30 days of climate action now (holiday edition)

Welcome to the 30 days of climate action now challenge, holiday edition. Keep reading — this is not one of those trite bullsh*t “shorten your shower” challenges!

vigna

Dec 2, 2024 - 15:54

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30 days of climate action now (holiday edition)

Welcome to the 30 days of climate action now challenge, holiday edition.

Keep reading — this is not one of those trite bullsh*t “shorten your shower” challenges!

Because by now, we know the very baseline tasks we ought to do to conserve energy on the daily. What we also need to realize is that small changes don’t move the needle on the climate catastrophe.

Unplugging your phone charger when it’s not in use is great… but that’s not what will help during a climate crisis. Having a resilient food system, good community around you, and a strong hatred for the corporations actually causing climate change will help.

So rather than another list filled with tips like “use eco-friendly wrapping paper!!”, we’re going to think bigger in this 30 day climate action challenge, We’ll focus on the actions that have the biggest impact on our personal carbon footprints as well as ones that begin to build joyful, climate-positive community outside of the mainstream extractive, capital-driven systems.

Sound like a challenge? It definitely is, but I think we’re up for it.

Ready?

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???? Climate Action Now Challenge

#16: Arm yourself with talking points
#17: Share your stellar eco-book recommendation
#18: Consider a no-spend challenge
#19: Support a mutual aid fund
#20: Get to know your neighbors
#21: Support a local business
Day 22
Day 23
Day 24
Day 25
Day 26
Day 27
Day 28
Day 29
Day 30

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#1: Weigh your travel decisions (in CO2)

Holiday time often means travel, whether it’s seeing family or taking a much-needed break from your daily routine. That sort of travel almost always necessitates using fossil fuels no matter if you’re driving, flying, or taking some sort of public transport. What better gift to give the planet than emitting as little carbon on your travels as possible?

Dig deeper: Which form of transport has the smallest carbon footprint?

Of course we can’t be robotic automotons that only consider carbon footprint as we make our travel plans! Schedule, budget, and access to travel options all impact our lives. Still, by calculating out the carbon emissions of each means of travel is a great way to incorporate CO2 emissions into your final decision. (Note: don’t consider these amounts exact, but a decent approximation!)

Today’s action: calculate your holiday travel emissions using the calculator linked below. You might be surprised at the results. CALCULATE

#2: Plan for waste-free gatherings

Regardless of what or how you celebrate, the end of the year can be a minefield of hedonistic wastefulness. From gatherings with far too much food to gifts bought for the sake of having them, we've been trained to match celebration with consumption.

Fight against the impulse! Begin by mentally auditing the potential waste you might create this season, and opportunities for waste reduction. Sustainability is never an all-or-nothing thing. Enjoy the wins (reusable bags as wrapping paper!), and let go of the losses (unnecessary kid toys!)... for now.

Today’s action: Begin to build a strategy; if you’re the one who craves a sustainable holiday, you’re the one who’s going to need to craft it. Take action and offer ideas and support for high-waste instances in your holiday season. Use the blog post below to help begin brainstorming where and how to do it. START PLANNING

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#3: Learn how much fossil fuel your electric uses

End-of-the-year holiday times are by definition cozy (at least here in the northern hemisphere!): we turn up the heat to fight off the longer, colder nights and crank up our ovens and stoves to create elaborate meals. Unfortunately, all of that almost certainly means fossil fuels.

Per the U.S. Energy Information Administration, “In 2022… About 60% of this electricity generation was from fossil fuels—coal, natural gas, petroleum, and other gases”. That said, actual number varies wildly. For example, Seattle's electricity is almost 100% renewable. Here in Indiana? Only 7 percent was generated from renewable resources. (F*ck Duke Energy!)

While it's near impossible to make a switch without investing heavily in expensive solutions, knowing is the first step. After that, link up with groups pushing for change.

Today’s action: Find out more about how much renewable energy your electric company uses by searching “[your energy provider] + percent renewable energy”. Then, use the link below to find a local chapter of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a nonpartisan climate advocacy group that focuses on carbon pricing and clean energy. You can also search for more localized organizations for even more targeted impact. FIND A CHAPTER

#4: Have the “no holiday gifts” talk

The statistics on wastefulness during the holidays are hard to pin down, but anecdotally we all know the holidays come with a skyrocketing mess of packaging, food waste, and unnecessary excess.

