This is George. He has known Alice all his life and they are best friends.
They grew up together, went to school together, worked together at the same factory, and now they even live next door to each other.
But unlike Alice, George isn’t all that concerned about the climate. He has a bigger house and a flashier car than Alice and takes his family on more exotic holidays. So, you see, he’s way too busy climbing the career ladder to worry about the butterflies and bees.
Alice jokes that he’s classic middle management material, but he doesn’t mind. He just points to the big new SUV in his drive and shrugs his shoulder as if to say that’s why I work so hard.
But while George is proud of what he’s achieved, he still admires Alice, and he sometimes thinks he ought to pay more attention to the things she worries about.
In the summer, George often invites Alice and her family over for BBQs. At one of these get-togethers, Alice tells George that she’s organised a petition asking their boss to reduce the coal and oil the factory uses. She then asks George if he’ll sign it too and if he’ll go with her for emotional support when she presents the signatures to their boss.
This is a dilemma for George because if he causes trouble, he might lose his bonus. On the other hand, he wants to help his closest friend. Eventually, after sleeping on it, he reluctantly agrees and, on Monday morning, the two friends walk up to the big house on the hill where their boss lives.
