I wouldn’t write Future:Standard if I didn’t wholeheartedly believe in the power of voting with our dollars. If I didn’t think living a more conscious and ethical lifestyle could help save the environment. Every single one of us can reduce our footprint in small and large ways.
But, we as consumers alone cannot save the environment.
It’s time to get political.
We can ride public transit, live in zero-waste homes, eat only organic and non-GMO foods, and live an entirely sustainable life. We could be the ultimate earth-loving hippies. But, we cannot change the policies that protect our natural environments from unscrupulous corporations. We can’t force companies to produce and use green energy. We can’t set aside land, enact laws that protect endangered species, and ensure that our waterways remain unpolluted. We can’t reduce emissions and move our economies (both local and global) toward a Green New Deal.
We need the help of well-elected legislators making both local and international policies that are environmentally friendly. We need our elected officials to vote and make policy in our best interests. In the best interest of our health and of our well-being. And this includes climate-friendly policies.
It is a climate emergency and you and I with our zero waste bathrooms can’t slow the rising oceans. Our hybrid vehicles and our organic produce can’t cool the increasingly warm summers. Not alone at least.
So, it is time to get political.
If you have not taken your environmentalism politically, now is the time.
Join your town in Fridays for Future or Friday Fire Drills.
Write, call, email your elected officials, at the federal, state, and local levels.
We cannot be silenced in this. We must scream until we are heard.
Because:
Environmentalism is an economic issue.
Environmentalism is a social justice issue.
Environmentalism is a health issue.
Climate change is the biggest threat to our lives.
It is the biggest issue to face our generation, and possibly one of the biggest issues to ever face any generation. No, I do not think I am being hyperbolic here.
Environmentalism cannot be the concern of a few hippies marching on Earth Day. It must be a concern to all of us, every single day. Because it will eventually (if it hasn’t already) effect all of us.
Consider for a moment how and when climate change has impacted you.
In the past few years:
- Have you had to evacuate your home because of wildfire?
- Has your house flooded because of extreme rain?
- Have you experienced rolling blackouts because of the heat?
- Have you had days when you couldn’t let your kids go outside because of air quality?
I live in Southern California, and all four of these have happened to us. And, likely (especially the first one) will happen again in the near future. We are witnessing the effects of climate change first hand. I have noticed the air quality in my hometown decrease. I have noticed the winters getting shorter and the summers getting hotter. It is often beach weather in January. Like bikinis in the winter weather. And while I love this, I really do, it isn’t how it should be.
Think about your home. Have you noticed the effects of climate change?
You likely have. And it is time to act.
Leading climate scientists have said we have about 12 years to make drastic changes to limit climate catastrophe. We have already seen increases in food price and food instability, the first of many climate refugees, and the increase and severity of natural disasters everywhere.
We cannot wait to get political about climate change.
We need to vote, call, write, and be heard in every single way that we can. Like our lives depend on it. Because they do.