And some folks have actually attempted to pin our exact level of waste down. According to research, the amount of waste created during the holiday season (from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day) in the USA increases up to 43 percent.

So fight consumption we must. Sure, it can feel a little awkward to buck the trend of overindulgent gift-giving, but just know the planet breathes a little bit easier with each missing package under the tree.

Today’s action: Start the no gift conversation early! You don’t ever want any big habit shifts to come as a shock — that rarely works. Here’s a quick and dirty guide on how to ask for no holiday gifts with an exact script you can steal to fight the awkward! GET THE SCRIPT

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#5: Strategize for more sustainable gift-giving

Yesterday’s challenge was to start the conversation around no gift giving. It’s a bold call to action for the planet and — to be honest — not everyone is going to be ready for it. Sustainable gift giving can be hard, especially when you’re still giving and receiving from folks who aren’t quite ready for the “no gifts” talk.

But what can we do in the face of an average of an additional 29 pounds of trash per week generated during the holiday season?! (source)

Consider setting firm gifting limits with those who you might typically overbuy for (or be overbought for!). Even if your holiday season isn’t perfection and zero waste, progress and reduction is still incredible!

Today’s action: If you have run up against the ultimate boss of gift-giving (love you grandmas around the world ????), consider offering a fun challenge like the 5 gift rule. It’s definitely a step in the right direction of thoughtful gift giving vs a gift explosion for the sake of it. EXPLORE THE 5 GIFT RULE

#6: Set up a gift swap event

For this first week of holiday climate action, we’ve been thinking a lot about gifts and waste. We’ll move on to other things shortly, but such a focus of the season deserves our attention.

One final tip for mitigating the wastefulness of the season would be to facilitate a swap event. What’s a swap event? Simply a get-together where no money is exchanged as folks trade gently-used items.

Rather than exchanging money and participating in the mainstream economy, host a swapping events for goods (and even services!) to make items more accessible to everyone and your community more connected!. While the rules of each swap varies, the ethos is the same: spend less, waste less.

Today’s action: Consider setting up a swapping event for your friends or broader community before the holidays. Ask folks to bring items that would make good gifts and start swapping! Instead of spending money, give other folks’ unwanted items new life. See more about the logistics of such an event below. LEARN MORE

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#7: Put a stop to comparison scrolling

It’s a feeling we all know… It’s a few weeks out for the holidays. You’re so ready for a vacation. You plop down on the sofa to mindlessly scroll social media for a few minutes and are bombarded with extravagant decorations and piles of gifts and parties. Suddenly, you’re toggling over to a shopping site to pick up just a few more things you didn’t know you needed a few minutes ago.

Comparison scrolling: we all know it's bad for us yet we continue to do it. (And you’re not alone: it’s widely reported that mental health struggles increase for many over the holidays.) Building unrealistic expectations around our holidays means we feel bad about buying more unnecessary sh*t that inevitably ends up in a landfill which makes us feel bad... You get it.

Today’s action: Build some parameters to help stop your comparison impulses:

Limit your social media consumption with blocking apps.
Make an effort to replace online time with face-to-face connection with a designated number of appointments each week.
When you’re hit with an impulse to sooth through shopping, spend 2 minutes mentally or physically listing your gratitudes to break the trigger connection.

You can check out my recent podcast on doom scrolling for a similar conversation. LISTEN HERE

#8: Share a meal with a community member

I’m sure it comes as no surprise to any of us that the capitalist hellscape we’re trapped in benefits very few. This is particularly felt in the way that so many are unable to meet their own basic needs, through no fault of their own.

In the US, 12.8 percent (17 million) U.S. households were food insecure at some time during 2022 — up 2.6% from 2021 (source). Globally, the WFP estimates “from 78 of the countries where it works (and where data is available) – that more than 333 million people are facing acute levels of food insecurity in 2023... That is more than double the number in 2020.”

Suffice to say, if we have enough food and more, we ought to be sharing. While sharing a meal or two with your community — even as a regular practice — won’t solve massive inequalities in our food systems, it does begin to create structures for the alternative world we’d like to build.

