Six Steps to Substantive Sustainability
With Earth Day on the mind, you might think, “What can I do to help fight climate change and make things better, even if it’s not, say, start a solo school strike that turns into a global climate movement?” You may not be Greta Thunberg, but only one person is, so there’s no need to put that much pressure on yourself (he writes, as he admittedly puts that much pressure on himself).
In fact, there are many things people can do to live more sustainably, but the bigger question is, how much will an individual’s contribution actually matter? Depending on your information source, the carbon footprint for the average American is somewhere between 16–20 tons per year, and those who earn more money tend to emit more, because of bigger houses, more energy use, more travel, etc. Meanwhile, the global average is somewhere between 4–5 tons per person per year.
All of this sounds big, as anything involving the term “tons” tends to, but here’s the thing: global emissions are closer to 35–40 BILLION tons per year. Meaning your individual footprint is just a smidge above 0 percent. It’s when you have nearly 8 billion people contributing just a smidge above 0 percent that it quickly adds up.
So while individuals aren’t by any means off the hook, their contributions are nothing compared to entities like companies and governments. For instance, those companies in the business of producing fossil fuels. Per this July 2017 Guardian article, 100 companies were responsible for 71 percent of global emissions from 1988 to 2015. That’s right, more than two-thirds of ALL global emissions during that time period. So, a bit more than, say, 0 percent.
And governments, whether it’s through the policies being enacted or the laws being passed nationally or locally, have a huge influence on whether we cut back on emissions or continue business as usual practices.
Knowing that these large entities make such an oversized contribution to global warming can leave the average person wondering what, if anything, they can comparatively do to help fight climate change. But even if each individual’s contribution may be small, collectively, people can make a powerful difference in how sustainably companies and governments operate. Here are just a few options.
1. Transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy — Whether it’s getting solar panels in your house, signing up to use renewable energy sources from your power company, driving an electric or hybrid car, or any of the other opportunities to use renewable sources of energy, this is a way to both impact the bottom line of fossil fuel companies and also influence others in your community to eventually do the same.
2. Divest your money away from fossil fuels — According to this March 2021 Guardian article, the “world’s 60 biggest banks have provided $3.8tn of financing for fossil fuel companies since the Paris climate deal in 2015.” They’re able to do that because of the money individuals like us give them, in a time when it’s well-known what burning fossil fuels does to the environment. Fortunately, you have other options. Be it a bank like Aspiration or Amalgamated, or others, it’s another way to free your money from funding fossil fuels.
And if you have investments, you can move your money out of fossil fuel companies — and to make even more of a dent, move that money into investments in the renewable energy sector. This includes 401Ks, IRAs, and other retirement funds, since many funds include fossil fuel companies. Do research into where your money is being invested and look at moving that money into SRIs (socially responsible investments), such as green funds and ESGs (environmental, social and governance). Money talks, and when companies see substantial amounts of money move away from them, that can force tough conversations about business decisions.
3. Vote, in every election, for environmentally friendly candidates and policies — In the United States, voting for the president, Senate, and House of Representatives is obviously important, as it helps set the federal agenda, but it’s just as important (if not more so) to vote in every state and local election, for both candidates and policies. That’s because most of the more progressive environmental changes that occur tend to happen at a local level, and those changes can help influence bigger changes federally. For more information about being an environmental voter, check out organizations like Environmental Voter Project, League of Conservation Voters, Climate Hawks Vote, NextGen America, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, the Climate Cabinet Action Fund, and the Sunrise Movement. And for your local election, do your research. Local chapters of environmental organizations such as the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, 350.org and others tend to provide information about local candidates and bills, as do local news organizations, and both candidates’ websites and the state/local government websites.
4. Get even more civically involved — Since elections don’t happen that often, environmental work still needs to be done every day. So have phone numbers for members of the House and Senate who represent you stored in your cell phone, to call their staff and let them know about environmental policies that are important to you. On a more local level, attend city council/ town hall meetings to find out what’s happening, and since almost everything can have an environmental impact, you can address those during the public comment portion of the meeting. There are also meetings of boards, commissions and the like that will more specifically address the environment. And to let those in your community know about local environmental impacts and sustainable practices, write op-eds in your local newspaper.
5. Talk to your employer about sustainable practices — No matter what size your employer is, they can always improve their sustainable practices. If they’re big enough to offer you a 401K, find out if there are green funds or ESGs available. At their office, find out how they get their power and if there are renewable options, if they use recycled materials, if they can reduce their use of plastic, or if they can offer recycling or composting of food scraps on site. Check out more ideas here and here.
6. Talk to your friends and family — People are more likely to change behaviors when influenced by the people they love instead of by government officials, especially from representatives of a political party with which they may not agree. So discussing the environment, climate change and sustainable practices with your friends and relatives can help nudge them in the right direction. But, as this Grist article notes, how you do it is just as important — by selling the behavior change as fun instead of restrictive. And if your friends and family do start to practice sustainable behaviors, they may even become more involved civically and/or willing to talk with their employer.
While it’s easy to feel helpless with such a monumental problem like climate change, each of us has the ability to make consequential choices that, collectively, can make a difference. Without question, making any choice that’s more sustainable is better than doing nothing, but making choices that can collectively influence how companies and governments act is how we truly move the needle in the right direction. And you don’t have to start a global climate movement, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt.
Marc Hertz is 1021 Creative’s Storytelling Manager and blog contributor. He initiated and co-lead the Webby-awarded #OursToLose climate change campaign hosted on YouTube.
