Climate Action
Whether you are a banker in Singapore or a nurse in Florida, climate change will impact your life. As individuals there is a lot we can do to reduce our carbon footprint, but to reach net zero emissions, we need to do more than just reduce our emissions: we need to actively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or offset its effects. The easiest way to do this is by planting new forests or restoring old ones.
Ultimately, steps to reduce and remove CO2 emissions will have a positive impact on other local issues, like improving air quality and public health, creating jobs and reducing inequality.
Our actions will determine our future. It’s up to us now.
Speak up!
Elected officials act when their constituencies make them. Voice your concerns on social media or directly to your representatives. Encourage Congress to enact laws to limit CO2 emissions and require polluters to pay for the emissions they produce.
Support politicians that protect nature
Educate your friends and others about the global warming and the climate change crisis to help them to understand its consequences and solutions. People often trust peers more than experts. You are more likely to open people’s minds.
Reduce your animal product intake
You don’t have to go vegan to make a difference. By reducing your animal protein consumption by half you can cut your diet’s carbon footprint by more than 40%.
Always choose fresh, local, and seasonal produce to reduce CO2 emissions from transportation, preservation, and prolonged refrigeration. When possible grow your own.
Don’t waste food
10 % of US energy use goes into growing, processing, packaging, & shipping food. About 40% ends up in the landfill. Less waste = less energy consumption
Commute by bike, carpooling or using mass transit
Walking short journeys is an immediate contribution that we could make to reducing our CO2 footprint. It's also beneficial for our physical and mental health.
Carry a refillable water bottle and/or mug
On average, a steel cup has to be used 100+ times before its footprint is lower than that of its disposable counterpart. And a plastic cup needs to be used 30+ times. So be sure to make it last!
Invest in energy-efficient appliances
Look for the Energy Star label. It will tell you which ones are the most efficient.
Reduce water waste
Saving water reduces carbon pollution, too. That's because it takes a lot of energy to pump, heat, and treat your water.
Drive a fuel-efficient vehicle – Don’t believe myths!
Battery EVs emit 60% fewer climate-changing emissions over their full life cycle than gas vehicles, even when you take into account raw material extraction, battery manufacture, vehicle manufacture, and shipping.
Air dry your clothes when possible
A household running a dryer 200 times a year could save nearly half a tonne of CO2e by switching to a clothes rack or washing line2 - that’s the equivalent of driving over 1200 miles!
Share things, don't buy things
We buy so many things to use just once or twice. As you read this, your loved ones may be online trying to buy what you already have. Share those barely used items with your friends, neighbors, and colleagues. And remember the golden rule: When possible repair it - don't replace it!
Improve insulation
Older homes can lose up to 35% of heat through their walls. Modern insulation reduces the energy needed to heat a home, therefore reducing emissions and saving you money.
Power your home with renewable energy
- Choose LED light bulbs and save up to 80 percent less energy than conventional incandescent.
- Install a solar thermal water heater on your roof and save up to 641kgCO2 a year.
- Wash your clothes at 30°C/ 86°F and save up to 45 kgCO2 a year.
Divest
Divesting means taking your money out of institutions that fund fossil fuel expansion to dry up funding to those projects.
- Build a fossil-free portfolio with support from financial nonprofit GreenPages.org
- Call your bank and ask about their green investment alternatives and climate goals.
- Encourage your employer, faith organization, and/or alma mater to divest.
So far, the fossil fuel divestment movement has removed $9.94 trillion dollars from fossil fuel companies because of institutional divestments and $5.2 billion thanks to 58,000 individual divestments.
