The bad news is that we all contribute to global warming. But that is also the good news because it means that everyone of us can make a difference by reducing our contribution.
So what then should we do? Is it important to worry about plastic bags vs.. paper bags? What will really make a difference?
Here are ten things that are among the MOST important that you can do to reduce your personal impact on global warming.
One.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. This brilliant triad says it all, but the greatest of these is REDUCE: Avoid buying what you don't need. Share what you have, borrow from friends. Turn down the heat, turn off the lights. Reuse: Buy used stuff, and wring the last drop of usefulness out of most everything you own. Repair what is repairable. Recycle: Do it, but know that it's the last and least effective leg of the triad. (Ultimately, recycling simply results in the manufacture of more things.)
Two.
Stay close to home. Work close to home to shorten your commute; eat food grown nearby; patronize local businesses; join local organizations. All of these will improve the look, shape, smell, and feel of your community.
Three.
Internal combustion engines are polluting and their use should be minimized, period. Use public transit, car pool, bicycle, hike.
Four.
Watch what you eat. Whenever possible, avoid food grown with pesticides, in feedlots, or by agribusiness. It's an easy way to use your dollars to vote against the spread of toxins in our bodies, land, and water. Buy locally grown food (shipping pollutes!) whenever possible. Minimize purchases of processed foods ( you know, the stuff that comes in a box or can and has ingredients you can't understand.) Your food will taste better and you will feel better.
Five.
Choose carefully when making purchases and even more carefully when voting. Think hardest when buying large objects; don't drive yourself mad fretting over the small ones. It's easy to be distracted by the paper bag puzzle, but an energy-sucking refrigerator is much more worthy of your attention. When you do get that dishwasher/lawnmower/toilet, spend the money up front for an efficient model. Private industries have very little incentive to improve their environmental practices. Our consumption choices must encourage and support good practices.
Six.
Vote. Political engagement enables the spread of environmentally conscious policies. Without public action, thoughtful individuals are swimming upstream. Lobby, write letters, demonstrate: our political choices must support appropriate government regulation.
Seven.
Join a local environmental group that is working for your community. Working together we can accomplish so much more. And it is a great way to meet people in your neighborhood. Connect!
Eight.
Support thoughtful innovations in manufacturing and production. (Hint: Drilling for oil is no longer an innovation.) Small is beautiful.
Nine.
Don't feel guilty. It only makes you sad. We are all in this together and we all need to work together. It is hard to be effective if you are depressed.
Ten.
Enjoy. If you aren’t enjoying life, you are doing it wrong. Those things that we cannot manufacture and can never own -- water, air, soil, plants and animals -- are the foundation of life's pleasures. Without them, we're nothing. Spend time outside; in the sun or rain, day or night, in all the seasons. Find a place that speaks to you and return to it again and again for sustenance.
Stephen Wilder
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