This episode dives into some easy changes that Sam has implemented that that are better for him and for the planet! Partly, Sam wanted to share them because, who wouldn’t want to improve their own life, and improve the climate at the same time, but Sam also feels these things need telling to help undermine the myth that climate action is all about personal sacrifice for the collective good.
From the introduction: “The closer I get to living in line with my values, the freer and happier I am, the more self worth and integrity I feel.”
Show notes:
1) 3m39secs: Green Geeks – save money on a carbon negative web hosting!
Use this link, and Sam will donate the referral reward of at least $50 to an environmental initiative or carbon offset: https://www.greengeeks.com/track/samward1
Send an email once you’ve signed up and Sam will send you a receipt for whatever I used it for!
2) 8m18secs: Replace sugar with honey!
– Save Bugoma Forest
– Sixteen health benefits of switching from sugar to honey article.
3) 15m08secs: Replace some of your lawn with trees, bushes or wildflower meadow.
Save money, save time and bring the wonder of the natural world into your surroundings!
4) 24m19secs: Suggest to your council, place of work, worship or education replaces grass verges, lawns and grass areas with wildflowers or trees. Find out how much they spend each year on maintaining their lawn and suggest that they can do their part for biodiversity, the climate crisis AND save serious amounts of money each year.
5) 25m40secs: Replace google with Ecosia!
Escape the creepy big tech data gathering google machine! Ecosia does not mine and sell your data and plants a tree for every 45 searches. It’s a simple one time action to change your default search engine in your browsers on your various devices. Consider changing your homepage too.
6) 28m05: Life straw water bottle! Fill it up anywhere with any water you can find, drink through the filter straw, never or use another single use plastic water bottle. Save money, save plastic, save carbon and add convenience at the same time.
7) 29m34secs: Stop burning organic waste! Reduces air pollution in your immediate area, increase the soil fertility, saves carbon emissions, supports a critical, undervalued, part of the ecosystem.
8) 31m08secs: Replace beef with fish or chicken.
Reducing red meat intake is good for your health, and can dramatically reduce your personal footprint.
9) 32m32: Clictavism!
System change is key. We can’t all be visionary leaders driving the change ourselves, but we can all stand behind those attempting this critical work, and by adding our numbers and voice, we amplify their power to affect change. Stand up and be counted!
Here are a collection of organisations working on system change, sign up to their newsletters, and sign their petitions as they come into your inbox, and if you feel sufficiently inspired, lend whatever support you think you can beyond that! A community of inspiring and wonderful people are
– Friends of the earth, sign up on their homepage.
– 350 sign up on their homepage
– The leap
– Sunrise Movement
– Fridays for future
– Extinction rebellion (sign up at the bottom)
– Avaaz
Please send other suggestions for newsletters of those trying to influence system change to sam@climatechangeunfolding.com, and Sam will add them to this list!
10) 34m35secs: Fill the kettle with only what you need! Takes less time to boil, uses less energy, saves you money.
11) 34m52secs: If you are an amazon user, use smile.amazon.com instead of amazon, and select a “go to” environmental charity, amazon gives 0.5% of your spending to a charity with no cost to you.
12) 36.18: Reusable wipes! Instead of throwing them away at end of life, cut up your old fleeces, towels, tshirts into little squares, stack them around your house, use them instead of wet wipes, tissues and disposable cloths. Super convenient, less waste, less money spent on disposables.
13) 36m56secs: Simplifying complexity of food choices into one simple question, that captures good choices for your health, and for the environment: How close is this food to it’s natural state?
14) 39m42secs: Ethical investing: Ethical subset of the market has been outperforming the market for a number of years. In 2020 especially, the difference is stark. As the world transitions to climate friendly society, investments and public funds shift into environmental areas, this is likely to continue. How do you fancy improving your financial returns and not supporting all the most evil corporations of the world?
15) 43m55secs: Check out climate steps for more ideas, and a great supportive online community on their facebook group.
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Concentrate on making a few changes stick, not making all of them at once, getting overwhelmed and exhausted, and ultimately quitting. Compounding changes over time is much more powerful. To help make them stick, recognise the benefits they bring to you, and appreciate how much better it feels to have your values and your actions aligned.
