“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”
Coco Chanel
This week alone, news included record-breaking heat waves, one-in-a thousand-year rain events, and a wildfire season starting much too early. Let’s be honest, sometimes the problem of climate change feels so big it’s hard to see how any one of us can make a dent. Well, today I’m sharing one way to impact the big picture on climate change in just a few minutes.
Impact the big picture
We hear a lot about how our choices influence our “climate footprint” – like what we eat, buy, and drive. But that’s not what I’m writing about today. This article has more to do with our “climate shadow”, or how we impact things outside our individual bubbles.
A recent polls showed 70% of Americans want our government do to more to reverse climate change. There are lots of commonsense solutions that need a kickstart through legislation. For example, the permitting process for new clean energy projects need to be streamlined. Also, our electric grid needs to be modernized to handle the influx of renewable energy. But to make these things happen, our lawmakers need to know climate change is important to us.
Climate Changemakers is a cool organization that helps people like you and me impact policy. Don’t worry…I’m not suggesting you hop in your car and drive to DC. Essentially, this site makes it super simple to reach out by email or phone to policymakers to share concerns and request action. These small things make a much bigger difference that you think.
To illustrate the point, according to Climate Changemakers:
- U.S. lawmakers say the most influential factor in their decision-making is constituent feedback
- It takes as few as 10 constituent emails or phone calls to get a lawmaker to introduce or support a climate policy
- That bar is even lower for state and local officials
What can we do?
Climate Changemakers has put together “playbooks” on lots of different issues. Topics include reducing US food waste, regulating methane, and electrifying municipal fleets. There are also guides on how to contact a local, state, or national official to share your opinion. So, just find a topic that interests you, then follow the step-by-step guide.
You can spend as much or as little time as you want. I jumped in and sent emails to local officials about electrifying our local municipal fleet, along state utility regulators about grid issues. It took no time at all, and I actually got some responses!
The bottom line is, when we tell our policymakers what we think, they listen, and often act. Members of both political parties are working on climate legislation, but will have more urgency if they know how much we care. So why not take Coco Chanel’s advice, and think for yourself – out loud.
Let’s do something about climate change. Learn about it. Think about it. Talk about it.