Help Save the Planet One Day at a Time

I realize that climate change is a very unpopular subject for many, but the recent floods in Germany put it back on the front page where it belongs.  We can't keep putting our heads in the sand. This is real. It is not going away and it's going to get much worse.  Scientists are alarmed at how quickly this is happening, much quicker than anyone projected.  We will all be affected at some point. Our insurance rates will reflect the new reality if they have not already.  Gas prices. 

So how can we help?  We all need to start thinking about our actions, making decisions that in their own little way can help mitigate the onslaught of severe weather, droughts, fires, more pandemics.

1) Grow your own food or buy local

Supporting factory farming (which is huge polluter any way you look at it) is making climate change worse.  Start shopping at your local farmers' markets, buy from local vendors, not Walmart or grow your own food.  Eat less meat and poultry. 

2) Walk and bike more, drive less

I put less than 5000 miles a year on my car.  If you  live in the city walk instead of taking public transportation.  Most of us could lose weight anyway. If you must drive plan your trips so you take 1-2 trips to the store, not 3-4. Buy a bike. Don't drive if you don't need to and if you are planning to buy a new car, think electric or hybrid if you can.

3) Donate used clothing to a local thrift shop and buy secondhand

We all buy more than we need. I am very guilty here.  Stop buying stuff you don't need and take the stuff you don't need anymore and donate it.  When you do need something buy used.  I shop Poshmark regularly.  Thriftbooks for books (far cheaper than Abe or Amazon). Think about your purchases. Do I really need this?

4) Quit shopping at stores that just pollute

Dollar Stores?  Quit buying in small quantities that just create more plastic to pollute.  Why do we have to buy hundreds of bottles of bottled water?  What happens to all of those billions of plastic bottles.  They end up in landfills.  A huge polluter of methane gas - landfills. Use tap water and filter it.  Do we need all that cheap Made in China stuff that we end up throwing away?  No.We.Do.Not.  

5) Cut the AC off and the lights

I have yet to turn on my AC in the downstairs of my house. It is hot, yes. But I am saving a lot of money. Turn the lights off. If you are not in a room why are you leaving the lights on?  Why?  Use fans instead and burn candles for a romantic evening with no lights.   Turn your computer off if you are not using it and the printer.

Little stuff?  Yes.  But everything we can do to save our planet is worth it.  Think about it.... Life for the next generation is going to be VERY different from what we all knew.  Extreme weather. Hot. Cold. Storms like the one that hit Germany.  Earthquakes in areas that are not known for them.  Extreme drought. Some areas will run out of water - Arizona, parts of California, Nevada.  Yes. It is happening already.

Here are some of the top books picked by experts on climate change. Knowledge is power.

While we all sit home, the oceans are warming, coral reefs are disappearing, entire species of animals will die when their habitat gets too hot or cold. The ramifications of all of this is massive and it will affect all of us.  Every.single.one.