Earth Day is April 22, but our work will require more than one day. It’s a big daunting task. To make it manageable, start small, start local, start with you! Fortunately, every small step we take improves the health of the planet (and ourselves). Each act can be done daily and indefinitely.
Symptoms of Climate Change
Deforestation, rising sea water, loss of biodiversity, wildfires, drought and flooding. 
Visuals of these conditions seem best fitted for scenes in a sci-fi thriller, not real life. Yet, these symptoms of climate change are in fact nature’s way of putting up a red flag warning. There is high confidence that our water and food security, and overall health, will be threatened by the year 2050, without significant changes now.
In a world with 9 billion people, it’s hard to imagine the choices made by one person can make a difference. The truth is, if only one person took action to prevent climate change, it wouldn’t make a difference. Which is all the more reason for each of us to Invest in Our Planet; a fitting theme for Earth Day 2022.
Before we take action, let’s identify what contributes to global warming. To be fair, small amounts of global warming can be attributed to natural causes. Examples include volcanic activity, solar radiation and El Nino weather patterns. However, the impact of these natural causes cannot account for the level of climatic change seen over the past 50 years. With that, we look to human activity as an area of opportunity for improvement.
How many of these action steps will you do?
- Reduce food waste, through composting or making use of food scraps
- Reuse plastic bags (e.g. grocery, sandwich, produce, or bread bags) and containers at least 5 times, and/or cook from scratch more often
- Shop for clothes at a consignment or thrift store
- Plant a pollinator garden
- Turn water off while brushing your teeth
- Walk, roll or ride (a bike or scooter) when you need to travel short distances
- Turn off idling vehicles
- Substitute plant proteins for animal proteins for a few meals a week
- Always have a filled, reusable water bottle with you to avoid needing a single use cup or plastic water bottle.
- Influence policy, write letters to your state legislator so your voice is heard.
