Last week I received a CNN alert that head of the EPA, Scott Pruitt, is pulling out of the Clean Power Plan, which is aimed at reducing carbon pollution from power plants. As someone that enjoys breathing clean air, this was extremely alarming – especially on the heels of the rollback of countless environmental regulations and the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord.
It’s easy to feel helpless when things like this happen. But I’ve decided that I can no longer sit around and be passive, it’s time to act. From here on out, I am going to do everything in my power to be more environmentally responsible and make my voice heard. I know I am one person, and the challenges in front of us seem insurmountable. But if I can really commit to making lasting changes in how I consume resources, and possibly convince a few people to join me, than it’s worth a shot.
Besides being a serial killer of houseplants, I have always thought that I was a pretty environmentally responsible person. I recycle, I carry reusable bags, I drive a hybrid – I’m all set, right? Turns out, I’m a complete eco idiot. I’ve been doing some research over the past few months on how to improve and it’s pretty overwhelming. Here are my main takeaways:
1. Climate change is effing scary
I have always believed in climate change but never thought too much about it, thinking it wouldn’t affect humans for hundreds of years. But having three record-breaking hurricanes in one month was an eye opener. As I write this, there are wildfires tearing through Northern California, there are thousands of people without power in Puerto Rico, and people in Houston, Florida and the Caribbean are working to rebuild their homes that were destroyed by hurricanes. We have been warned that warmer global temperatures cause storms to be stronger, and now we’re seeing it for ourselves. Being a witness to the effects of climate change in my lifetime fills me with dread thinking about the world my son will inherit. Boston.com recently mapped out landmarks in Boston and showed how various degrees of sea level rise will affect the city. Guess I won’t buy that waterfront piece of property in Back Bay, after all.
2. Plastic is basically evil
This one shouldn’t have been such a surprise. We’ve all seen images of turtles caught in plastic rings and we know that some plastic contains BPA (not that I could tell you what that was). But besides that, I really didn’t know much. What I didn’t realize is that plastic last for hundreds of years – that means that every piece of plastic that was ever created still exists. And when it breaks down into turns into smaller pieces called microplastics, which wreak havoc on wildlife and can contaminate our water supply.
And the biggest surprise was to find out that every major ocean has a “garbage patch,” where tons of garbage has come together in a large mass due to ocean currents. In the case of the Pacific Ocean, it is twice the size of Texas. What?!
3. Our culture is built on consumption
I recently watched the movie The Founder about the rise of the McDonalds franchise and was struck by just how much it changed our culture. One of their innovative ideas was to do away with plates and silverware and instead have food packaged in disposable wrappers and bags. Disposable food packaging is now so commonplace; it hadn’t even occurred to me that it wasn’t always like that. I’m ashamed to say that there are days that I’ve gotten a Starbucks coffee in the morning, grabbed lunch “to go,” indulged in an afternoon ice coffee and gotten takeout for dinner. It’s also entirely possible that during that day, I placed an order on Amazon, gone to CVS and ended up with $40 worth of things I might not even need. All of those actions result in disposable packaging, bags, straws, etc. Not to mention the constant cycle of buying new clothes, shoes, bags, baby gear, etc. It has become so seamless to consume, that we might not even realize we’re doing it, or what impact it has. We get an idea in our head, a couple seconds later we’ve ordered something on our phone and its on our doorstep two days later. I have spent a lot of time wondering how people survived before Amazon Prime.
4. Recycling is not the answer
We’ve all been taught the holy trinity of living eco friendly – reduce, reuse and recycle. Most items are clearly marked if they are recyclable, and recycle bins are pretty commonplace in public areas and offices. However, only a fraction of all plastic is recycled. And many times, it is downcycled which means that it is broken down and made into another material that can never be recycled into anything else.
I have always been a fervent recycler – I even recently sorted trash at a conference. After doing so, I was quite smug and gave myself a gold star for the day. It turns out that this feeling is pretty common – recycling promotes a positive feeling, but this could actually lead you to consume more. There is the false perception that recycling is a way of hitting “undo” and that recycled item no longer exists. The reality is that recycling is really expensive, and there are currently debates circling around whether recycling programs are worth it given that many companies are reporting losses.
So what the heck do we do?
Well first, try not to get consumed with stress and despair. Here is how I think we can start to make an impact:
- Live more sustainably
- Organize and be vocal
- Learn more and discuss with others
I recently was lucky to attend a talk by Seth Godin, who is one of my favorite authors. Before he got on stage, he was introduced by someone who had recently published their first book. Seth had graciously offered to review the draft and write a blurb for the jacket. In his email correspondence with the author, he ended it with “go make your ruckus.” That really spoke to me, and that’s what I’ll be trying to do here. I’ll be working to educate myself, join local organizations and make changes to my lifestyle. Time to make a ruckus.
Sources:
https://plasticpollutioncoalition.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/222813127-Why-is-plastic-harmful-
http://garbagepatch.net/greatpacificoceangarbagepatchfacts/
eco chick 
Love this! You’re so inspiring!
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Thank you, Mrs. Wood!
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Do you have a follow button?
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Good idea – just added! Thx Lauren!
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