Hopelessness is the New Climate Denial
+ Four MAJOR climate solutions to get excite about!
“Hopelessness - the idea of giving up - is the new climate denial!”
- Helen Mountford, Vice President for Climate & Economics
When I heard this on BBC’s podcast The Climate Question this morning, I thought to myself — YEESSSS!!
Sure, COP26 left many of us frustrated, and the fight for a climate-just world continues. But the one thing we cannot afford is to give up on hope.
As we continue to pressure people in power to set even more ambitious and ever clearer goals to keep the 1.5-degree target alive (or as Christina Figueres wants to rephrase - “Not just alive, but in vigorous good health!”), we need to not forget about all the solutions we can activate and fuel — right now!
We’re approaching a season with lots of dinners and mingle so what better time to drop some climate awareness? The holiday season brings many opportunities to start conversations and spark positive action — both in how we choose to gift (and more on how to think consciously about your holiday shopping in this episode) and in conversations with friends, colleagues, and family. Bring something new to the mix this year and try getting people excited about climate solutions!
Here are four categories with climate solutions — which one excites you the most?
**Next week I’ll be sharing some tips on how to have conversations that inspire hope and action, instead of triggering denial and fear.
1) Save the Soil
Carbon is not the problem, carbon just happens to currently be gravely misplaced. It belongs in the ground, not in the atmosphere, and one of the best ways to restore this balance is by sequestering carbon back into the soil.
Due to decades of unsustainable agriculture practices, our soil today is highly degraded, to a point where it barely holds any life at all. Because of it, we’re experiencing both droughts and floods and with yields that produce less and less nutrients. By saving our soils and bringing them back to the vibrant eco-systems they’re supposed to be, we can produce MORE and healthier foods — AND help fight climate change.
Healthy soil feasts on carbon and with regenerative agriculture practices, we can stabilize the carbon cycle that once was!
Want to learn more? Here are two amazing films on the topic:
Gift Ideas:
Look for foods and brands that are investing in regenerative agricultural practices. A personal favorite is Sheep Included — I can highly recommend one of their carbon-neutral sweaters for your loved one!
2) Eliminate Your Food Waste
If food waste was its own country, it would be the third-largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world! Woot - How can that be?!
Here’s why: when foods end up in landfills, it doesn’t get the oxygen it needs to naturally decompose. Instead, it sits there and emits methane — a greenhouse gas with 80 times more warming power than CO2!
And the amount of food that ends up in landfills is astounding! Globally, we waste about 1.4 billion tons of food every year! Eliminating your personal food waste is a HUGE step in our fight against climate change.
Here are five tips for getting started right now:
Shop your fridge before you shop the store. Make sure you don’t buy what you already have and try to work around your foods at home for creating delicious dishes before they go bad!
Plan your meals and only buy what you really need. Also, stay aware of “deals”. A three-for-two deal is not a deal if you end up throwing out stuff that’s gone bad.
Use it all! You’d be surprised how much you can eat of a vegetable if you’re down to experiment some! I personally love adding things like broccoli stalks and cauliflower leaves to a stir fry — both yummy and nutritious. You can also save scraps like onion peel and veggie stalks in the freezer to make your own vegetable stock.
Compost your food scraps. This is my favorite eco-hack because it’s so fun and empowering! Once you start composting your food, you insert yourself back into the cycle of life. You get to witness how “waste” becomes something meaningful again and you get to be part of that solution!
You can create your own compost if you have a garden, find a local compost drop-off online, or invest in one of these fancy food cyclers that let you create your own fertilizer right in your own home!
Buy imperfect foods! So many perfectly fine foods, but that may look a little “different“ on the surface, get thrown away. And to what cost? People go hungry and our climate is getting worse, and all we have to do is accept imperfection and say yes to all veggies, big and small!
Subscribe to delivery services like Imperfect Foods and you can help fight this issue!
3) Retrofit Your Home
Do you own a home? Congrats - you hold tremendous power in helping fuel the climate revolution! Buildings and houses are big climate prowlers and come with huge opportunities for upgrades and improvements — both for the environment and your everyday life. And you don’t have to build a new home to be eco. In fact, retrofitting your existing home is the way to go!
“Residential and commercial buildings alone accounted for about 39% of total energy consumption last year in the U.S., according to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, and a recent report from the UN found that 65% of projected building stock expected worldwide in 2060 has already been built. Do the math and the answer is clear: We need to act to improve existing structures–and quickly.”
I know it can be tempting to look at the decorative aspects first, but no sustainable kitchen sponge in the world will make up for the impact you can make if you start from the ground up. Ensuring an energy-efficient building envelope with upgraded insulation, windows, and heating units, as well as transitioning to green electricity such as solar and wind, will earn you the title of a true climate hero!
4) Join the New Trends of Fashion
Let’s face it — vintage is IN, and for a good reason! The fashion industry is claimed to be the second dirtiest industry in the world and the environmental impact of fast fashion is horrendous.
“The definition of fast fashion is ‘cheap, trendy clothing that samples ideas from the catwalk or celebrity culture and turns them into garments in high street stores at breakneck speed to meet consumer demand.’”
And there’s a lot of it!
“92 million tonnes of textile waste is created each year, worldwide. By 2030, we are expected to discard more than 134 million tonnes of textiles per year. 95% of these textiles could be reused and recycled, but due to the model of fast fashion, this isn’t encouraged.”
Outraged? Good - now let’s put an end to this!
Here are three tips for lowering your fashion footprint today:
Let it circulate! Allow for past-loved items to find new life by passing them on, either through gifting or resale. Something fun thing to do (and a perfect holiday activity) is to host a clothing swap party with friends. Fall in love with each other’s clothes over small bites and cocktails!
Buy second-hand. Yes, there are gems out there just waiting to be loved again. Lots of them! And why not pay lesser for something used while at the same time lowering your fashion footprint? Check out online stores like ThredUP and The RealReal or hit up one of your local vintage stoors and make it a day - vintage shopping is a lot of fun!
Consider renting! For those special occasions, or as a monthly subscription if you’re one of those who love a constant flow of new clothes, consider renting instead! Sites like Rent The Runway, Nuuly, or Armoire.
Happening this week:
I’m one of the co-signers of this letter demanding fashion brands to eliminate deforestation from their leather supply chains! Take action here and help spread the word by engaging in this post!
I’m also heading down to DC (by train - let’s be climate smart!) to attend the opening ceremony of We Don’t Have Time’s US office. Very excited, will be sharing more next week!