It’s easy to become despondent on occasion, when reading the wave of bad news that seems to engulf the media on a near daily basis and considering how much is yet to be done to protect the rainforests and educate people on climate change.

Nevertheless a little reflection is powerful, particularly reflecting on how far the journey has come already. We’ve come a long way in raising awareness about the rainforests and global warming and educating the current and next generation. It’s heartening to think how things have changed even at a grass roots level over the last decade. Many people are entering sponsored sports events to raise money for eco-charities and raise awareness of climate change and global warming. Young people are showing incredible awareness of the challenges and potential solutions to everyday problems around recycling in their world and it’s fascinating to see how schools have taken up the climate change topic so wholly in their curriculum. Politicians are finally basing sustainable government strategies on green issues.

Even our generation has unknowingly started to make real changes too – whether conscious activists, or more low key green crusaders! Perhaps coincidently with the economic downturn, many more families are now switching off lights, cutting down on consumption, buying more fuel efficient cars, looking at growing their own fruit and veg rather than buying expensive imports and taking up council schemes to recycle their waste.

These are small indicators of a wider awareness and admittedly, we still have a very long way to go. Hearts may sink when we see photos of newly industrialised countries pumping out vast emissions from new factories – or single drivers heading a mile to the supermarket in a Chelsea tractor! Still, some days are worth reflecting on and counting the good steps achieved so far – and indeed, without seeing how far we’ve come, we can’t see what’s left to come.