Let's be ecologically responsible.

 I want to live on this planet for several more decades. I assume my friends and their kids and my kids when I have them, and their kids, and all those other kids on the other side of the world do too. I'd appreciate it if our elected officials didn't vote against my and your own self interest when it comes to creating a biosphere that allows us to breathe, and eat and drink clean water. Those other animals and trees some people say they don't care about pollinate your food, keep diseases in check, make people happier when they see them, combat anxiety, protect against flooding and storm surges, provide shelter, inspiration, and filter water. And without these things, you can't have the energy that powers your home, the bricks or lumber that built your house or the textiles that clothe you. Don't act like you don't care. If you don't care about those things, you can't survive.

400 ppm (from My Blogger Blog)

Sunday, May 12, 2013

400 ppm

This week, the Mauna Loa Observatory reported an incredibly terrifying measurement; we are now living at a time where the carbon dioxide levels have reached 400 ppm.  This means of course that we are failing at curving or addressing climate change.  Our world has not experienced this level of CO2 concentration in a very long time. 

Of course, if you were to look outside, life seems ok in America. People are blissfully going about their day. Where I am today, the sun is shining and the birds are chirping. Most people didn't pay attention to this noteworthy piece of news.  And yet, I am personally dismayed and confused.  I want to quit my job and do something directly related to inspiring climate action, and simultaneously push to start a climate adaptation company, because i'm losing faith in our ability to get anything big done without a lot of people having to significantly adjust their lifestyles due to the coming consequences.  AND get everyone else on the planet to do so too. 

Every second that we spend not working on climate action is another second wasted. But, I don't know what to do: the rest of the world depends on money.  I have to pay my rent. I have to pay my student loans. I have to pay my credit cards. I can't just quit and leave.  I'm sure other people are in the same situation, and many have it worse. 

Maybe the problem is too big?  Maybe the words we've been using are inaccessible to most people?  Climate change is so polarized now that people shut off as soon as they realize they are talking about it.  and, what's worse, we haven't successfully and collectively succeeded in getting just one ask, or breaking it into pieces to get one ask for all the several different elements that are linked into a climate system. 

I know a lot of people have put a great deal of thought into how we can get the most people to participate without getting everyone on the planet to participate.  I really do think Amory Lovin's book Reinventing Fire is one roadmap that we could follow.  Sandalow also put some thought into a wedge technology theory many years ago.

we need action and we need it now, or a lot of people will be more than just "inconvenienced" - a lot of people are going to become sick, ill, impoverished, or displaced, or worse.*  There's no one to blame for this situation but ourselves.  I'm willing to take my share of the blame.  Are you?




(*This is what I mean: sick when disease vectors change and bugs carrying diseases start to flourish in new areas, ill when heat waves last for days and not enough water is available due to the drought, impoverished when they can't pay the insurance they'll need on their homes because they are in flood plains or near large brush fires, displaced when they can't drink the water on their islands, and then have to go live in an entirely new country which is the reality for those in lowlying islands and spaces, like the Maldives, the Mariana Islands, Manhattan, the Netherlands, worse when natural disasters strike and many casualties are lost due to the increase in intensity of storms)

Baseline - My Introduction to Blogging (in 2009)

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Baseline 1: An Introduction

I've been thinking a lot about walking the walk. I do my best to make better decisions about my daily lifestyle but if I'm finding it difficult, and at times I do, and I have been studying and working in environmental policy, design, energy use, sustainability and development for almost 8 years, and if I can't walk the walk, how can I expect anyone else in society to do the same?

This blog came about after much debate with myself about what could provide actual assistance and insight into the daily questions most consumers are facing: what is happening to our planet? (if anything) and what can I do about it? What does it mean to be green? Who should I trust? How do I make better decisions? So with that, I figured maybe it might be useful to share the knowledge that I've gained in the hope that perhaps it might help someone else, or at the very least provide me with a slightly cathardic way to gather and organize my thoughts on the highly philosophical and the everyday.

