After watching the film Before The Flood (2016) by Fisher Stevens and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, my “go-green activism” urge was set to full-throttle on the issue of the climate crisis.
At the end of this film, like most documentaries on social-political issues, it ends on a call-to-action. Where it asks the viewers of the film to use the newfound information that they were just given and DO something about it. Pretty simple, right?
Well, it’s probably not a surprise that climate change can’t be fixed by one individual doing the most. You can try, and try, but no matter how many bottles you recycle or pieces of clothing you hang-dry, it won’t be enough from just you, as the lone individual. I’m sorry to say…
It’s probably not a surprise to you either that the United States is one of the biggest contributors to climate change, whether it be from the carbon-dioxide emissions, methane emissions, or the general waste/over-consumption of goods like clothing, electronics, utilities, and more.
Generally speaking, big country equals big waste of essential goods.
But, why is it that China, another big country, is making the switch to renewable energy and the U.S. is just sitting across the pond, twiddling it’s thumbs?!
It’s ridiculous, and apparently because politicians are so much smarter than the scientists with the actual academic credentials, we don’t end up doing anything about the climate crisis due to funding or votes. (Which isn’t a complete lie, but not a good enough excuse to be dragging our feet as one of the biggest countries in the world, power and size wise).
All the people, with minimal credit to their names, spewing wrongfully-assumed information about the “facts” of climate science on the television just to get views and reinforce the population that got manipulated and taken advantage of because they honestly don’t know who or what to believe. They don’t understand it, and it’s honestly not completely their fault.
But, it’s time to think for yourself. There is no red or blue issues outside of the shores of this expansive country. Just survival amongst others. So, why are you making a green problem into something it’s not?!
You want the facts? Listen. To everything. To both sides. To the people who use their time and effort to study the Earth, and those same people are here to tell us what is going wrong or right. Not the news reporters. Not the politicians. No one except the people who are supposed to understand this irregular behavior.
You wouldn’t expect a party-clown that you hired for your son’s birthday to be an expert on which investment firm is the best “bang-for-your-buck”, so why are you expecting so much out of the people we put in power to know the in’s-and-out’s of climate science?!
I’m going to ask you, as an individual,
Do you enjoy going outside to get your lungs full of fresh air?
Do you like going to the zoo, and seeing all the animals that aren’t native to your home trotting around?
Do you enjoy taking your kids to the park, and seeing them run around in fresh green grass?
Do you like being able to swim in the ocean on vacation?
If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, that’s amazing. You’re human.
You appreciate what the Earth has to offer us, as inhabitants only. You can appreciate the bounties & benefits of spending time outdoors with family, and friends. You enjoy the place in which we all live and share with others. And that’s great!
But, right now, that same outdoors that you love so much, that you continually explore and adventure in your leisurely time, it needs your help.
The elements of the Earth cannot talk, but we know they are there. The air we breath, the water we drink, the fire we warm to, the electricity we use, the dirt we grow from. It’s all there, for us to use freely.
But, with all that free use, we have been selfish. We have taken and done too much, creating more of a mess than we consume.
And those elements on the Earth? They cannot talk, like I said. But, they can show us how they feel instead.
By melting the polar ice caps, by providing an abnormal flash rainstorm, by starting untameable fires. The world is screaming with all of it’s voice, and it needs our help.
Every individual has a voice. And luckily, every American has a right to use their voice. For good, or bad.
I’m using my voice right now to type out these strings of words to make a vision appear in your brain, and to make you think about what each of these words mean.
So, I ask you, I beg you even, to consider using your voice for good to protect the Earth we all share.
Some aspects of climate change cannot be changed, I understand that, and so should you. But there is still time to slow or reduce the impact of some changes if we act now, as a group.
One thing you are taught when you are young is this: Make sure to take good care of your things and they’ll last.
The same concept applies to the Earth we inhabit.
It is not just ours to make dirty and to tear apart, inside and out.
Past generations may not have understood that, and that’s how we were left with the mess of so many others before us.
It’s sad, and it shouldn’t be this way. But it is. It’s our home, and it’s our responsibility to maintain it if we want our futures to flourish.
