5 Small Ways We Can Affect Climate Change
By Laura Durlacher
Eat Less Meat
Did you know that the livestock sector - raising cows, pigs and chickens - generates as much greenhouse gas emissions as all cars, trucks and automobiles combined?
One easy way to affect climate change is to modify our diet. It doesn’t have to be drastic, maybe start with one day a week going meatless. We can also try cutting down our beef consumption to one or two servings a week.
2. Shave a Minute off of Our Shower
It’s not likely that many people want to skip their daily shower, but cutting down the amount of time we’re in the shower, even by a minute, can have an impact on climate change. Showering drives almost 17 percent of water use in homes, and an average American family uses some 40 gallons of water per day in the shower. This amounts to 1.2 trillion gallons of water in the United States each year, which is enough to supply the water needs of New York and New Jersey over the same time period.
3. Curb Our Coffee Consumption
As demand for coffee grows, so does the amount of forested land destroyed to create coffee plantations. Additionally, as temperatures rise and droughts intensify, good coffee will become increasingly difficult to grow and expensive to buy. We can affect the demand for coffee by decreasing our daily consumption. Instead of three cups a day, try two.
We can also try shade grown coffee. When coffees are grown in the shade of other plants, the biodiversity of the landscape sees a benefit. Forested land doesn't have to be destroyed. Furthermore, careful planting promotes healthier soil, which can also offer broader benefits like decreased erosion. Check the label to see if coffee is shade grown. If not, perhaps switch to a shade grown brand such as:
Olympia Coffee
Klatch Coffee
Thanksgiving Coffee
Ghost Town Coffee Roasters
Caffe Appassionato
Gevalia Passport Collection
4. Swap Single Use For A Sustainable Option
Single use plastics are dangerous because they are in fact, good for only one use. At current levels, greenhouse gas emissions from the plastic lifecycle threaten the ability of the global community to keep global temperature rise below 1.5C. With the petrochemical and plastic industries planning a massive expansion in production, the problem is on track to get much worse.
To avoid the single use trap, try:
Reusable metal straws instead of plastic
Reusable cloth or silicone bags instead of plastic
Reusable coffee cup instead of single use
Bring and refill a water bottle instead of plastic water bottles
5. Eat Local and Seasonal
The world’s food system is responsible for about one-quarter of the planet-warming greenhouse gases that humans generate each year. That includes raising and harvesting all the plants, animals and animal products we eat — beef, chicken, fish, milk, lentils, kale, corn and more — as well as processing, packaging and shipping food to markets all over the world. If we eat food, we’re part of this system.
In general, what we eat matters a lot more than where it comes from, since transportation accounts for only about 6 percent of food’s total climate footprint. That said, there are a few things to consider. Anything that’s in season where we live, whether we buy it at a local farmers’ market or at a supermarket, is usually a good choice. For more information about what’s in season where we live, visit The Seasonal Food Guide.
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Laura (Manifold) Durlacher is a Independent Business Owner at Manifold Design Inc., a blogger for The ZEN Succulent, and a tireless volunteer for several non-profit organizations that align with Laura's passion for the environment and conservation efforts.