“Of course we do!”
Too often, we respond to urgent reports about natural decline with a powerless shrug. Since many impacts are embedded in gigantic industrial systems, we don’t feel there’s much we can do. We forget that we collectively create the culture that chooses the technologies and policies. We’re in charge! In various aspects of our lives, individual actions can help put the brakes on climate change and let nature regenerate.
Internet user: It’s true the digital universe can mesmerize and distract us, but if we choose reliable information sources it also strengthens political participation and informed citizens. In less time than it takes to microwave a dish of potatoes, we can each be one of half a million signers of a climate change petition; plant a tree with an online contribution, or research options for green personal care products.
Meal Planner: A household’s meal planner can be a hero in helping nature bounce back. The average American diet, heavy on the meat (more than 200 pounds a year) requires twice as much water – and three times land area per person – as an equally nutritious vegetarian diet.
Vacationer: Vacations can be great fun for travelers (up to 800 million of us a year) but sometimes not so much fun for nature. Excessive air travel is one of humanity’s most troublesome habits, as is tourism-related development that can destroy world-class natural areas. Taking vacations closer to home is a start, and combining that approach with purpose-driven time off, for example volunteer agritourism is even better.
Employee: Choosing a nature-friendly job can be one of the most satisfying ways to make a difference. Ask Steve Golden, an ex-senior manager with the National Park Service. “Every day I partnered with people from the South Bronx to the wilds of Maine, working to save their rivers, trails, and open spaces. I think I may have had the best job there is.”
Shopper: According to a Natural Marketing Institute survey, green certification labels have a major effect on consumer decisions. Among the early adopters of green products, 75 percent are more likely to buy products with green labels such as Energy Star, Recycled, USDA Organic, and Fair Trade. And they will pay more for the quality assurance these labels offer: things like efficiency, good stewardship of the land, and monetary support for workers.
Recycler: Individuals don’t recycle, cultures do. Paying by the bag or trashcan for everything we don’t recycle (the Pay as You Throw policy) turns recycling into a consumer sport. If we want to pay less for trash collection, we can generate less trash, which means buying products with packaging we can recycle, and products that are concentrated, repairable, durable, designed to resist fashion swings.
House and landscape maintainer: Entomologist Douglas Tallamy looks at the protection of nature through the eyes of an insect. Throughout his career he’s observed that native insects don’t thrive on non-native plants and that a land without insects is a land without much “higher” life. He’s reclaimed his own property in Pennsylvania, replacing most alien botanic species with natives. He gets more insects, birds, and mammals and fewer allergies.
Educator and student: In a great little book called Beyond Ecophobia, elementary school teacher David Sobel writes, “Children are disconnected from the world outside their own doors and but virtually connected with endangered animals and ecosystems around the globe through electronic media.” To teach children about birds, he likes to craft wings out of cardboard boxes and let his fledgling students become the birds, build nests, and only then bring out the bird books.
