Climate Change – what can I do?

Looking at that Greta Thunberg post going around, and yeah, she’s not the only one furious with policy makers and corporations willing to destroy the planet in 10 years to make a profit now.

What can we do to help, as relatively powerless people.

1. is obviously vote for the people who will make good decisions on ecology

But that’s not something we can do this instant, and things need to be done right now. It’s not enough to be angry about it. Lets act!

As individuals, we can change our own habits. God knows I’ve heard enough people on here whining “me giving up plastic won’t make a difference when industry is still churning it out.” But you’ve seen all the “Millenials are killing x industry” articles. If enough people change their individual habits, you have a groundswell. You have a movement that industry cannot and will not ignore. Industries are already trialing plastic substitutes. The minute their bottom line suffers because consumers are switching to greener alternatives, they’ll start getting serious about keeping up with the new demand. 

2. Here are some things we can do

• Switch to a green energy provider (you’ll have to google to find one in your own country)
• Go zero waste. 
• Make your own cleaning products
• Make your own deodorant (mix 20mls milk of magnesia with 20mls witch hazel, add 0.5 tsp baking soda and 10 drops essential oil of choice, pour into the last roll-on deodorant bottle you’ll ever have to buy.)
• Stop using shampoo and conditioner 
• Buy your food from a shop that uses no packaging. If you can’t find such a shop in your area, consider teaming up with your neighbours and making one.
• Use less stuff; buy stuff second hand if you can, try not to use tumble-driers or dishwashers, switch your devices off rather than leaving them in standby. Walk, bike or electric bike where you can instead of driving…

It’s true that this stuff doesn’t make a lot of difference when done by one individual, but if it’s done by a million individuals then it makes an impact, and it takes a single pebble to start an avalanche. Maybe you can be the pebble.

So what else can relatively powerless people do when they face a corporation or a government that they can’t do anything about as individuals? 

3. Team up. Find your local eco-organization. (It’ll probably be on Facebook, at least in the UK.) If you can’t find one for your town, you can make one. Now you have a group of people who can collectively run letter-writing campaigns, shame the local supermarkets into changing their ways, band together with the groups in the rest of the state/county and start putting pressure on local politicians, spread ideas and recruit new people who hadn’t thought about this stuff yet.

It’s much easier to change the minds of those in power if there’s a big groundswell of popular opinion with you. And doing something about the environment is an idea whose time has come. You won’t be alone. You’ve just got to look at all the people who turned out for the climate strike to see that.