Thank you for this thoughtful and inspiring post, Jennifer. There is so much individuals can do to reduce their footprint, but it will take major collective political action to stop the greatest polluters, the billionaires and their mind-boggling life styles, the military war machine, and multi-national corporations that overrule the politics and interests of smaller nations. BTW, I also just recently posted my art work as an attempt to reduce my climate anxiety: https://annettenaber.substack.com/p/creating-sanctuary-playfully-and
Love this, Jennifer. COVID has made me a non-flyer (do NOT want to be trapped in a floating tin can with people who don't know how to act). I haven't had red meat since Live Aid. I bring my own bags (and if I forget and can't carry it all, I buy another effing bag...pretty rare these days, but I've learned). I try to make sure I don't drive on Saturdays (about 97.5% successful at that), and walk as much as possible for small errands/going to lunches/dinners. I don't have AC, so I'm used to being warmer in the summer and don't really enjoy overly AC'd places. Would love to trade in my car for something electric (as soon as I can afford that), but keep my commutes to the absolute minimum (and happily have a WFH schedule for August). I gave up single-use plastics years ago, have silicone bags to replace Ziplocs, silicone covers for fruit and veg halves/ends, a glass water bottle I use daily and a collapsible silicone one for day trips. Aluminum foil is washable so, if it must be used, use it more than once. All of these changes are doable, and there's probably more I can do (always willing to learn). Like DON'T SIT IN YOUR IDLING CAR WHILE ON THE PHONE OR TO "CHARGE" YOUR PHONE OR TO USE THE AC! Such a pet peeve of mine. Such a planet killer. Ugh! You rule, Jennifer! xo
I love how creating nature-inspired art is a part of reducing the climate anxiety for you. And I think sharing that kind of art can help people remember why nature is so important because it touches us in a different part of our experience than just words about it may.
The world needs more people like you!! And yes, for as long as I can survive without fan or AC (glad I easily get cold) I don't use them. Thank you for this call to action!
Well said, Jennifer. I think about the explosion in travel that's taken place once COVID restrictions were lifted, people so hungry to get out of their pandemic bubbles. In our excitement over travelling again, we don't tend to think about the impact we're having on the planet and on the places we're visiting. Many of the national parks, and some state parks and monuments have had to limit the number of visitors due to overcrowding and harsh impacts on the land. We're loving our parks to death, just as we're loving our planet to death through our travel choices. That's a hard pill to swallow. But we don't have to give up every pleasurable trip we'd like to go on. As you said, we can choose another mode of transportation to get there. Or maybe we could consider cutting some of the more impactful trips from our bucket lists.
I'm glad you mentioned water use. More and more people in the town I live in are getting rid of lawn and putting in low-water perennials. I swapped lawn for perennial plants and shrubs five years ago, in both the front and backyards. It's such a pleasure to walk through my garden and see the birds and butterflies that visit, not to mention all kinds of bees.
Your commitment to low impact choices is commendable and probably feels like too much to do for most of us. Let's acknowledge that. But, we don't have to commit to every single thing you've mentioned in order to have an impact. Eating less meat - if that's the only thing I think I can manage to do this year, it's still something! I see better health for myself, less impact on greenhouse gases, and less guilt for not doing enough. It would also put me in the mindset to look for more ways to have less impact on the planet. Five years ago, I made the commitment to use less water by removing our lawn. Three years ago, my husband and I decided we could use less AC in the summer and less heat in the winter. We have one car and "batch" errands so we're not running out to grab this or that every day. Are we willing to give up our car altogether? No, but we're limiting our use. This year we committed ourselves to eating less meat, adopting a more plant based diet. How are we doing in that goal? Terrible! It's hard to switch something so elemental to our daily lives. We like to eat meat. We hate being lectured by vegans about what bad people we are for eating meat. (That actually hasn't happened in a while, but you get my point. Lecturing people about their choices generally doesn't sway them to agree with you. Gently living your life with grace and intention, and sharing as Jennifer does here at Good Footprints, just might.) So Jennifer, my effort to eat less meat this year has been a dismal failure so far, but there are five months left to this year, and I love a good reset of my intentions. So here goes: I'm cutting back to one meat-based meal a week, and looking for more plant-based deliciousness to fill the rest of the week. And, attitude adjustment here: I plan to look at it as a discovery quest rather than a hardship I'm imposing on myself. Kind of like your painting. What's to discover in the palette of colorful vegetables and legumes that I have never tasted before?