Today’s action: Begin one of the most important community building practices of wealth redistribution with a very simple task: find a community member to share a meal with. If you can’t think of anyone off the top of your head, consider posting to local free Facebook groups, NextDoor, or a Freecycle site. You can also try a more established program Lasagna Love if they’re set up in your area. LEARN MORE

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#9: Build compost contingencies

Organic waste. The one thing we often don’t consider at first in our sustainable efforts, too caught up in the fight against plastic. Food waste, when sent to the landfill, decomposes anaerobically (without oxygen). When this happens, methane is produced. Methane is over 20x more potent than CO2 and a dangerous greenhouse gas that is seriously affecting our atmosphere.

As Scientific American says: “Landfills account for 34 percent of all methane emissions in the U.S. — meaning that the sandwich you made and then didn’t eat yesterday is increasing your personal — and our collective—carbon footprint.”

Additionally, one study showed that “the carbon footprint of food produced and not eaten is estimated to 3.3 Gtonnes of CO2 equivalent: as such, food wastage ranks as the third top emitter after USA and China.” (source) Throwing food away is a waste. Throwing food away into the landfill is an even bigger waste.

Today’s action: The holiday’s are tricky re: food waste. If you’ll be at your house, make sure you have your compost system on lock and set up for more food waste than usual. If you’ll be traveling and celebrating with other folks whose homes you don’t control, do a little pre-planning and brainstorm how you can compost on-the-go. Who knows? Maybe you can get your grandma/uncle/siblings set up with a sweet new composting system! COMPOST AT HOME TRAVEL & COMPOST

#10: Celebrate, plant-based style

As most of us know by know, generally the most eco-friendly diet is a plant-based diet. It's a scary idea to many, but a necessary push for anyone concerned about their carbon footprint.

That said, everyone's plant-based diet will look different depending on your dietary needs, access, location, and a whole host of other personal choices. Remember: it’s not an all-or-nothing thing… just small movements in the right direction.

In the context of the holiday season, thinking plant-based is not only a great way to reduce the impact of what may be potentially the largest meals of the year but also introduce the concept of good alternatives to friends and family. (And no, I’m not talking about heavily processed, bummer alternatives like Tofurkey!)

Today’s action: Consider plant-based alternatives for your upcoming holiday celebrations. Obviously your role in prepping meals matters re: your ability to control the outcome, but consider shooting off some plant-based requests to the cook, offering to bring plant-based side dishes, or even taking over a majority of cooking duties! I’ve personally tried 4 recipes from this collection through the fall/winter holidays and they've all been awesome! FIND RECIPES

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#11: Build an eco/ethical food shopping resource

We all at least vaguely know that shopping local and supporting sustainable, community-focused food is important. But making the leap from thought to action is tougher than many assume. Logistically, where do you find locally-sourced bulk wheat? What’s the best spot to pick up local honey and fresh produce? If you consume animal products, what local farms treat them with dignity in a regenerative process??

The decision fatigue that comes with shopping beyond what’s placed in front of you at conventional grocery stores can be real! The best way to combat this is by knowing where to find what you want, easily. Assuming you — like me — didn’t already have a resource like this available in your area, why not make that resource yourself and share with others who may be on the same eco-journey.

Today’s action: Open a Google Doc and start listing all the great bulk stores, small market gardens, dairies, and other local and sustainable food resources. Share it with friends, on a local Facebook group, or local organization to help others reduce decision fatigue. Make sure to keep adding as suggestions come in! MY RESOURCE LIST

#12: Stock a Little Free Pantry

While, unfortunately, food insecurity is an ongoing issue for folks the holidays can become a much larger source of stress as work hours are lost and the pressure to spend increases. One way we can mitigate this holiday-induced stress is by a simple reallocation of resources.

You have more than you need? Share with someone who can’t meet their needs! Resources, reallocated.

Our individual actions can't mitigate societal problems but building our individual actions into collective actions can. Supporting a nearby little free pantry is one way to actively mitigate some immediate food insecurity needs in your area.

