Individual Impacts

When you hear the phrase “the climate crisis” everything seems so daunting.

There is too much going on at once. Mass extinction, air pollution, changes in weather

patterns, wildlife, rising sea levels, the list goes on and on. It can start to seem like

nothing can be done. And while the root cause of this global disaster comes from years

of large companies polluting the environment, there are still things you can do as an

individual to help reverse or slow the effects of the climate crisis.

First, start small.

Work on changing the way you and your family live. Start

denying a straw at a restaurant. Start eating vegetarian one day, or even one meal of

that is all you are comfortable with, a week. Start bringing bags to the supermarket

instead of getting new ones every time you go. Invest in reusable cloth masks instead of

using disposable ones. The more and more you incorporate these things into your life,

the more you will get comfortable with them. Soon it will be second nature to bring your

reusable cup to Starbucks or throw your food scraps into the compost instead of just

dumping them in the trash. Additionally, being more green doesn’t mean you have to

spend more green. While at first, it may seem like metal straws and water bottles cost

wayyyy more than you are used to, it will pay off in the long run by saving you money

from future purchases. Once you are ready, you can move on to the next step, which is

expanding your circle to include friends and extended family.

Using the way you helped change your immediate family, you can make Zoom

calls with your relatives, facetime calls to your friends, or WhatsApp video calls to your

grandparents and talk to them about what you just learned. Teach them how they too

can focus on using less waste and lowering their carbon footprint. Learning together is

always more fun than earning alone, so make it into a contest! See who can use the

least plastic in one week, or who turned off the lights when they left the room the most.

Soon, just as before, both you and the people in this circle will grow accustomed to

being green in their everyday lives. And when you are ready, you can move on to the

third step.

Next, you can start to inform your community.

Participate in the environmental club at your school, educate yourself about specific environmental policies that the city leaders are planning on reviewing, anything that you think will make an impact on your specific area. You know your community the best, so do what you can to educate your community while staying safe due to the pandemic.

Lastly, one very important thing you can do on a state and national level is call and write to your local legislators, governors, and anyone in a position of power.

They were elected to serve the people, and they will take your stance into account.

Additionally, you don’t need to go through this whole list. If just helping your

family reduce their carbon footprint is all you can handle right now, that is absolutely

amazing.

Remember, your voice is never too small to make a difference.

Take Greta Thunberg, the face of the youth climate justice movement. She started by sitting alone

in front of the Swedish Parliament building and ended up speaking many times at the

United Nations Climate Conference of Parties. While that may not seem like something

you want to do, because, let’s face it, not everyone loves public speaking, you can use

your voice to help your community, your friends, your family, and most importantly,

yourself.