Our precious Blue Marble, and much of the life which she sustains, is in danger. The planet on which we live, and which is simultaneously incredibly powerful and fragile, needs us to stop. Listen. And tread more carefully. We have a window of time available to really step up and make some changes to show Mother Earth that we still deserve to live here, enjoying her abundant offerings and spectacular beauty. But that window, folks, is going to close and will then be locked tight. THAT, however, is not what we all need to focus on right now. Rather, we must look at the opportunities which the open window provides us with. So we’re going to explore some of the things which YOU can do which are truly impactful. From small, daily steps, to writing letters to gluing yourself to buildings.
Join an Environmental Protection Group
Most of us don’t thrive in solitude. Most of us respond to the positive energy of being part of a group. We want to be around like minded people, sharing ideas, giving and receiving encouragement. But maybe climate action isn’t what you want to focus on. Cool…because luckily (?) there are so many environmental community groups all over the world, I know you’ll be able to find one. And this can be in any aspect of environmental stewardship: sadly, there is so much damage being done to this planet that the focus doesn’t need to be climate change. Protecting a particular area of land or a waterway or a specific habitat for an animal. Trying to stop new oil, coal or gas mines, exploration or pipelines. Preserving sacred lands of Indigenous peoples. Trying to prevent poor air quality from new industry or manufacturing. Your name on any petitions and just being a part of these groups is important. Joining in person meetings and actions will help affirm your belief that it’s important. And as well as ‘negative’ actions, like trying to stop machinery gaining access to land for clearing, there’s positive things you can physically do, too, like tree planting.
Join a Climate Action Group
So this is obviously a bit more pointed but, again, there are so many community groups active around the world that I know you’ll find one you can join. We need every person’s voice to add emphasis and urgency! Your name on lists of people wanting action counts. Your physical presence on marches and protests, as well your virtual physical presence watching webinars and panel discussions, is important. But I think you’ve got it within yourself to take it one step further: write letters to and have conversations with your local elected representatives. These people are paid to represent you, so make sure they do! For those in the US, you can find an excellent resource here as a starting point, to identify your local representatives and get pointers on how to write the email addressing the concern you hold highest. Your action will be recorded (but email is not stored, of course!) so the group has insight to their overall impact. For those in the UK, head over here, for similar support and guidance. And for our readers Down Under, go here or here (change the basis of your concern as appropriate). There are elections a-plenty in the coming 6 months, so don’t underestimate your power as a voter.
Talk and Walk (in the streets)!
One of the other benefits of joining community groups, in addition to the camaraderie, is that you’ll be arming yourself with increased education and knowledge, and therefore excellent talking points. We cannot expect the movements of climate justice or Earth stewardship or wildlife protection to grow unless we each talk more about it. In every situation with every group of peers or work colleagues or family, we must be listening for an opener to have these conversations. The group you’re with and the situation will determine what sort of conversation or perspective is appropriate–it’s important not to shoehorn climate action into a chat about your second cousin’s latest disastrous date, obviously! You might even find willing participants to join you in one or more of the community action groups you’ve joined.
Some years ago it was identified that adults in America sit within one of 6 groups, relating to their stance on climate change. The ‘Alarmed’ group has grown from 18% in 2017 to 33% in 2021. 28% of this group would “definitely” (10%) or “probably” (18%) personally engage in non-violent civil disobedience against corporate or government activities that negatively impact the climate–here’s the kicker–IF they were asked to by a person they liked and respected. That, my friend, is YOU. The ten percent of the Alarmed who are “definitely willing” to engage in non-violent civil disobedience represents approximately 8.6 million American adults. Can you imagine what would happen if 8.6 MILLION extra people took to the streets, held a placard or barricaded or chained themselves to Chase Bank?! Yeah….pretty damned fast political change!
So start having those chats, people! Use your power of influence in the best of ways and then take it to the streets! Whether through Fridays for Future, 350.org, Scientist Rebellion or one of the arms of XR, there is a local and active movement you can join. (On a personal note, the wonderful, gorgeous face of our YouTube channel, Lexi, and some of her closest friends are organizing a Climate March at City Halls steps in Schenectady on 23rd April from noon!).
Do More While Using Less
The beauty of this little string of words is that it can be applied to EV-ER-Y aspect of your life! And can be done *today* and on Earth day (April 22nd), and every day between, and…actually, these are things you can do EVERY day, because if you’re reading this, it’s safe to say that you’re a bit of a fan of this planet! Having a shower? Make it snappy to wash more of your skin with less water. Having a cuppa? Boil only the amount of water you need. Hand doing the dishes? I guarantee you can use less water than you think and less detergent, too (this is even easier to control if you use a dishwashing block). One of your sweaters getting a little threadbare? Turn it into cleaning cloths. Feeling the chill? Reach for more clothes and blankets, not the thermostat (saving money is always a win in my books). Wash day? Launder your clothing less often and fill the machine with more of them. Some veg on the menu? Save all the peels and scraps, freeze them in batches until you have loads and then whip a gorgeous veggie stock. Then they go into the compost or worm farm for yet another life. Have a necessary battery-operated product? My daughter’s alarm clock, for example. Buy good quality rechargeable batteries. Need to do some errands which will take you less than 5 miles from home? Jump on a bicycle (even better if it’s more than 5 miles tbh, cardiovascular exercise and all that!). Defrosting something for dinner? Pop it in the fridge instead of on the bench, so you use the cold from the item to boost the cold air in the fridge and therefore the fridge motor switches on less. Got a present to wrap? Use literally anything you have lying around: WGAC toilet paper wrapper, newspaper, a piece of fabric (another reuse idea for that not-fit-for-purpose sweater), or (esp. for someone in the same household as you), an item of clothing.
Earth Day is fabulous, but it’s not enough to think about our beautiful home planet one day per year! She needs us to pay mind to our actions every single day. Don’t underestimate your power. Don’t undervalue your circle of influence. Don’t waste another single day of *not* doing something important, even if it’s small.