Today’s action: There are many ways to help fight food insecurity, but I love the DIY, mutual aid ethos of a Little Free Pantry. So the next time(s) you go to the grocery store, stock up on extras like shelf-stable pie filling and crust, instant mashed potatoes, canned soups — or whatever else your LFP has capacity for (some have fridges!). You may also consider items like diapers & hygiene supplies. Don’t have one nearby? Consider starting one up in your yard like I did while I lived in town! FIND A LOCAL LFP HOW TO START AN LFP

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#13: Calculate your ecological impact (& act!)

By definition, an ecological footprint is: “the impact of a person or community on the environment, expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources.”

As of 2022, the average ecological footprint was 2.7 hectares per person; conversely, the biocapacity of the world is only 1.5 global hectares per person (source). This means we’re using — an average — far more of nature’s resources and carbon budget than the planet can support. Think of it like a water pump. If it can only pump out 10 gallons per minute but you’re constantly running it at 20 gallons per minute… eventually that water source will run dry. Same with the resources on planet Earth.

But what is an ecological footprint really? A peek into the highly unequal way in which the world is divided. A world where countries who’ve benefitted from colonialism and imperialism enjoy wealth and extremely high ecological impact while those they’ve stolen from have minimal impact on the planet yet endure the worst impacts of the climate crisis.

Today’s action: Calculate your ecological footprint. Recognize that some aspects of an ecological footprint are systemic and we can’t control easily, and some we can. Choose one of the aspects you can control (diet, living space footprint, travel, etc) and commit to an action that will reduce your ecological footprint. CALCULATE

#14: Strategize your growing plan

Yes, I realize if you’re doing this challenge in real-time it’s November which likely means it’s getting really, really cold outside. But picture this: it’s next year. You’re prepping for your big holiday dinner and instead of panic-buying at the store… you’re simply pulling delicious, home-grown food out of your pantry.

Sure, we’re not going from zero to 100% self-sufficient in a year, but we can make strides to grow a few things with high-impact. Think pumpkins for pie. A row of potatoes for mash. Enough greens for a giant communal salad… Stake out your bragging rights for next year’s meal!

I specifically stray away from “plan a garden” because maybe you can’t. Maybe you don’t have the space… but also, maybe you do have more capacity to grow things in all the unique corners of your life. Why not dream it now so next year’s holiday table can be filled with things that make us smile when we proudly share “hey, I grew that!”.

Today’s action: consider your usual holiday spread and pick a few items that you could reasonably replace. Maybe it’s just a commitment to grow all your own herbs in a window stand. Maybe it’s finally putting a small corner of your yard to use to grow enough cucumbers for a year of pickles. Maybe it’s securing a plot in a community garden or at a friend’s house to grow tomatoes and pumpkins. Want to get more ambitious? Listen to how I found free land to grow even more of my own food. GROW A GARDEN!

#15: Green your money in the new year

The holidays can be a bit of a tough time for money, whether you feel your budget’s too tight for everything you want to do or you aren’t sure how to best allocate your money in a non-wasteful way.

In opposition to the tense financials of the holidays, I encourage you to approach money positively, too: find a green bank that works for you and bank with purpose!

So, what does that mean exactly? How can you bank with purpose? And are there any investments that are truly sustainable? One that hasn’t been tainted by fossil fuels, deforestation, human rights violations and the like?

Today’s action: Learn more about green banking — its benefits and limitations — and explore green banking options near you. You can use this guest (US-specific) guide by Kristy Halderman to start 2024 with a greener approach to banking. EXPLORE GREEN BANKING

#16: Arm yourself with talking points

It’s trite at this point: the trope that you’ll inevitably be roped into an awkward conversation with a climate-denying family member you want to keep at least a modicum of relationship with. Well, it’s trite for a reason.

If you’re planning to attend large gatherings this holiday season, you might get roped into awkward conversations around right-wing talking points.

You’ve got two options: melt into a bush like the Homer Simpson gif or come prepared to engage with relevant, engaging talking points. It may not work, but if you’re up to it, it’s best not to let conspiracists languish in nothing but conspiratorial thinking!

