Meet Lachlan, he educates people about how to be more eco-conscious. He’s not afraid to spread the word about what we should be doing. (But he’s, for sure, afraid about what might happen if we don’t).
“Our behaviour as humans is conditioned to be very exploitative of nature and I very much don't agree with that mindset,” begins Lachlan. And, of course, we can’t wait to hear what else he has to say.
Growing up on Australia’s Sunshine coast
“I went to the beach everyday and fell in love with that.”
“But I realised, from around the age of nine, that we’re taking too much from the ocean and not giving enough in return.”
“After I finished school, I went to Thailand for about a month. One day we went diving, and the organiser said: ‘I’ll take you to this one spot that people have never lived.’ I was so excited.”
“I dived in to this beautiful rock reef crawling with life. But then I looked up and there was just … there was just plastic.”
“This place that, you know, no one had ever lived, there was plastic all over the top.”
“I felt personally very guilty, a great sense of shame.”
Volunteering as Sea Shepherd's Education Team Leader for Brisbane
These days, Lachlan volunteers for Sea Shepherd in Brisbane, as well as studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics.
Sea Shepherd is a non-profit organisation that has many projects which help our ocean’s wildlife.
Don’t believe all the misconceptions
Everyone can help save our oceans by going vegan. That’s why the crews on the Sea Shepherd vessels all eat a plant-based diet.
“Joining a movement like veganism can be really daunting for people,” says Lachlan. “You know, there are so many social stereotypes about veganism.”
“People are like: ‘Veganism doesn't give you the energy you need to do whatever.’ It’s just not true.”
“You look at pictures of the Sea Shepherd crews and they’re just the toughest people you'll see.”
“Meat is so ingrained in our culture,” says Lachlan. “But culture changes so fast. It’s happened before with meat, it can happen again.”
“People don’t realise that animal products like milk and cheese weren't always as prevalent as they are now. We didn't have refrigeration and meat was not an affordable option until very recently. It was a luxury, luxury.”
“We’re killing the earth,” says Lachlan. “Do the research yourself.”
Although Lachlan clearly has strong views, he believes that it’s best for people to discover things themselves, rather than just being told.
“The guy who had my role before me, Scott Wallace, he's a vegan educator. I went to one of his talks once, he is just, he's amazi- he convinced me.”
“Scott always says in his talks: ‘Do the research yourself. It’s not hard to find.’”
“For example, I can tell you that one third of the world’s fresh water is dedicated to animal agriculture. Which is just, you know, why would you believe that? It’s just a ridiculous amount!”
“I would love to see the earth go the right way. Please.”
“The optimistic perspective is, people realise the damage being done to the earth. Which is happening. You know, with the school strikes, 150,000 Australian kids campaigned because their earth is in danger.”
Lachlan sighs. “We’re basically out of time. We’re very quickly getting to a point where reducing carbon emissions won’t be enough.”
“The cynical part of me says our ways are so ingrained that we just won’t be able to stop the exploitation.”
“There are certain things that like, if the Adani coalmines in northern Queensland is being built, the Great Barrier Reef will die. It’s almost a give or take.”
“I just really hope that this younger generation comes through, that we move towards veganism and using more sustainable products. I hope, we’ll go the right way.”