I’m still waiting for the NY Times to abandon using fossil fuels to gather, create, and distribute their version of the news, particularly the paper editions. And turn the heat down to 60 during the cold weather. And only use solar and wind for their giant building
New Year’s Resolutions for the Planet
I finally want to join a climate action group. Lisa Burghardt, Germany
- I plan on planting 50 trees in my childhood home in Croix-Des-Bouquets, Haiti, this coming year. Josette Teneus, Massachusetts
- My next vehicle purchase will be an electric car. Jamie Wertz, Virginia
Those are three that start out this piece. I’m wondering if Josetta plans on taking a fossil fueled trip to Haiti to plant them, or just paying Someone Else to do the work? And seriously, is joining a group actually Doing Something?
In December, we asked the readers of our newsletter Climate Fwd: and our Twitter followers what they were planning on doing differently in 2021. We got some amazing responses. If you’re thinking of making a “green†New Year’s resolution, here are a few ideas, collected from those replies.
Get involved in your community.
Self-improvement is a classic theme of New Year’s resolutions. But to improve the planet, collective action is important. And the best thing you can do is get involved. At the national and state level, that means voting, for starters. And locally, it means helping to make changes in your community: in schools, in local groups or at the town hall.
And people wrote
- My goal this year is to WRITE MY LEGISLATORS!!! This is an important year to help influence policy.
- Engage with local educators and support curricula that broaden awareness of climate change and its mitigation.
- Writing letters for the Sierra Club to support climate change legislation and candidates who are committed to working on climate change.
- Spread awareness to everyone I meet about the harmful effects of animal products on our climate, which requires collective change starting from us.
So, not doing a damned thing to change your own life?
Travel differently. (Or just less.)
Transportation is a big part of nearly everyone’s carbon footprint, whether it’s the daily commute or that vacation flight. Personal and commercial transportation is the United States’ biggest contributor to greenhouse gases, at about 28 percent of the total.
Says the company which uses lots of fossil fuels and has a, get this, travel section.
- Exploring the options of traveling by ship to replace planes.
- I bought myself a bike light on Black Friday so I can bike and walk more often.
- I resolve not to travel, by air, for pleasure only, in the coming years.
Buying the bike is nice, but, like the other three it is only a pledge, not really an action. “Exploring”. “In the coming years.” So, not right now.
There are two more sections, one on electricity and little things at home, and no one is offering to really do anything substantial, and no one is saying they are doing these things now. Surprise?
