Climate Change Action
Climate Change: I get it!
So what can I do??
Read about EV tax credits (which vary by state)
Download your guide to incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act
Lots of great action items you can do now…
Climate Change Action 101:
Climate change is highly complex due to the interplay of systems, and the solutions are equally complex. Ultimately the major changes to our energy, manufacturing and agricultural systems that are needed to address the foundations of climate change require national and international policies. But that does not mean that we sit and wait.
Below are ways to reduce your carbon footprint – small changes aggregate. Adopt these actions in your home, and bring them into your workplace, school, place of worship and other communities. Be an ambassador for our environment. Contact us to help you design and implement programs to be more sustainable and resilient.
#1: Talk about climate change
Studies by Yale University have shown that just talking about climate change accelerates action because it engages more people and changes culture to embrace action.
When you talk to people about climate chang try to stay positive, but emphasize that change is here already: it is not some far off possibility. Some changes that we are seeing now are:
Rising sea levels are eroding coasts, flooding cities, and threatening drinking water sources with salt water
Powerful storms cause flooding and wind damage
Extreme heat and extreme cold
Droughts leading to water shortages
Prolonged and extreme fire seasons
How can we act to slow or halt the damage?
Insulate your home and seal leaky windows
Take public transportation or bike instead of driving
Unplug electronics when they are not in use
Adjust your thermostat for less heat/cooling
Use reusable bags and mugs
Take shorter showers
Use sunlight to reduce heating costs
Pull your shades down to block sunlight in the summer
Eat fewer servings of red meat
Invest in solar panels
Turn off your car while idling
Burn fewer fossil fuels – the root cause of climate change
Conserve energy by increasing insulation, reducing heat
Drive less: Use public transportation or bikes
Reuse and Recycle everything you can
Use energy efficient lighting and appliances
Find the best changes to make in your own lifestyle using the Cooler Smarter Web Challenge by the Union of Concerned Scientists
Energy Conservation at Home
Residential buildings account for 21% of the nation’s total energy consumption. Yet the ways we heat, light, and maintain our homes are often inefficient and wasteful. We can conserve valuable resources, decrease emissions, and save money by being mindful of how we use energy in our daily lives.
What can we do to reduce energy use?
Avoid stand-by consumption by unplugging chargers when not in use
Use power strips to turn off large electronics
Switch to LED light bulbs
Switch lights off when leaving a room
Use passive solar: heat your home in the winter by leaving shades open during the day and closed at night
Use passive cooling: Close shades during the day in the summer
Use cold water to wash laundry
Wash full loads of dishes and let them air dry
Install Energy Star appliances
Get rid of your old second fridge
Get an energy audit of your home or business
Seal gaps in windows and fix leaks in plumbing
Use storm windows if you have old windows
Invest in renewable energy by installing solar panels
Buy a share in community solar
Add more insulation to your home
Install geo-thermal heating
Getting Around and Fuel Efficiency
Transportation accounts for about 30% of total CO2 emissions in the U.S., with about half of those emission produced by cars, SUVs, pick up trucks and other personal vehicles. Driving a car accounts for about half of the average American family’s carbon footprint. Cars sustain our dependence on unclean fuel sources while producing pollutants that decrease air quality and harm health. Airplanes use the most energy in take-off and landing, so flying direct is far more energy-efficient than flying with layovers. If you can’t avoid flying, you can buy offsets to support the development of more renewable energy.
What are the alternatives?
Use public transit for short trips:
Buses, subways and commuter rail produce fewer emissions per passenger while decreasing traffic congestion
Public transit currently saves the U.S. 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline per year
If you must drive:
Keep your tires well inflated for better fuel mileage
Turn off your engine while waiting - idling produces much higher emissions than driving
Car pool
Find a ride share bulletin board for longer trips
Buy a more fuel efficient (or electric) car
Even better, ride a bike:
Manufacturing a bike produces far fewer emissions than a manufacturing car
Cycling produces zero pollution
Bike-share systems makes cycling convenient and affordable
Cycling is healthier
Food
Eating what is healthier for the planet is healthier for you as well. Producing red meat is highly energy intensive and creates harmful emissions. In general, animal protein consumes more resources and produces more emissions than plant protein. Food that is transported long distances has hidden carbon costs from transportation, and commercial agriculture uses fertilizers that are harmful to the environment and often people. Wasting food is wasting energy since it takes energy to produce food. Food packaging has high energy costs to produce it and then collect it as trash. Water bottles
What can you do?
Meatless Mondays – try 1-2 additional meals per week with no animal protein
Eat less (or no) red meat
Buy food produced locally
Find a farmer’s market near you
Buy food in bulk or with less packaging
Carry a reusable water bottle or travel coffee cup
Eat organic food when you can
Don’t waste food – learn to love your leftovers!
Donate packaged food that you won’t use to a food bank
Waste: Reuse, Recycle, Reduce
Think before you buy, reuse what you can, donate and share, recycle
The average American produces 4 pounds of trash every day. Over 75 percent of this waste is recyclable, yet we currently recycle only 30 percent. Plastics and metals fill space in landfills and decomposing food waste emits greenhouse gases, while more natural resources are consumed to manufacture new products.
Manufacturing products from recycled materials produces fewer emissions while conserving valuable resources. By buying only what we need and recycling what we can, we can reduce the amount of waste we produce.
What actions can we take?
Purchase paper and products made from post-consumer recycled materials
Buy in bulk to reduce packaging
Use reusable shopping bags
Use reusable coffee cups and water bottles
Use cloth napkins and rags
Recycle plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and paper products, metal and glass
Compost organic waste
Donate rather than throw out what can be used
Water
Everyone has heard about California’s droughts, but as the climate heats up drought is becoming common in many places. Even where water is still plentiful, using water uses energy as it has to be pumped to homes, sometimes heated, and then treated by waste treatment plants. Practice water conservation even if you don’t feel the effects of drought.
Wash your clothes in cold water
Install low flush toilets
Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth or scrub your dishes
Plant indigenous plant species in your yard
Run your dish or clothes washer with full loads only
Take shorter showers
Activism
How does one person’s actions count? Aggregate many people! Use your leverage. Look to see how you can impact policy in the
US and world-wide. Find groups who are making change and join them. Get your friends and colleagues to join you. There is no “them” out there who can save the planet- it’s all of us – together!!
Support and vote for candidates who want to act on climate change
Sign and circulate petitions that demand climate change action from lawmakers
Join an advocacy group
Start a green team
Bring along your friends, family, and colleagues
Help spread good information
Be an example – “Be the change you want to see.”
Bring Climate Creatives to your office, school or community
We will bring a stakeholder alignment workshop to you, consult on how you can integrate art and/or sustainability into your organization, or set you up as a Rising Waters Chapter.
Contact us at info@ClimateCreatives.com
Climate Action
Join an organization that leads action campaigns, marches:
Resiliency: U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit
Bicycle Advocacy: Green Streets Initiative
Massachusetts-based programs:
Free energy audits and efficient light bulbs, for home or business: MassSave & RenewBOSTON