Green resolutions for 2020
|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|
View this email in your browser (|ARCHIVE|) Hello there, and welcome to the monthly ClimtateAction.tech (https://climateaction.tech/) community newsletter.
We are at the very end of this year and about to start a whole new one. So, this month, letâs focus on new beginnings. In the past weeks, in the weekly discussions channel (https://app.slack.com/client/T4HLEQA3F/CQRJBF5QB) , we asked: whatâs your green resolution for the next year? Here are some suggestions that came out from fellow CATs, concrete small and big actions you can take next year â and a delightful small document to commit to them.
As always, you can unsubscribe from this newsletter at any time (|UNSUB|) .
** Quick actions
Just donât â The smallest thing you can do is actually⦠not do something. Donât buy that sweater you donât need or that food you wonât eat. Consumerism accounts for a lot of greenhouse emissions (https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/documents/ghg-land-materials-management.pdf) (study is US-based). Take a break, a walk, or a nap.
Boost the signal â Amplify the climate crisis news using social media. Tell the truth about the state of our ecosystem and the trajectory we are headed toward (try the #ClimateChangeIsReal or the #ClimateEmergency hashtags).
Bother the right people â Calling or writing your government representatives only takes a few more minutes and ensures that the climate emergency is kept in focus. Hereâs a letter template you can use (http://www.global-greenhouse-warming.com/climate-change-letter.html) .
** Longer commitments, personal
Mostly greens â Changing diets is fundamental to tackle several fronts of the climate crisis (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02409-7) . One fewer meal with meat on the plate is already effective. Going vegetarian or vegan, even more. (And, to be entirely honest, this meal plan to-save-the-planet (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/17/seeds-kale-red-meat-once-a-month-diet-save-the-world) proposed by the Norway-based think-tank Eat and the British journal the Lancet looks quite yummy.)
No-fly zone â Using public transportation, especially trains, instead of flying is the single most effective thing individuals can do to reduce their carbon emissions (https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/7/25/8881364/greta-thunberg-climate-change-flying-airline) . For example (https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-49349566) , a flight from London to Madrid produces around 256 kg of CO2 per passenger. The same trip by train produces one fifth: 43 kg per passenger. Also, you would not be alone: a lot of people are going flight free in 2020 (https://flightfree.co.uk/) .
** Longer commitments, together
Get a hobby: lobby â Lobbying works (https://sociology.stanford.edu/sites/g/files/sbiybj9501/f/publications/friends_or_foes-how_social_movement_allies_affect_the_passage_of_legislation_in_the_u._s._congress.pdf) . Oil companies invest massive amounts of energy into lobbying (https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/mar/22/top-oil-firms-spending-millions-lobbying-to-block-climate-change-policies-says-report) and citizens should do the same. If you are in the US, the Citizensâ Climate Lobby (https://citizensclimatelobby.org/) is doing great work and offers free training for everyone (https://citizensclimatelobby.org/new-member/#climateadvocatetraining) . For Europe, take a look at WeMove.EU (https://www.wemove.eu/) .
Office activism â 2019 was a great year for workplace activism, just look at the work done by theAmazon Employees for Climate Justice (https://qz.com/work/1712662/the-amazon-climate-pledge-is-a-victory-for-activist-employees/) or theeffects of the Google walkouts (https://qz.com/work/1703005/ceo-activism-has-given-way-to-employee-activism/) . Talk with colleagues and kick off a local sustainability chapter at your workplace. If you donât know where to start, pop in#proj-11at11 (https://app.slack.com/client/T4HLEQA3F/CNVL4T555) .
Finally, fellow CAT member James Singleton snatchedGreenResolution.org (http://greenresolution.org) and published there a document to help you create your own 2020 green resolution. Go write your own!
That said: happy new year and see you next time!
ð (By the way: if someone forwarded you this newsletter and canât access some of the links or simply if you are not part of the CAT Slack, you can join here (https://climateaction.tech/#join) . You can also subscribe to this newsletter here (http://eepurl.com/dJkPIj) .)
============================================================ ClimateAction.tech (https://climateaction.tech/) @climateActTech (https://twitter.com/climateActTech) @climateActTech (https://medium.com/@climateActTech) Email (mailto:hello@climateaction.tech) Copyright © |CURRENT_YEAR| |LIST:COMPANY|, All rights reserved. |IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE| |LIST:DESCRIPTION|
Our mailing address is: |LIST_ADDRESS| |END:IF|
Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences (|UPDATE_PROFILE|) or unsubscribe from this list (|UNSUB|) .
|IF:REWARDS| |REWARDS_TEXT| |END:IF|