So, first a bit about me. What do I know anyway? Well, I have 2 Environmental Policy degrees, essentially. Climate change and the geopolitics of energy have been my primary focus. As an undergraduate (in Ann Arbor) I studied political science, organizational theory and environmental studies, including energy systems and natural resource history. So my first degree was actually a BA in Political Science with a minor in what we called the PITE program, program in the environment. Since graduate school was always on my radar, I decided to forgo law school to attend a new MPA program offered at Columbia University, specializing in Environmental Science and Policy. The goal of the program was to train environmental policy specialists who also understand the scientific challenges we're facing, since many times, politics forgets the practicality of science in favor of well - politics. 

As an undergrad, I attended a few leadership programs, one of which asked the all important and often overlooked question: what do you care about? (as a sidenote, if you've never asked yourself this question, it might be time; you could end up finding out what you really want out of life- ok enough sidenote) As it happens it was at this particular retreat that I identified my desire to help create a society that integrates sustainable thinking into its everyday, but more than that, I want to live in a world where people respect each other and the planet and automatically participate in pro-environmental behavior the same way they would brush their teeth in the morning or buy a cup of coffee. And I've always wondered why some people really seem not to care about what they do to the planet - or think about the impact that they have - ever. 

After I left grad school, I worked for the advertising council for a short consultancy, and then worked for a carbon offset organization. A non-profit that helped businesses and invididuals invest in carbon offset opportunities, like renewable energy, reforestation or energy efficiency. (We'll get to carbon offsets one day and the challenges of the market.) Then, there was a short stint working on a campaign and a current position working for a large non-profit's new environmental business. I've also had a few interesting internships where I have been priveledged to be in the room with some facinating people, experts, entrepreneurs, politicians. And lucky enough to talk with them about issues. 

Anyway - long story short. I've been really lucky, had fantastic educational opportunities, and had the chance to have incredible discussions about these issues. But I'm just an average girl, trying to live my life. (oh and not that it matters, but I've been working since I was 12 and I put myself through school) The point is, not about what's happened to me, but that I know everyone does not get the chances that I've gotten so why shouldn't I share what I know? It would make everyone better off. Why should you have to spend the money or take on the debt that I have, for the knowledge that I've gained? It's a better use of my investment to share, and works out better for you too. Win-Win. 

So with that, I'll start by systematically going through different aspects of my life, the necessary: food, shelter, basic clothes, transportation and the extras: stuff I want but don't need, like electronics, girly indulgences, books, etc. . . and see what I have done to take better steps toward this bigger vision, and where I'm still lacking. After all, I'm only human too. Also, one big thing to remember about this exercise and pretty much anything anyone tells you about making decisions when it comes to the environment. Everything is a tradeoff. As a species humans are inherently distructive, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but is something to note. It's hard for us to wrap our heads around global issues. (One day I'll find a few articles to link to about heuristics.) And we destroy to create. Rarely do we restore. And only recently have we begun to ask ourselves how we could. So, although one environmental product or change might have a better impact on X issue, it still might not be perfect for every other issue too. Just something to keep in mind. 

Also - nothing is good or bad. An SUV is not a bad thing. But the way that we make them today doesn't necessarily provide for the best health impacts on the planet. There could be better designs integrated into it. Oil is not a bad thing. Oil brings us energy, and has supported the growth of many societies the world over. But just because it seemed to be the solution for some societies, who I might add did not know what we know today about the after impacts on the atmosphere of burning expansive quantities, does not mean it should be the only way to move forward. Again, a topic for another day. 

My final thought for today's post is that many things we make today have their issues. Our populations exponentially impact our decisions. And we need to start asking more questions about the things we buy. Like, where was this made? And what's it made out of? And how do they do that? And the reason you should care is because the planet that we're on is changing. And if you like the air to be clean, and the water you drink to be clean, and the trees you see to be green, or that you see trees at all, I ask that you start to consider it. I am.