Six year old Oliver Walker's pledge to save the planet

Oliver Walker, aged six, took to the stage at Planet Essex Festival at Cressing Temple Barns on Saturday.

The Earls Colne Primary School pupil gave his pledge at before solo Atlantic rower Dawn Wood spoke about plastic pollution.

Oliver made his pledge to the audience, asking them to pick up litter, only buy things they need, make homemade cakes and recycle more, before urging them each to spread the message to ten more people.

Mum Vicky said she was very proud of her son.

“He’s a little star.” she said.

“Ollie really enjoyed giving his pledge and is really happy to find that his enthusiasm is rubbing off on other people.

“One of his friends has encouraged his mum to change to a milk delivery in glass bottles, instead of buying plastic.

“People keep telling him about the small changes they are making such as re-usable bottles and swapping from cling-film to beeswax wraps.

“All of this is just spurring him on further and rubbing off on his three year-old-brother.

“Advertisers have long used pester-power to sell products and it would seem that this can only help the environmental cause.

“Ollie is convinced he is going to save the world and his friends and family are behind him every step of the way.”

The festival, which was a celebration of everything sustainable, environmentally-friendly and local, could become an annual event.

Vicky said there was lots of information available about changes that can be made.

The festival is just the start of Oliver’s mission to save the world.

“He has a book that he writes in when he finds something he thinks we should change,” said Vicky.

“We’re very reliant on single-use plastics, like most people, but we’re changing things a bit at a time so that it becomes a habit.

“He would like to be an environmental scientist when he grows up so he’s just soaking it all in and telling people all about it in his Facebook blog.”

To follow Oliver’s journey search ‘Ollie the Young Environmentalist’ on Facebook.