January is the month of New Year’s resolutions. For week four of my resolution series, our last, I want to focus on talking about and advocating for change. As I have mentioned before in this column, climate activist Will Grant encourages us to act for change on four levels: (1) individual, (2) family and friends,Continue reading “Resolve to Talk and Advocate for Change”
Category Archives: Sustainability
Resolve to Buy Less Stuff
January is the month of New Year’s resolutions. For our third week of resolutions, I wish to talk about consumerism. Wikipedia defines consumerism as “a social and economic order that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts.” Pope Francis speaks of consumerism in Laudato Si: Since the market tends to promote extreme consumerism inContinue reading “Resolve to Buy Less Stuff”
Resolve to Reduce Energy Usage
January is the month of New Year’s resolutions. Why not make a resolution that can improve yourself while also lowering your carbon footprint? For our second week of resolutions, I thought that I would talk about energy usage. Throughout our lives we consume energy in many different ways. At home, we heat and cool ourContinue reading “Resolve to Reduce Energy Usage”
Sustainable Energy is Possible Today. Let’s Help Make it Happen
When it comes to climate change, it’s not all bad news. An article published by CarbonTracker.org back in April (tinyurl.com/sbwu6j2y) and cited in Forbes magazine states that: Solar and wind are inexhaustible sources of energy, unlike coal, oil and gas, and at current growth rates will push fossil fuels out of the electricity sector byContinue reading “Sustainable Energy is Possible Today. Let’s Help Make it Happen”
Will the market cast fossil fuels into the dustbin?
An April 26 Forbes article claims that the writing is on the wall for fossil fuels and that they are already overpriced when compared to renewables and it will just get worse for fossil fuels in the coming years. From the article: Solar and wind energy have the potential to meet global electricity demand 100Continue reading “Will the market cast fossil fuels into the dustbin?”
Don’t send flowers for Valentine’s Day; send trees
Send love, not carbon From a blog post on earthday.org: Nothing is stronger than love — except maybe climate change. Did you know that a gift of flowers will often travel thousands of miles (often by jet plane) to your florist? Add the refrigerants used to keep the flowers cold and then there is the additionalContinue reading “Don’t send flowers for Valentine’s Day; send trees”
Buy Nothing: good for the neighborhood and the planet
Ever look around your house and realize you have too much stuff? We did. And while the instinct is to make a run to Goodwill or St. Vincent de Paul store, there is an alternative. In your neighborhood, there is most likely a “Buy Nothing” group on Facebook where neighbors offer up items they wishContinue reading “Buy Nothing: good for the neighborhood and the planet”
Countdown on Climate Change
TED is a conference that features short but powerful talks from scientists, entertainers, teachers, and other thought leaders. Those giving TED talks have included luminaries such as Bill and Melinda Gates, Madeleine Albright, Bono, and many notable speakers. Countdown is a new global initiative from TED to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis. The CountdownContinue reading “Countdown on Climate Change”
A life on our planet
I just finished watching a powerful documentary on Netflix that I wanted to share with you and urge you to watch as well. The name of the film is David Attenborough: A life on our planet. In this 1 hour and 23 minute documentary, David Attenborough, who was 93 years old when it was filmed,Continue reading “A life on our planet”
Taking Care of the Planet during the Pandemic
The website earthday.org recently published an article on actions you can take for the planet even while practicing good social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Here is a slightly-edited version of the list. I hope this list inspires you with at least one great idea: Go plant-based. More than likely you have extraContinue reading “Taking Care of the Planet during the Pandemic”
The Whole Geek 