Earth Day Suggestions: #4.6 Start with 1 BIG thing

 

Back in September, the movie Racing Extinction was released. It is huge in its scope and its message. (My breaking point in the movie was a little segment about a lonely tree frog. Go figure.)

 

Trailer here

 

A big part of the film launch was the #startwith1thing idea, which encouraged everyone who watched to find one environmentally friendly step and commit to it. And that is a good start.

However, as much as I love every green gadget, DIY project, electric vehicle, and giving up straws, I also know that it is going to take a lot more than a few of us making a lot of tiny changes. We have been doing serious environmental damage for more than a century. It is going to take a lot of work to slow down and reverse the damage. But I believe it can be done.

Take a deep breath.

Before we jump into it, what do you care about?

Children, cancer, deforestation, whales, lung disease, water conservation, recycling, poverty, surfing, skiing, food production, food waste, farming, fossil fuels, pollution, gardening, government reform, sea-level rise, bees, endangered species, camping, renewable energy, or that thing I missed.

Yes, please find something. Then start with one BIG thing (something bigger than your daily life) and get to work.

For me, I kept looking at the big list and everything kept pointing back to carbon. The more we release, the more everything else goes downhill. And now I have found my one BIG thing - the Citizen's Climate Lobby.  This group focuses on limiting carbon release through a carbon tax and redistribution of those funds to the general public. This bipartisan plan is designed to use market pressure to limit carbon extraction, encourage the adoption of renewable energy, and stimulate a country's economy. (By the way, we even have a Lubbock chapter!)

(Take another deep breath and have a flower break)

For you, please look at the things you are most passionate about, find a group working to save, preserve, or support that passion, and start with that one BIG thing. Few of us have the time, energy, and resources to tackle the whole list, but if we each tackle one BIG thing, we can make whole lot of big positive impacts (and not absolutely overwhelm ourselves).

May Earth Day be your line in the sand!

PS. Keep up the good work on all of those LITTLE things too!