Dear tomorrow Pedro and Bianca Roldao,

In 2050, if mummy and I are still around we will be 71 years old, but you both will be in your early 40s and 30s respectively and I expect you to be healthy and well informed adults and citizens. It’s important that you are aware that our choices in the past and in the present will determine our future. My generation should not put yours and the following ones at risk, but we have the responsibility to leave a better future for whoever comes next. I have been working during my entire professional career and I will continue to so until the end of my days in areas related with sustainability and climate change because this is not a job for me… this is joy and is a lifetime mission. Although this is not an easy mission, I strongly believe in continuous learning and hard work and this way I can share with you some of my principles of life and provide good foundations and examples for you in the years to come. Life is made of sacrifices and those are particular hard in challenging times like the one we are leaving now during Covid-19 pandemic. I want you to understand that we cannot take anything in life for granted and that solid eduction and principles is foundational for your future. Always base your decisions in facts and science. I will be fighting for your future because you and mummy and my love for our family is what gives purpose to my life and what takes me out of bed every morning with renewed energy. It’s very hard to be far away from you and I cry every night because of that, but I am doing this sacrifice to make my little contribution to give you a better future. We can live in a better world in 2050 if we all make better informed choices today. I am gradually changing my lifestyle to become more sustainable: I stopped accepting plastic bags when I go to shopping and rather bring my reusable ones, I started biking to work every day, I reduce my intake of meat, I increase the recycling rate of my waste because we can now finally sort it out in Beijing, I buy local products as much as I can reducing their transport footprint and supporting local communities at the same time, I participate in educational events and give my time in local schools, international universities and to local decision makers to share my knowledge and experiences and increase their awareness. This is not impacting negatively my quality of life. It’s actually improving it and I feel this is a better version of me… sustainable lifestyle is a better lifestyle.  I am more aware and more resilient now than I used to be last month, last year, 5 years or 10 years ago…