By Kate Monson

Even those without a penchant for graphic novels, have answered the question, If you could have any super power what would it be? Invisibility? Invincibility? Telepathy? X-ray vision? Telescopic vision? The list goes on.

It is on this popular literary trope that Good Energy customer Harold Forbes has hooked his book, How to be a Humankind Superhero, and with it he has taken (a small part of) the discussion out of the realm of the hypothetical and into reality. Harold calls his book a manifesto to reclaim a safe climate, and with it he attempts to equip individuals with the tools and knowledge to tackle climate change in their everyday life. “What I intended to do was to write a book that was easy to engage with, fairly quick to read, and gave you some touchstones to making a difference to climate change,” he says.

Aware since childhood of the environmental problems facing mankind, two specific experiences prompted Harold to action. The first was an Ecobuild conference where he listened in despair to a succession of high profile commentators and politicians tell him how pressing the issue of climate change was without being able to provide him with any steps to solve it. The second was experiencing the eerie silence which descended upon the audience at the world premiere of Franny Armstrong’s film Age of Stupid. “It suggested to me that while the [audience] could relate to the question, there was no obvious answer.” How to be a Humankind Superhero is Harold’s attempt at finding that answer. “Once I started to research the area it quickly became apparent that while there is 'an answer' it is so huge and radical it will take an enormous shift to achieve. To get there will require a shift in our shared imagination.”

Harold uses the 12 Labours of Hercules as a framework for the book, commenting that, like Hercules, we as a society need to make a choice. “Hercules had to decide whether to take on the labours and become a god, or continue with an Epicurean life of easy pleasure and debauchery. The biggest thing that people have to get over is that choice. This is something they have to want to get involved in. Society changes because people want it to change, starting with just a few people and building. Politicians will only be as brave as they think the electorate want them to be and that’s why lobbying and making your views known is so important. The difficulty is that people feel they can’t make a difference. But it’s not just about individual action. The Labours in the book are about acting in a community and engaging with governments and businesses.” Harold’s call to action is perfectly aligned with the Good Energy philosophy. Together We Do This.

Harold discovered Good Energy when researching his book, and switched his home supply to our 100% renewable electricity last year. He has since undertaken a number of additional carbon cutting measures in his everyday life, including reinsulating his house, starting a compost heap and growing vegetables in his front garden. Good Energy is proud to have such ambitious, committed and impassioned individuals supporting our mission. But as Harold says himself: “Everyone can make a difference. You don’t need to write a book about it, but there are 12 small things that you can do.”