Calling All Climate Activists – present & future!

When I started my journey to becoming a climate activist, it was quite frankly fueled by both despair and determination. As a mom, watching the news, reading books, and listening to webinars, grew that feeling inside my body that comes from knowing just how urgently the planet needs our climate change fighting actions, and how lacking any positive action actually is. You might be able to relate to the feeling that I am describing, it grows out of grief, guilt, hopelessness, and absolute worry over what the future holds for the next generation. That feeling is only exacerbated when you look at your child’s bright face and are overwhelmed by what you want for their future, while knowing full well the obstacles that might prevent it.

Climate-Anxiety

That feeling now has a name. It is called eco-anxiety or climate-anxiety. Not good! It is not good that we have to name something that is born out of a fixable problem. Science has the solutions but has also shown us how important collaborative action is, and how broad implementation of a variety of solutions is essential. Believe me, I get it! Sometimes that feeling of climate-anxiety is so strong the urge is to ignore it or redirect. Anything to get away from it! But we cannot do that! We have to face the emotions head on and start to take action to diminish the negative environmental effects!

Of course, it is so disheartening to continue to witness what is worse than a lack of political will. Actions are being taken that directly do further damage than what has already been done. We are going in the opposite direction from what is an absolute must! At times it can feel paralyzing because there is just so much that is wrong in the world! However, giving up is just NOT an option!

Believe in people

I am personally struggling with my belief in politics, government, and big business – in terms of them doing what is right for the world. But I do believe in people! I know that most people will do what is right and will step in and go above and beyond to help their family, friends, neighbors, and the world. We have the power to make change happen on all levels! And it has never been a more crucial time for us to act!

We can do this!

I am always looking for solutions that I can support but a big, huge thing that we can all do is to focus on our own lifestyles. What we buy matters and is impactful! And our everyday habits have an influence! We all contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and with a bit of inconvenience, we can all lower our number. On average in the United States, we are emitting around fifteen metric tons of carbon annually. There are a lot of things that we can do to lower that number, and at the same time we can send a message to businesses and officials that we are serious, and environmental action is what we care about most.

So, where do you get started? First, it is helpful for you to build some basic knowledge about what matters most. There is no time like the present to learn about climate and work to become climate-neutral! If you are looking for a fun and informative way to change your family’s lifestyle, please check out my new book.

The book, A Kid’s Guide to Climate Activism, is a nonfiction middle-grade children’s book committed to empowering kids with climate action ideas. It introduces essential climate change vocabulary while providing simple habit changes that positively impact individual carbon footprints. There are several questions presented throughout the book that help the reader think more completely about the anthropogenic nature of climate change. Kids of all ages are going to love the collage illustrations, done by my teenage daughter, and get lots of ideas about how they can impact climate change!

If you want some household actions that you can take immediately, start with these three key areas:

1. Eliminate single-use items from your household. It may seem like an impossible task at the beginning, but you can find substitutions. Paper towels can be replaced with washable cloths, plastic food storage bags can be replaced with reusable silicon bags, and switching to bars of soap, shampoo and conditioner will greatly decrease the single-use containers that come into your house.
2. Separate food waste from your garbage. If you are dumping your food waste into your trash can, it is not biodegrading in that trash bag! It is rotting and emitting methane gas while it sits forever in the plastic bag at the landfill. Instead, compost or hire a company to pick up your food waste and compost it for you. The difference this one step will make is huge!
3. Consider eliminating more and more animal products from your meals. It is important to point out that today’s factory farms are not environmentally friendly nor are they humane. What you may have grown up with as a source of food is vastly different from what is happening today. I know it can be insurmountable to think about giving up meat and dairy – so do not do that, just eat less of it! You can check out the picture below (a page from my book) that shows, in a kid friendly way, the different emissions from food sources.

Try implementing the list above, just one item at a time. Try and think about the impact that everything we do has. Collectively we can move the needle!

If you have a chance, let me know what you implement, and if you like the book!