premade profile by Chen, edited by ship and Weasel. art and story by ship

“Hey, Layla. It’s nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you too.”

She sat nervously, her fingers interlaced together on her lap. A news reporter sat opposite her, a pen and notepad in his hand, and a small note taker on the desk.

“So, tell me a little bit about yourself?” He smiled.

“Sorry, I’m not used to this. Usually I’m the one asking questions!” She laughed, briefly. “Well, I’m 27. Just. I’m a wildlife journalist.”

“What exactly is a wildlife journalist?”

“Well, pretty much exactly what is says on the tin. I write about nature, about the environment, about the issues that affect our planet, and about how to fix them.”

“And how do you fix them?”

“Wow, that’s broad. I mean, you can’t just fix the damage that we have already done. All we can do is help in every way possible.”

“Give me an example?”

“Did you know between four and seven billion trees are cut down every years and most of those go towards palm oil, fabric and paper? If we switched to hemp paper, and used palm oil substitutes, we could half the current decrease. Or if we only used sustainable forests. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

“So its all doom and gloom?”

“Absolutely not. Look. What we need is a generation of people who care about the planet, who in turn raise their children to also care, and treat Mother Nature with respect. Children who don’t use plastic, or waste excessively. Children who ride their bikes to school, and then to work. Adults who know how to recycle and compost. People who pay attention to the amount of water they use and don’t waste. This planet has given us these resources so freely and so we have learned to abuse them. We’re running out. Droughts aren’t usually caused by a lack of rain. They’re cause by mismanagement. We lack green areas because we cut them down. We can act. We can change.”

“So effectively you’re just a journalist who writes about the planet?”

“Well, yes and no. I’m more than that. Yes, I work for a positive change with environmental issues, but I’m also here to make people aware, through the power of written word. I write for NGO’s and magazines. I hold seminars. I use my talent for writing to reach the heart strings of people who are less educated about the planet. I’m not just a journalist. I’m a helper, and one day I hope you will be too.”