Today’s action: The trick is to not get caught off guard and unprepared! Get to know the usual arguments climate deniers make and get more confidence in your knowledge before it comes into question. I’ve got a roundup of arguments and counterpoints already lined up for you ⬇️ LEARN MORE

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#17: Share your stellar eco-book recommendation

As a huge reader I may be biased, but I think books are some of the best gifts. You can share your interests and knowledge with the people around you and — bonus! — books make a great re-gift once the giftee finishes it.

Why not share the gift of great stories with an environmental message this holiday season?

My go to is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. It tells the story of how the family moved to Appalachia and ate local food for a whole year. It’s so inspiring for anyone interested in eating local, more sustainably as well as just being a great story.

Today’s action: Whether it’s for a person you think would love the content, a random office gift exchange, or even just as a talking point for awkward dinner parties, think about which sustainably-focused book you want to share this season. For help, I’ve recently updated my book rec post: READING RECS

#18: Consider a no-spend challenge

As we’ve discussed throughout these emails, the end of the year comes with a lot of spending and consumption pressures that don’t align with your sustainable aspirations.

But what's the alternative? If you feel caught in the endless loop of consumption — particularly in the post-holiday haze — why not try a no-spend challenge? Stop buying stuff you don't need, save money, put a little less stress on the planet... but also recognize the remarkable privilege you have in even taking part in a no-spend challenge.

I set this challenge to you early so you have time to consider and thoughtfully plan out your challenge, either in the new year or — if you dare — during the High Holidays of Endless Consumption!

Today’s action: Map out what a no-spend challenge would look like for you. (Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like - you buy... nothing... for a set amount of time.) Consider what areas of spending you’d like to change your relationship with and also what important causes you could reallocate additional funds towards. LEARN MORE

#19: Support a mutual aid fund

A pretty simple task today! Send your extra dollars to someone who needs it.

What is mutual aid, for those who don’t know? The textbook definition is “Mutual aid projects are a form of political participation in which people take responsibility for caring for one another and changing political conditions.” Basically, it’s giving without expectation (unlike charity); meeting the needs of a community member without judgement and trusting that they know what they need better than anyone else.

Many larger cities - and even smaller towns! - have created aid networks where the system of sharing is streamlined.

Today’s action: Find a local mutual aid network and donate what you can. Don’t have a mutual aid network set up in your area? Two options: 1. send some no-strings-attached cash to someone who needs it. Whether someone asking in a local group or just a friend that could use a little boost or 2. Dig into mutual aid orgs supporting causes close to your heart, like Gaza Mutual Aid. MUTUAL AID HUB

#20: Get to know your neighbors

Fostering relationships with the people closest to is really a skill that now often goes untaught — for those of us in the US, at least. It's something so very basic but feels so awkward and wrong to us. But it’s critical for those of us interested in building a better world to not just look at the big picture, but the very, very localized picture as well!

A community just can't be strong if you and your neighbors studiously avoid eye contact every time you walk outside! Getting to know your neighbors organically builds a network of help and care that can help insulate everyone from the chaos of the climate crisis as well as the day to day loneliness of existing in a very fractured society.

Today’s action: While the holiday season is busy for lots of folks, there’s always time for a little outreach. Consider a simple way of reaching out to your neighbors, whether it be a little gift bag or an invite for a coffee. Check out a few other ideas in episode #2 of my podcast, Resilience in the End. LISTEN HERE

#21: Support a local business

What does this have to do with fighting for a more sustainable future? Kind of a lot.

Small businesses are an integral part of our communities and one of the most effective ways to fight the effect climate crisis is by creating resilient communities. (See: The Transition Handbook.) A small business with ties the community should want to incorporate more beneficial sustainability into their practices.
You can build relationships with small business owners. Relationships are key in changing the way people think about sustainability. It’s 1000x easier to have difficult conversations with someone and change their mind when you actually know them.
Small businesses tend to keep about $68 of every $100 spent within the community; big box stores like Walmart? Only around $43. We need a strong, economically-stable community to be able to afford the sorts of radical transformations toward a more climate-friendly life.

Today’s action: Support a local business. This may mean purchasing a product or gift card as a holiday gift. If you don’t have any cash, following and sharing cool companies with others can be a great way to share. You can start searching for new-to-you businesses using the Small Business Saturday searcher too. FIND A SMALL BIZ