[Zack] I’m Zack and this is the third chapter of my story

It’s good to be allowed out and about again. As soon as I could, I arranged a trip to the beach with friends.

We were enjoying an ice cream when I noticed somebody picking up rubbish. His name was Arthur. I asked him what he was doing and he showed me all the plastic and rubbish washed up on the beach and in the sea… even the fish looked unhappy!

I felt really sad but I wasn’t sure what I could do. Daniel told me to relax and enjoy the day. We were having such a good time that I quickly forgot about it, until later that day when I put the TV on.

[Voice on television] Climate change continues to affect people all around the world. “Melting ice caps and rising sea levels, frequent flash flooding events, forest fires and an ever increasing number of species on the brink of extinction – all because of human activity and pollution.

[Zack] It was really confusing and it sounded really bad. I felt really sorry for the poor animals.

[Voice on television] Time really is running out for us to clean up our act, before it’s too late.

[Zack] It felt like it was all my fault. It made me think ‘am I safe?’. I went to bed but I couldn’t sleep for worrying about what we are doing to our planet. That night I had the strangest dream…

[Voice in Zack’s dream] Forest fires and deforestation, ravaging the planet, plastic pollution in the oceans, many animals on the brink of extinction…We are all responsible… Time is running out… before it’s too late…

[Dream sequence with images showing what the voiceover is describing]

[Zack] I wanted to do something about it but I knew I couldn’t do it alone, so I met my friends at the community garden project and asked Ted, our team leader, what we can do to make things better.

Ted explained that we already collect rainwater which we use for watering the plants. He also showed us the new wind turbine in the farmers field – it looks like a giant windmill and makes clean electricity for our town and that helps make the world cleaner.

We wanted to do even more so we’re planting loads of trees and Daniel and I helped to dig a pond to make a boggy wetland area.

[Zack in background] Okay turn the water on – that’s enough.

[Zack’s voiceover] Jess and Sophie made a bug hotel from old logs. It’s been really popular – all sorts of bugs and insects now call it home. We also set up a nest box. It was so exciting to see the chicks when they hatched and Ted set up a camera trap so we could see which animals are visiting the garden at night.

My friends and I have been thinking about the changes we can make at home. My support worker is showing me how to cook vegetarian meals because eating less meat is better for the planet. I can cook most recipes myself now by following easy video guys on my tablet and I love using the vegetables I’ve grown at the community garden project.

The meals are really tasty – Oscar definitely agrees! I used to throw all my rubbish in one bin but now I recycle everything and I’m also trying to reuse things.

We all went back to the beach the following weekend and helped Arthur with a beach clean up. It was great fun and we are going to help out again. It feels like we’re doing something really positive that will make a big difference right now.

It’s not too late but we need to work together to make things better. We could all be part of the change – using less recycling more and buying local. When we all do our bit, the little changes can make a big difference.

To find out more about what’s happening in your area and ways you can get involved, check out these links: www.theccc.org.uk

This video was created by United Response. Watch our animation diaries to find out more.