Take Action To Help the Environment/Correct Social Injustice

Each of us can strive to buy goods that are durable and environmentally friendly rather than ostentatious, extravagant, or not necessary. We can downsize our consumption as a way of practicing ecological simplicity, without sacrificing basic life comforts. That means buying products that are lasting, reliable, and nonpolluting in their manufacture and use. It also means reusing items that are functional rather than always buying the "latest" or "newest" replacement. For example, you can upgrade the operating system on your existing computer rather than replacing your computer every two or three years. Also, you can buy less clothing, jewelry, and cosmetics, focusing on what is functional and durable rather than on passing fads and fashions.

It helps to look for goods that are labeled environmentally friendly. As described previously, you can buy new appliances that are "Energy Star" certified. Eco-labeling identifies products derived from sustainable forest practices, that utilize energy-efficient technologies, or constitute sustainable food choices. A good place to start in buying eco-friendly products is to look at the web site of the Center for a New American Dream (newdream.org). This site contains extensive recommendations on eco-friendly products in a variety of categories ranging from clothing to appliances. Particularly helpful are the comparative energy-efficiency ratings presented for household appliances, vehicles, electronics, and other consumer items. Another good resource for buying ecologically friendly household furnishings, clothing, garden supplies, and other sundry items is ecoshoppe.com.

Finally, remember to buy local when you can. Purchasing produce from your local farmer's market not only assures fresher fruits and vegetables( than your commercial grocery store), it also reduces energy consumption required by the long distance transport of most food items.

Consumer recycling has been around for about 30 years, and in some progressive American cities, recycling accounts for as much as 50 per cent of the municipal solid waste stream. On the other hand, the national recycling rate has stagnated at about 30 per cent since the 1990s, a figure well below rates in several European countries. In tough economic times, cities often curtail curbside recycling programs, and opposition to recycling also comes from corporate groups such as the timber and mining companies.

If you do not have curbside recycling in your community, find out where you can take used paper, plastic, glass and metal items to be recycled. Because of the global problem of diminishing forests, recycling paper has the highest priority. This includes newspapers and magazines, junk mail, office paper, cardboard, and paper bags. The paper should be uncontaminated: free of food, plastic, wax, rubber bands, clips and tape. After paper, you can choose to recycle aluminum cans, plastic containers, plastic bottles as well as clear glass bottles. Doing so will ultimately reduce greenhouse gases and pollution produced by mining operations as well as plastic manufacturers.

Recycling in general will help reduce the amount of trash that ends up in landfills. Worldwide, landfills take up a space about the size of the state of Pennsylvania. The highest point on the east coast of the United States from satellite cameras is a landfill. Burning the contents of landfills releases toxins into the air. Letting the contents sit in the earth results in leaching of toxins into the groundwater. Some of the contents, such as Styrofoam and some metals, will be around for more than a thousand years.

Socially responsible investing is a strategy where you consider the social and environmental consequences of where you invest your money. Each of us can refrain from investing in companies that create hazards to human health, either through their products (such as tobacco and alcohol) or through pollution. More generally, we can avoid investing in companies whose practices harm plant, animal or human life (such as defense contractors and companies that test animals). Finally, we can avoid companies that exploit workers in third world countries.

Another way to make a difference is to educate yourself about global issues and then spread the word to your friends. Some of the most important topics include climate change, diminishing resources— especially oil and water, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, overpopulation, poverty, hunger, disease, and inadequate education. To become more educated about global problems, you can start with the annual reports of the Worldwatch Institute. An independent research organization based in Washington, D.C., the Institute produces an annual report on the state of the world, examining many of the major problems the Earth faces. The discussions are balanced and thorough, exploring the complex interrelationships among problems such as global warming, poverty, hunger, increasing competition for fossil fuels, and the prospects for future wars over strained resources. To find out more, visit their web site, worldwatch.org.

Also you can read books that deal with global concerns. The following three books are a good place to start: An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore, Plan B-3.0 by Lester Brown, and The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs, and Hot, Flat & Crowded, by Thomas Friedman.

On a practical level, you can reach out to people who are impoverished, homeless, hungry, in threat of disease, or otherwise socially disadvantaged. This includes making an active time and/or financial commitment to help needy people in your own community as well as contributing to organizations that strive to help people in third world countries around the globe. In the words of performer and humanitarian Bono, "We can be the generation that no longer accepts that an accident of latitude determines whether a child lives or dies—but will we be that generation?" There are at least two ways you can begin to help others in your own community or elsewhere: volunteering your time and making a financial contribution.

Volunteer locally to help people who are impoverished or disabled. You might, for example, spend one or two hours per week volunteering for organizations that help people who are challenged by poverty, homelessness, hunger, mental or physical disablility, spousal abuse, substance abuse, or age and infirmity. If you don’t know where to start, try doing an internet search of volunteer opportunities in your city or county. Perhaps your church has opportunities to get directly involved with people in need. Also, you can go to the website volunteermatch.org, enter your zip code, and obtain a list of opportunities in or nearest your area.

Contribute to organizations that deal with global problems of poverty, disease, overpopulation, and lack of education. Perhaps the simplest way to make a difference is to make a financial contribution. The internet has made this much easier than it used to be. Instead of mailing in your donation, you can simply go to your favorite organizations’ websites and make contributions using your credit card.

There are countless nonprofit organizations that deal with problems relating to poverty, hunger, disease, and social injustice, all with web sites. Some of the better-known ones include:

To learn more about the wide range of opportunities for making a difference, consider reading books on the subject such as Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World by Bill Clinton, How to Save the World in Your Spare Time by Elizabeth May or A Kid’s Guide to Giving by Freddi Zeiler (the latter book has many good ideas for adults).

Each of us can further help by becoming involved, through membership and/or financial contributions, with nongovernmental organizations that address climate change, conservation of natural resources, sustainable development, and alternative forms of energy. Some of the better known organizations include:

Natural Resources Defense Council
(ndrc.org)

Environmental Defense
(environmentaldefense.org)

World Resources Institute
(wri.org)

World Wildlife Fund
(worldwildlife.org)

Sierra Club (sierraclub.org)
Greenpeace (greenpeace.org)

You might also consider getting involved with local environmental groups in your community concerned with causes such as preserving natural habitats or working with municipal utility companies to purchase wind and solar-based energy.

Each of us can support candidates at the local, state, and government levels who are pro-environment. The League of Conservation Voters maintains a web site (lcv.org) that evaluates the environmental credentials of political candidates at the national, and, in some cases, state level. Also you can contact your state congresspeople regarding your views on key issues such as global warming, habitat protection, animal rights, promotion of energy-saving technologies, or whatever issues interest you. Let your elected representatives know that a world that spends a trillion dollars per year on defense (half of this is spent by the United States) is simply out of touch with a situation where the future of civilization is in question. The Worldwatch Institute estimates that about one fifth of this budget invested each year would be sufficient to solve all of the problems Earth and humanity are presently facing.

Many environmental organizations such as, for example, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Sierra Club, have petitions you can sign to take a stand on a wide variety of environmental concerns. Making a difference with your vote or signature often involves little more than the click of a mouse. Consider making a start today by going to the web sites of any of the various environmental organizations listed above.

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