Global Works Day: What Are You Planting?
Today is a worldwide action day to combat climate change; October 10th is designated as the date for a Global Work Party. Happily for me, it is a bright warm fall day, perfect for planting. I have seeds ready to go into my garden, on a day just before rain is predicted. There are buckets out to catch the rain, for watering. Although it will be almost 90F, there will not be air conditioning in my house, which has lots of shade trees keeping it cool. To get to my garden, I will walk, not drive.
Of course, elsewhere there are community activities, and I hope that you will be able to participate in some way, personal or as part of a group, though showering in company will be a personal choice. Buying and eating locally is another good work for the environment.
Planting a tree is helpful. Keeping water use to a minimum also contributes to preserving our resources. No, I’m not even going to mention flushing toilets … oh, snap. The lake here is 80F, so a swim is not out of the picture, though I won’t be driving out there.
From The Nation comes a request to take some action toward a truly necessary goal, that of giving our Earth a hand up.
In the Bronx on October 10, residents will partner with the New York City Housing Authority to apply reflective coating to the roof of an NYCHA building, lowering its energy use. In Oakland, activists will upgrade community gardens and launch a statewide Clean Energy bike tour. In Berlin, a Silent Climate Parade featuring fifty dancers dressed as carbon dioxide molecules will highlight how human societies can produce fewer of them. In the Maldives, President Mohammed Nasheed will climb onto the roof of the presidential palace to install solar panels, thus upstaging President Obama, whose aides rejected 350.org activist Bill McKibben’s request that Obama spend part of October 10 on the White House roof helping to re-install Jimmy Carter’s solar panels (which still work fine, demonstrating that, in McKibben’s words, “We’ve known how to do this stuff for decades”). You can join a local event, or organize your own, by visiting 350.org.
Taking action is the surest antidote I know to the despair that tempts anyone who gazes unflinchingly at the climate challenge…fortunes can change, if activists can recognize and exploit opportunities.
In the feverish political climate, at election time, working against climate change can seem like a distant goal, with little opportunity to achieve it. If each of us does something, though, it becomes more achievable.
While fall may not be a time for planting in your part of the world, there are ways you can contribute to your environment. Celebrating the day is always a good plan. Today being Food Sunday at The Seminal means there will be recipes you can try with good locally grown food.
Global Works Day: What Are You Planting?
Okra blossom in my garden.
Today is a worldwide action day to combat climate change; October 10th is designated as the date for a Global Work Party. Happily for me, it is a bright warm fall day, perfect for planting. I have seeds ready to go into my garden, on a day just before rain is predicted. There are buckets out to catch the rain, for watering. Although it will be almost 90F, there will not be air conditioning in my house, which has lots of shade trees keeping it cool. To get to my garden, I will walk, not drive.
Of course, elsewhere there are community activities, and I hope that you will be able to participate in some way, personal or as part of a group, though showering in company will be a personal choice. Buying and eating locally is another good work for the environment.
Planting a tree is helpful. Keeping water use to a minimum also contributes to preserving our resources. No, I’m not even going to mention flushing toilets … oh, snap. The lake here is 80F, so a swim is not out of the picture, though I won’t be driving out there.
From The Nation comes a request to take some action toward a truly necessary goal, that of giving our Earth a hand up.
In the Bronx on October 10, residents will partner with the New York City Housing Authority to apply reflective coating to the roof of an NYCHA building, lowering its energy use. In Oakland, activists will upgrade community gardens and launch a statewide Clean Energy bike tour. In Berlin, a Silent Climate Parade featuring fifty dancers dressed as carbon dioxide molecules will highlight how human societies can produce fewer of them. In the Maldives, President Mohammed Nasheed will climb onto the roof of the presidential palace to install solar panels, thus upstaging President Obama, whose aides rejected 350.org activist Bill McKibben’s request that Obama spend part of October 10 on the White House roof helping to re-install Jimmy Carter’s solar panels (which still work fine, demonstrating that, in McKibben’s words, "We’ve known how to do this stuff for decades"). You can join a local event, or organize your own, by visiting 350.org.
Taking action is the surest antidote I know to the despair that tempts anyone who gazes unflinchingly at the climate challenge…fortunes can change, if activists can recognize and exploit opportunities.
In the feverish political climate, at election time, working against climate change can seem like a distant goal, with little opportunity to achieve it. If each of us does something, though, it becomes more achievable.
While fall may not be a time for planting in your part of the world, there are ways you can contribute to your environment. Celebrating the day is always a good plan. Today being Food Sunday at The Seminal means there will be recipes you can try with good locally grown food.
