Day 5 : Yes, you can make a difference

Discussions and debates about global warming are on the rise, or were before the Corona crisis make the important less urgent. While I am satisfied of the scientific coverage of the dangers of global warming, peak everthing and antropecene (in summary, all the destruction that is the result of our development model), I found myself quite helpless to know what should I do to play a stronger role in being the change I would like to see. How can we  improve our relationship with the Earth and make the future exciting and not terrifying? 

Let me review the different points of view and its flaws. Bare with me, most of the post will be about what can you do.

I would start by those who said: "you pay enough taxes or even better, you cannot make a difference" That is the first and maybe last mention I make to that statements. The story of disconnection is clearly part of the problem. Only we we can recognize how much connected we are, we know that we can make a huge impact on our environment, and the people we love. Let's get started!

1. Recycle and unplug your devices: the first action is important, but more important is to minimize to zero packaging use and non-organic residual waste. Our devices takes 1% of our energy consumption, if we all save 1%, we achieve 1%, so please start focusing in the big things we can do to change the world.
2. Reduce meat: yes, the industrial agricultural sector is responsible to almost 50% of the pollution and diversity loss, hence eliminating meat and animal products from our diet is critical. It increases food supply, reduces water consumption, waste, suffering, vaccine resistance...and is generally cheaper. But please, make sure you are also buying local and bio. Having a plant based, diverse, local and healthy diet will not only reduce the chances of getting a ton of illnesses but also half your footprint.  Please do not take more flights to compensate for this! The health of our soil is even more critical than the emissions, consume only bio!
3. Get an electric car. this reduces far less emissions than you expect, so imagine than comparing to your current car you will reduce 25% your contribution comming from your car. A very expensive change that does not scale as of now. Using public transport, cycling or doing sport while commuting is moch more effective and does not require all the materials and residuals comming from building and mantainin a brand new car.
4. Flying less. It is true that specially for travellers and global businesses, traveling is one of the most damaging tasks. I have travelled over the world, and not doing at all is a mistake, but there are ways to reduce its used significantly. Take longer but less frequent breaks. Use train, bus and even boat when possible and minimally convenient. For working reasons engage the tools we have for teleconferencing. We have being using it for the last four months 100% of the time and it work out, let keep such numbers high.

Imagine you have a plant based diet with local sources, flight as little as possible and minimize waste at home. What else can you do? No worries, this just started, let me start by order of easiness:

• Vote to parties that implement policies that protect the biodiversity, transition to clean energy, and do not subsidy the most damaging industries ad petrol and industrial farming. Look at the programm and legislation, and not empty words and green washing, the current spectrum is full of this
• Lobby for the change at work and in your network. Make clear that you would like to work on projects that are meaningfull and make the world a better place. Growth, shareholder value, and profitable may be necessary but far from sufficient.
• Consume long lasting products, and support local businesses. Reduce product turnout and look for high quality is a win win game. 
• Live minimally, it is much less stressing, liberating and allow you to focus on your passion. Things cost more than more, but the time you spend to buy them. We wise on your money expenditures.
• Invest socially, move your money on ethical banks that support real value creation.

Those are part of a journey, with its ups and downs, and here it comes from me the most effective of all:

• BECOME and GRASS ROOT ACTIVIST: support a small local project that supports clear actions like:
• increasing local resilience, in terms of food, energy, water or amaterial access
• increase the amount of protected natural spaces, like forests, rivers, lakes...
• stop and strike against projects that support speculation and not value creation for local communities

I do believe that we will go through this via the sum of hundreds and thousands of small projects that will supprt the necessary leardship for collective action. 

We are currently leaving in a leadership crisis too, and politicans just follow what people ask for. LGTB movement, and black live matters are just examples, and it is  through bottom up change that those changes happen.

We do need laws to protect the commons(soil, water, forest, corals, energy/material sources), to create the conditions for healing and prosperity, instead of explotation and inequality bubbles, but those will take place after a solid consolidation of the civil movement is in place. 

It does not take us to do all perfect, is require some of us focusing on what matters to make or development model resilient to the end of cheap energy, and the shocks and challenges of unsensible economic growth.

Do not listen to cinics that they you you cannot make a difference. Sit on the bus, independently of your race, stand in front of the tank, hug an ancient tree, challenge your company strategy of infinite growth, read-learn-listen and create/design, so we can build a prosperous future that is more inclusive and exciting that the one we are building now.

"I could not wake up and work 40 hours for fifty years to make a living in a world that is not exciting. I am here to express my gifts, my gratefullness to those who bring me life and joy in this beautiful world. I am here, unique and imperfect, to make a difference, indepdently of how small I am, my ingenuity and compasion is bigger than the universe."