Things You can do to Halt Climate Change

More Ways to Get Involved

Start Where You Live – Make it Enjoyable

Gently share what you are learning with family, friends and acquaintances, including those in religious institutions and schools. Be sure to read the articles in the Denial section in the Learning Center to understand human resistance to climate change.

Suggest that your Book Group reads one of these two books: Naomi Klein’s, This Changes Everything and Bill McKibben’s Eaarth, or one of the books listed in “Other Great Resources”.

Call it a Salon, Soiree, or Pot Luck Dinner: Start a Film Festival featuring films from the Other Great Resources below. Be sure to leave time for discussion.
If you or someone in your family suffers from poor air quality because you live near a source of pollution, consider working with Moms' Clean Air Force, local anti-fracking and anti-pipeline groups.
If you have children in school, or home school, explore ways to introduce the excellent materials in the Child and Family Section.
Are you a grandparent? If so, check out Elders for Climate Change, a positive, active organization.
Share ClimateChangeLiteracy.org with friends and family. Study and talk about the issues together; continue to learn.

Expand your Circle

Look at the list of organizations and research online which organizations have people working in your community on efforts and issues that are important to you. Attend a meeting; if it is not a fit, contact another organization.

Support Biodiversity and Biodiverse Food Production

If you are motivated by the promise of fresh, local produce, check your area for biodiverse farms and join the growing movement of buying food locally from these producers.
Are you excited by the Biodiversity Solution Section? Share the information on restoring grasslands with cattle grazing.

Get to know the Agriculture Extension Programs in your area.
If you have access to Agricultural Universities, contact and share this information with those in cattle production and ranching.
Offer to help them find consultants and specialists in this field for conferences and educational events.

Whose Interests Do Your Local Elected Officials Represent ?

If you want to advocate for clean energy with officials in your city, county, state and Congress, you can join with others in your community who are doing so. Advocacy organizations provide support, educational resources and training to get you ready.

Get to know your elected and appointed officials and their action or inaction on vulnerabilities in your area (whether water shortages, forest fires, mud slides and flash flooding, traffic gridlock, air pollution with excessive respiratory disease, drought, loss of wetlands, high sea levels, or extreme weather).

Monitor your City and County Council – go to their meetings regularly. Introduce yourself to others who attend these meetings; share information about greening your city (see Solutions). Do the same with your state and national elected officials and with Utility Regulation Commissions in your area.

The most impactful actions you can take to inform your U.S. Congressional Representatives are to:

Visit them in Washington, D.C.
Visit them in their local office
Call them.
Write a letter
Send an email

See the Advocacy Section for Organizations that can assist you.

Your Personal Carbon Footprint and other Choices

Create new habits to cut your carbon footprint.

COTAP offers 25+ Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint, and
Fifty Ways to Help the Planet has helped many people with local action

Call It a Villain, Call it a Target
Articles in the Psychology of Denial Section maintain that humans need a clearly defined enemy to become activated. The term "Climate Change" is imprecise and open to different interpretations, leading many to believe we can kick the can down the road. If you haven’t gleaned anything else from this site, hopefully it is that we need action now. Here are a few villains we can eliminate from our lives.

Single Use Plastic Bottles – Now here is bad actor to say no to, and happily there are many safe ways to replace these. “Nearly 90% of plastic water bottles are not recycled, instead taking thousands of years to decompose. Buy a reusable container and fill it with tap water, a great choice for the environment, your wallet, and possibly your health. The EPA's standards for tap water are more stringent than the FDA's standards for bottled water.”* Think of all the ways you can gift reusable bottles – stocking stuffers, back to school gifts, business gifts, etc. Start buying milk in glass bottles or paper cartons; tell your store managers about your preference.
Commercially Produced Beef – “One less meat-based meal a week helps the planet and your diet. For example: It requires 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef. You will also save some trees. For each hamburger that originated from animals raised on rainforest land, approximately 55 square feet of forest have been destroyed.”* Range fed beef, on the other hand, can play a positive role to restore ecosystems and many nutritionists theorize that it is healthier to consume. See comparisons to feedlot beef.
Fossil Fuel Stocks – Divestment campaigns are a means to denounce and increase the moral stake in protests of the oil, gas and coal industries. Activists around the world are asking their universities, institutions, and fund managers to divest from these stocks. See DivestInvest for more information.

* From Fifty Ways to Help the Planet.