Saving the Planet One Step at a time

For those of us who have been active in grassroots election-related activities for many months, this last week has felt empty, perhaps even pointless.  No matter whether your candidate won or lost, the high level of intensity has suddenly stopped, and you may feel rudderless, flailing around with no specific goal or direction. I’ve experienced that emptiness several times – when I finished writing a book, for example, or after a move that involved packing boxes and then unpacking them again at the new place. I even felt it after completing a large landscaping project at my Santa Cruz house. The only solution that works for me is to get stuck into some new project.

Six months ago, my walking partner introduced me to The Climate Reality Project. She described it as a non-profit organization focused on educating people about climate change and what we can do individually and as a group to make the world a cleaner place. I started attending the San Fernando Valley chapter Zoom gatherings and have been taking notes and making small changes in my life to support its goals.

Local Government

Recently at our chapter meeting, I listened to Lindsay Horvath, Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, explain LA’s 2045 Climate Action Plan.  LA County strives to achieve zero-carbon buildings, concentrate more housing and jobs near transit, and conserve much more water, all by 2045.  As a transplant from Northern California, it was eye-opening for me to learn how environmentally responsible this LA County Board of Supervisors appears to be. Supervisor Horvath took questions for half an hour, and expanded on some of the individual projects, encouraging members of The Climate Reality Project to get involved.

I have spent this last week, as many of you have, trying to realign what is with what I hoped would be. Crying doesn’t help, nor does watching Netflix for hours. But attending this meeting reminded me that there are always things we can do to make our world a better place

Last month our chapter meeting focused on reducing unnecessary paper and products coming into our homes. The speaker provided links to remove our names from junk mail lists, opt out of credit card and insurance offers, reduce the number of catalogs we receive, and remove our addresses from Valpak coupon mailers. We talked about some household staples now being packaged differently to reduce waste. I learned about replacing plastic laundry detergent bottles with laundry sheets that come in cardboard envelopes; reducing the use of shampoo and conditioner containers by purchasing shampoo in bars or cardboard cartons; using dryer balls instead of fabric softener, buying dishwasher and laundry detergent, shampoo, and conditioner in our own glass containers from stores that sell these products in bulk.

How We Can Help

There were lots more suggestions, and much of what I heard sounded familiar.  Didn’t we do all this in the 60s? Yes, we did, but many of us seem to have strayed. Certainly, I have.  And there is a whole new generation to recruit. I appreciate all the energetic young people leading these initiatives to get us back on track, reminding us to take shorter showers and turn off the water while we brush our teeth.  Reducing waste, repackaging products, and recycling our material goods through groups like Freecycle, Buy Nothing, etc., are all steps we can take with little effort.

I also discovered that we can thank former U.S. Vice President Al Gore (remember him?) for The Climate Reality Project. Two environmental groups he founded, The Alliance for Climate Protection and The Climate Project, consolidated in July 2011 and he currently serves as chairman of the board of directors..

According to Wikipedia, The Climate Reality Project has a global network of 3.5 million people in over 100 chapters. Through this network, the organization aims to construct a sustainable net zero future. If joining this effort appeals to you, Google Climate Reality Project and find your local chapter. Or you can use this link: https://www.climaterealityproject.org/us-chapters

Search other articles by Marlene Bumgarner at HTTP://www.marlenebumgarner.com

Cancer Note

Many of you contacted me in September and October for an update. I so appreciate your concern and your good wishes, and I hope I answered each one of you personally.  The PET scan I had in September did not show any evidence of cancer. I’ve been warned by my doctor that there is a limitation to how well PET scans can identify very small tumors or microscopic melanoma lesions, but all the same, that feels like very good news.  I’m still in treatment and dealing with side effects, but I am enjoying the fall leaves and looking forward to a celebratory Road Scholar trip, Christmas in Sorrento. I just returned from a four-day cruise to Ensenada with a high school friend, and I’m feeling very grateful to be alive.

Marlene

Marlene Anne Bumgarner writes primarily about food, family, and traditions. Her 2020 memoir, Back to the Land in Silicon Valley, is about raising children, animals, and vegetables on a rural plot of land in the 1970s.   Organic Cooking for (not-so-organic) Families will be out soon, and she’s now working on an update to The Book of Whole Grains while also crafting a cozy mystery, Death on a Sunny Afternoon – a Harriet Palmer Mystery.