to universal free education and is deeply valued in less developed countries.