So please, if you cannot think for yourself, think of those who will come after you. Do you really want to leave a messier world to the ones that come along later? Your friends, your children, their children, and so on? Do you want them to live in a world lessened by your existence?!
If the answer is no, and I sure hope it is, then I’ve got a favor to ask of you.
I need you to act.
I need you to take accountability for yourself and those before you who did not. I need you to work. Not for me, not for anyone else, but for her. Mother Earth.
If you are ready to do what you must for the future, then here is the first step:
Contact your State Senators
For those in the United States, this task should be easy. If you are located in a different country, contact your highest ranking official office.
And you might be thinking, “She said it wasn’t a political matter!?”, To which you are right to question. But, as a united country, no groundbreaking actions get done without the approval of many.
So, that being said, you need to raise awareness of the dire-state of our planet by going to the highest official in-power that you can. In this case, that being the Senators of the U.S.
There are two ways to send them your concerns:
Number 1:
Electronically sign & send this petition letter to your state senators.
Through Resistbot, you can simply text a code to the provided number, get asked a few short questions, and they’ll submit an electronic letter to your state senators for you. Easy as a text convo between you and your electronically challenge parents.
So, to sign the petition letter “Climate Change is HERE”, created by yours-truly, this is what you need to do:
Text SIGN PAZLXE to 50409
If you’d like to read the full letter before signing, you can use this link here to read all about it!
If you need some encouragement to be rebellious or just use your voice, you can see my electronic John-Hancock on the picture here.→
This is not a scam to get you information, or to get money out of you. This is a legit, and FREE, service that sends these letters out to officials in office. You’ll even receive a response letter back, in most cases, from the senator you sent it to!
To address Resistbot’s privacy policy, visit the link here for details.
Number 2:
If you are into old-fashion manual emails, handwritten letters, or phone calls, here’s how to find and get in contact with your state senators:
Simply search, “*your state* senators” in your search engine.
In the search results, it should bring up each individual senator’s website. Start there!
Next, find the “Contact” page of their website:
They’ll provide many options for you to pick from, because despite what you may think, they actually do want to get in-contact with the people who they are serving. (most of the time!)
Next you’ll need to write your letter or call their office. Below I’ll provide a template letter for you to fill out, or get creative and make it your own!
Then finally, make sure to send it out! And make sure to repeat the process for all of your state senators!
If you have decided that this method is too much effort, which I can completely understand, go back to the first method and get it done in a few clicks on your phone!
Not a political advocate? Do this instead:
Use your money as your vote, and make conscious everyday decisions that will help the environment, and stop hurting it.
Big corporations only care about the transfer of cash for goods, and getting the most for the least amount of costs is the name of the game.
Brand loyalty is also a major factor in big corporations not being punished for their environmental impacts.
Challenge yourself to question each and every item you pick up at the grocery store, or even when online shopping.
- Is it packaged with glass, metal, or plastic?
- What are the safety seal materials made of?
- Will this product last?
- Could there be a more eco-friendly option to consider?
- Could you get the same thing in less plastic packaging if you bought it fresh or in-bulk?
- Can you recycle the packaging materials?
- Could it be biodegradable or compostable?
- What is this product made of?
- Do I really need to buy this? Is this just an impulse or trendy buy?
Don’t allow major corporations to continually take your money for stuff you could purchase in a more sustainable way!
Instead of buying cases of bottled water or your favorite soda, opt for aluminum cans or reusable containers to drink from.
Making those small adjustments to your consumption habits will add up, and will show the big companies that we are tired of all the waste they help contribute to every second of the day.
Heck, even write to your favorite food companies asking for better packaging! Nothing can be done if no one speaks up about it!
The world can’t be changed in a day, but those small changes do add up… I promise.
Use your voice, your time, your money, or your innovations to alter how waste is produced in today’s world.
If we want the planet to last for those beyond our lifetime, we need to treat the planet with the respect she deserves. If not, she will continue to take away the life she has so graciously given to us humans.
Do your part. Be humble. Be kind to the Earth and others. It’s that simple.
What is a form of eco-friendly advocacy that you participate in / or would like to participate in in the future? Respond below in the comments! Read and learn from others while you’re down there… 😉
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