Thank you for this thoughtful and inspiring post, Jennifer. There is so much individuals can do to reduce their footprint, but it will take major collective political action to stop the greatest polluters, the billionaires and their mind-boggling life styles, the military war machine, and multi-national corporations that overrule the politics and interests of smaller nations. BTW, I also just recently posted my art work as an attempt to reduce my climate anxiety: https://annettenaber.substack.com/p/creating-sanctuary-playfully-and
Love this, Jennifer. COVID has made me a non-flyer (do NOT want to be trapped in a floating tin can with people who don't know how to act). I haven't had red meat since Live Aid. I bring my own bags (and if I forget and can't carry it all, I buy another effing bag...pretty rare these days, but I've learned). I try to make sure I don't drive on Saturdays (about 97.5% successful at that), and walk as much as possible for small errands/going to lunches/dinners. I don't have AC, so I'm used to being warmer in the summer and don't really enjoy overly AC'd places. Would love to trade in my car for something electric (as soon as I can afford that), but keep my commutes to the absolute minimum (and happily have a WFH schedule for August). I gave up single-use plastics years ago, have silicone bags to replace Ziplocs, silicone covers for fruit and veg halves/ends, a glass water bottle I use daily and a collapsible silicone one for day trips. Aluminum foil is washable so, if it must be used, use it more than once. All of these changes are doable, and there's probably more I can do (always willing to learn). Like DON'T SIT IN YOUR IDLING CAR WHILE ON THE PHONE OR TO "CHARGE" YOUR PHONE OR TO USE THE AC! Such a pet peeve of mine. Such a planet killer. Ugh! You rule, Jennifer! xo
All such important things. YES.
I love how creating nature-inspired art is a part of reducing the climate anxiety for you. And I think sharing that kind of art can help people remember why nature is so important because it touches us in a different part of our experience than just words about it may.
So well said Jennifer, I am with you. YES to behavior change.
Yes! Voting for candidates who support climate policy solutions is SO important. Thank you for this article, Jennifer.
The world needs more people like you!! And yes, for as long as I can survive without fan or AC (glad I easily get cold) I don't use them. Thank you for this call to action!
Well said, Jennifer. I think about the explosion in travel that's taken place once COVID restrictions were lifted, people so hungry to get out of their pandemic bubbles. In our excitement over travelling again, we don't tend to think about the impact we're having on the planet and on the places we're visiting. Many of the national parks, and some state parks and monuments have had to limit the number of visitors due to overcrowding and harsh impacts on the land. We're loving our parks to death, just as we're loving our planet to death through our travel choices. That's a hard pill to swallow. But we don't have to give up every pleasurable trip we'd like to go on. As you said, we can choose another mode of transportation to get there. Or maybe we could consider cutting some of the more impactful trips from our bucket lists.
I'm glad you mentioned water use. More and more people in the town I live in are getting rid of lawn and putting in low-water perennials. I swapped lawn for perennial plants and shrubs five years ago, in both the front and backyards. It's such a pleasure to walk through my garden and see the birds and butterflies that visit, not to mention all kinds of bees.
Your commitment to low impact choices is commendable and probably feels like too much to do for most of us. Let's acknowledge that. But, we don't have to commit to every single thing you've mentioned in order to have an impact. Eating less meat - if that's the only thing I think I can manage to do this year, it's still something! I see better health for myself, less impact on greenhouse gases, and less guilt for not doing enough. It would also put me in the mindset to look for more ways to have less impact on the planet. Five years ago, I made the commitment to use less water by removing our lawn. Three years ago, my husband and I decided we could use less AC in the summer and less heat in the winter. We have one car and "batch" errands so we're not running out to grab this or that every day. Are we willing to give up our car altogether? No, but we're limiting our use. This year we committed ourselves to eating less meat, adopting a more plant based diet. How are we doing in that goal? Terrible! It's hard to switch something so elemental to our daily lives. We like to eat meat. We hate being lectured by vegans about what bad people we are for eating meat. (That actually hasn't happened in a while, but you get my point. Lecturing people about their choices generally doesn't sway them to agree with you. Gently living your life with grace and intention, and sharing as Jennifer does here at Good Footprints, just might.) So Jennifer, my effort to eat less meat this year has been a dismal failure so far, but there are five months left to this year, and I love a good reset of my intentions. So here goes: I'm cutting back to one meat-based meal a week, and looking for more plant-based deliciousness to fill the rest of the week. And, attitude adjustment here: I plan to look at it as a discovery quest rather than a hardship I'm imposing on myself. Kind of like your painting. What's to discover in the palette of colorful vegetables and legumes that I have never tasted before?