General Resources
In my experience, there is a great deal that can be done within the realm of household operations to pretty dramatically alter our carbon footprint and live more sustainably. These sections will break down some of these areas into what are hopefully more manageable pieces to tackle.
I love this image from Kate Raworth. (Go to the website for more details and explanation etc.) What I specifically love is the idea that it draws everybody to a sustainable place – some people need more access to food, while many others need to reduce their consumption of some foods (eg those with a high environmental cost.) Some people need a stronger political voice, while others need to let go of some of the power that they have held on to for too long. Some need better shelter, while others need to downsize. The sweet spot is where everything is in balance, in the middle. 🙂
FAQs/Common Myths Around Climate Action
I have heard a lot of responses to climate action over many conversations. Needless to say, there are a few obstacles standing between where we are now and where we need to be. Here are a few common ones, and what is hopefully a helpful response – for you, or for somebody you may be in conversation with at some point in the future.
If you have others that you would like me to add, let me know and I’ll do my best to add them in here.
Climate action might be needed, but people/systems are slow and we can’t ask for faster change. It’s slow or nothing.
The time for slow change was decades ago. At this point, it doesn’t ultimately matter if some of the changes are tough. We still need to do them. Systems might be slow sometimes, but we need fast action. So, we need to find a way to get the systems to act fast and/or change our systems and/or enact powerful change outside of our systems even if politicians or others don’t keep up with us. We have to move fast, even though slow is easier. We just have to get things done.
You can’t vote for a Green Party candidate, because that’s the same thing as giving the riding to a climate denier. You need to vote for someone more moderate (like a Liberal) and play it safe.
I have only voted Liberal once, last election, under the promise that it would be the last ever Canadian federal election under first past the post based on the evidence that a Liberal vote was best in our riding at the time, while other ridings were encouraged to vote NDP). It didn’t work, and we are still voting under FPTP. We have a far less than ideal system in Canada – and countless people are working towards getting proportional representation in. Until then, all I can say is this: Greens currently have the strongest climate plan – if we put our efforts together, we can elect a lot of Greens (even under FPTP), then enact strong climate action and PR – and solve two problems at once. Voting to avoid a negative is not good enough for me – and it hasn’t gotten us a strong enough climate plan, or PR. The only way forward that I can see is to vote for something positive, (and bring countless others along as well) instead of giving into the fear that a strong vote for the climate is wasted. I think parties need to do more to earn my vote than mind games (if you don’t vote for your third choice, your fourth choice will get elected, and that’s worse…) – I want an actual, strong plan that puts the climate and PR front and centre, along with strong social services and free post-secondary education, along with other good stuff. 🙂
For More Information:
Gold Standard: Info and resources including data, carbon tracking, carbon offsets and others.
Climate Neutral: Certification process for businesses, as well as a simple mechanism for consumers to support businesses with a strong climate protection plan.
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Greta Thunberg, in her own words, at the Montreal climate march https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/greta-thunberg-in-her-own-words-at-the-montreal-climate-march-1.5300803
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Text @get.waste.ed (Found on Facebook)
