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| Fellow volunteers at an organic farm in Washington, 2010 |
I chose "spreading the word" as the final theme for the Greener Year Challenge because it's a wonderful way to tie everything together. Individual actions are important because they help us make sense of the larger issues and align our actions with our ethics— but collective action is essential if we want to heal the hurts that the earth is currently experiencing.
Zero waste is wonderful, but not effective if it's totally inaccessible to most of the population. Using your own water bottle saves plastic, but if the groundwater is polluted there are bigger issues at hand. Gardening is great, but it's useless if acid rain is falling. We need to step back and look at the bigger issues: accessibility, pollution, ecosystem health, watershed health, local economy, and so on. This can be totally overwhelming when you just begin your journey, but, as always, there are ways to break it down into actionable steps.
Here are some ideas, no matter where you are in your journey.
BEGINNER:
Remember that doing something is better than doing nothing. Perfectionism is the enemy of getting anything done, and that includes being kinder to the planet. Can't give up your gas-guzzling commute? Start eating less conventionally-raised meat to make up for it. Frustrated that there is no "zero waste" shopping in your area? Buy something in glass instead of plastic. I repeat: Doing something is better than doing nothing!
Learn to listen. The older I get, the more I realize that I need to listen, because without listening, you can't understand. From an environmental perspective, it's especially important to listen to Indigenous peoples, people of color, people from the global South, and youth. White people love to think that we invented conservation, but indigenous peoples around the world have been interacting with and relying on the health of their ecosystem for thousands of years. In addition, in America, your skin color is the #1 factor in whether or not a toxic, polluting facility is built next to you. Environmental issues a matter of social justice as well. If you're unsure where to start, check out this overview of young activists of color making an impact.
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| Sorting blueberries: tasty and local! (Another organic farm in WA, 2010) |
Post about something eco-friendly on social media. Share an article that you found interesting, or post about something you're doing. You don't have to preach; just show the steps you're doing to improve, and maybe you'll inspire someone.
Give a zero-waste item to someone who doesn't have one. Tote bags, glass straws, water bottles, cloth napkins, and homemade beauty products all make great gifts.
Find someone to keep you accountable. It's much easier to make changes to your life if you have someone cheering you on. Find someone else who wants to change their habits, too, and go at it together.
Look for an eco-friendly event in your area. Earth Day is coming up next month, so see if your city has an Earth Day event, and plan to attend! What about trash clean-ups, invasive species removal, or other events? It's worth a look.
Sign petitions with the Sierra Club. One of this non-profit's projects is keeping an eye on legislation and notifying people when an issue comes up that requires petitions and signatures, such as a fracking ban bill in the Senate, rollbacks on environmental protections, and even letters to banks and investors asking to divest from fossil fuels. It's a quick and easy way to dip your toe into politics.
INTERMEDIATE:
Step up to change the status quo. Enough people started using reusable bags that it's socially-acceptable. Let's make it that way of carrying a coffee mug, asking for to-go food in your own containers, growing food in your front yard, installing solar panels, and walking instead of taking a car. The more of us there are, the more we can do!
Keep a blog or other public diary about what you're doing. Keeping a blog is a great tool for keeping yourself accountable! It can inspire other people to make changes in their lives, too. My greatest moments are when someone tells me, "I've started eating less meat" or "I began composting" because of my blog.
Share zero-waste items with your community. This can look like many different things: sewing totes or produce bags to share at the farmers market; creating a lending library of silverware and plates for large events; setting up a compost bin at your work; creating a "leave a cup, take a cup" station at a coffeehouse; buying groceries in bulk and distributing them to neighbors for cost; or dozens of other options. Be creative and think about how you can share the love!
Join or start a club of like-minded people. The best things happen in community, and the more you can get people to help you out, the better. See if there is an environmental group near you (try terms like "zero waste" or "eco friendly groups") and join up, and if there's not, put out the word that you'd like to start one! (St. Louis friends, check out MO Green Action.)
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| Volunteering on a trail project in Washington, 2017 |
Get a group of friends together to volunteer. A lot of people would be happy to clean up litter, distribute food to the needy, or make phone calls for an organization they believe in— but it can be hard to get motivated if it's just you. Troll around https://www.volunteermatch.org/ and see if anything speaks to you. Ask some friends if they'd like to volunteer together, and make it happen! (St. Louis friends, check out EarthDance Farms, which has regular volunteer days.)
Have a call-your-senator party. If you're like me, calling people causes anxiety, but it's easier when you have solidarity. Find some like-minded people, invite them over, and then everyone calls their representatives about an issue that matters to them. Then celebrate with some homemade sourdough bread!
Write companies to ask them to reduce their environmental impact. Whether that's arguing against a human rights violation, asking for greater transparency in the process, lobbying with a labor union, asking them to reduce packaging, or simply taking your business elsewhere, public opinion can sway companies in certain circumstances. Here's an example of what that can look like.
Share your skills. If you know how to bake bread, shop in bulk, decode meat labels, fix a bike, do taxes, or arrange flowers, offer that skill to someone else. The more we help each other out, the more skilled we'll all become (and the more energy we'll have to fight the good fight!). (Check out February's post for more ideas.)
ADVANCED:
Get involved in policy change in your city. Find out when and where your city council meets and start showing up. At public comments sections, talk about things that affect your city's environmental impact, such as zoning, walking and biking infrastructure, public transit, carbon emissions, municipal composting, and more. You (and some friends) can try to get specific policies passed (overturning a ban on front-yard gardens, banning plastic bags, securing funding for bike infrastructure, etc.), or petition your city to make an environmental resolution that details how the city is going to meet some sort of goal (for examples, see the city of Clayton's sustainability resolution). You can also talk personally with city council members, or run for office.
Lead community workshops. Do you have skills and want to share with more than just your friends? Find a public space and spread the word! Community centers, churches, and libraries are good places to start, although if the weather is nice you can always use a park as well.
Campaign for causes you care about. Find an issue that matters to you and thoroughly research it. But don't stop there— figure out what you can actually do to help. What's your issue— zero waste, Indigenous land sovereignty, regenerative agriculture, rainforest destruction, pollution, strip-mining, littering laws, municipal composting, saving a particular species/ecosystem? Throw all of your force into that, and give yourself permission to let some of the details slide. You'll likely be more effective if you're focused, and then everyone who is focused can share with others.
Devote a monthly stream of money to environmental causes. There are so many amazing groups doing good work, and you can amplify their efforts with a monthly donation. If everyone in the U.S. donated just one dollar a month to a non-profit they cared about, a lot of the organizations would be better funded. If you're unsure where to start, check out The Indigenous Environmental Network, The Sierra Club, The Land Institute, The Cornucopia Institute— and for my St. Louis friends, EarthDance Farms and Great Rivers Greenway.
Never stop learning. Pace yourself, but always keep reading, listening, studying, and letting your mind be changed about how to best serve the earth that we've been given. Your sense of focus will change over time, and that's totally okay. Never lock yourself into one perspective: be open to changing if you find a system or an idea that makes more sense for you. The important thing is to keep trying. We're all in this together!
Which of these challenges would you like to take on this month? What would you add to the list?
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Previous posts in this series:
Celebrate Sensibly (December)
Cultivate Skills (January)
Share Resources (February)
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