Chop Wood, Save the Earth! 🔥

Hi, all.

Special edition of the newsletter today. I decided to take my “I want to do more on climate!” resource doc and send it out as a Substack in case that was easier to share. So here you go! Hope I’m not killing your in-box!

I want to do more on CLIMATE! 🌎

Do you feel panicked by extreme weather events? Are you realizing you finally need to DO SOMETHING—or simply do more—to help with the climate crisis? Are you scared for your kid's—or your own—future? You came to the right place.

The climate emergency is here. It's bad, and scary, and serious, but we CAN make a difference, and we should. The UN Environmental Program found that 2/3rds of carbon emissions can be traced to decisions made at the household level. What we choose to eat, wear, buy, drive, grow, throw away, or even talk about makes all the difference.¹ So let's consider the following options:

1. Download and USE the Climate Action Now App. It'll give you 5 easy actions to take every day—mostly sending an e-mail or otherwise contacting lawmakers, banks, or companies and asking them to move quickly towards clean energy and sustainability. These are REALLY well curated actions, and taking them requires AT MOST 5 minutes! (Important note—personalizing the letters slightly makes them far more effective. Please do.) Fight Climate Change - Download the Climate Action Now App

2. Pick ONE good environmental organization and join its local chapter. This is less overwhelming than signing up with ten and then doing nothing. I love Sierra Club, STAND Earth, the Sunrise Movement (for young people), 350.org, Moms Clean Air Force, and Third Act (for seniors) but there are loads more. All of the above have local chapters across the country.

3. Stop—or dramatically cut back on—eating beef. I know. We all love a burger. But don't we like air we can breathe and temperatures we can survive more? There are so many reasons to stop eating beef beyond climate—Texas has the most beef cows, followed by Oklahoma, Missouri, and Nebraska—these are all red states passing harmful abortion and trans bans. Beef also uses tons of water and creates antibiotics resistance. But mostly it's about climate. Quitting beef is REALLY important. Read why here.

4. Stop using “Super Soft” toilet paper! Brands like Downy and Cottonelle are made from virgin trees in old growth forests! Seriously. There is no reason to support this when lots of brands use recycled paper. “Cushiony soft TP” is deforesting our planet. Check out your tissue's grade here, then shop from column A. THIS IS A NO-BRAINER. Your tuckus will survive. We might not. (P.S. I order ours from Who Gives a Crap and love it.)

5. Move your money to a credit union. Big banks are underwriting the climate crisis and nothing will stop them unless they start hemorrhaging customers. Why your banking habits matter for the climate.

6. Hang your wash. Not everyone can do this, but lots of us can, at least some of the time. We do it at our house, and it's made a MASSIVE difference in our overall gas usage (and our bill!) Your clothes dryer is a huge energy waster. Even efficient dryers are so energy hungry that a new one can consume as much electricity as an efficient new clothes washer, refrigerator, and dishwasher combined. Does drying on a line take a bit more time? Yes. Does climate change threaten humanity's future? YES.

7. Compost. It's really not that hard and it makes a HUGE difference. Combatting Climate Change - US Composting Council

8. Check out the many ways you can green up your house and life with government rebates. Household Electrification Savings Calculator

9. Stop buying so much stuff. Sorry, but consumerism plays a huge role in climate change. Ask yourself: “Do I need to buy it new? Can I get it used? Can I borrow one? Can I live without it?” If you're on Facebook look for a Buy Nothing group in your neighborhood—you can't believe the great stuff you'll find there!

10. Cut back on plastic in every way you can. It's a petroleum product and therefore a massive driver of the climate crisis. It’s also literally killing us. This is much easier to do than it used to be. There are SO MANY great companies making plastic-free products. If you live in a city there may even be a refill store near you.

11. Help turn out environmental voters! Did you know that people who care about climate are historically terrible at voting? One organization is working on that—the Environmental Voter Project. Please help them with either a donation or your volunteer time—they offer regular postcarding, phone banking, and canvassing opportunities. They are data-backed and effective!

12. Be like a gun nut, but for climate. Make voting for climate candidates your top priority. Sign up with Climate Hawks Vote so you know who to support with campaign contributions and votes!

13. Reduce the size of (or eliminate) your lawn. Instead plant native, pollinator-friendly plants to benefit wildlife and the ecosystem. Never use pesticides or artificial fertilizers—pesticides harm beneficial insects and human health, and fertilizer runoff leads to toxic algae blooms in rivers and lakes, and seaweed overgrowth in the ocean, which can choke out other aquatic life.

14. Ditch the gas powered lawn equipment. It’s HIGHLY polluting. If you must use landscaping machinery, new electric equipment is available, sometimes with rebates, that is effective and efficient.

15. Subscribe to great climate newsletters like Grist, Climate Change Resources, Project Drawdown, and HEATED. They'll help you know where to focus your advocacy and send you lots more ways to make a difference.

16. Air travel is wildly polluting. Cut back on it. Air travel releases more than 900 million tons of CO2 yearly.  This compares to 26 million tons from lawn mowing equipment. Anyone wanting to meaningfully decrease their carbon consumption should cut back dramatically on recreational air travel. Sorry!

Have suggestions for items to add to this list? Email me at hijesscraven101@gmail.com

1. Carbon Crew Project