Blog Action Day: Little Things You Can Do To Help Stop Climate Change

When Baby mentioned to my oldest nephew that she was learning about global warming and climate change at school, his response was, "so climate change is real? Gosh! I thought it was a myth."

Which got me thinking about the fact that many people I know in my village think that IF global warming is real, it's something that is relevant for people in the Western world/people who live large cities and are affluent enough to worry about whether their light bulb fluorescent and not incandescent.

What is the relevance of climate change to ordinary South Africans who are still aspirational and dream of owning big houses, driving big cars, to be able to take long hot baths and to own as many electronic gadgets we can get our hands on?

Yet, our earth cannot cope with current demands that are being made on it, never mind the demands of those who are previously disadvantaged. We have to start thinking about some of the things that we can do to stop global warming, even as we continue to dream of having greater access to resources and living more affluent lives.

Here are some of the things we can do:

A. Reduce the amount of power we use in our day-to-day lives by:

1. Using less hot water
2. Using a clothes line instead of a dryer
3. Turning off electric devises that you’re not using
4. Unplugging electronic devises from the wall when you’re not using them
5. Only run a dishwasher when you have a full load

B. Emit less carbon dioxide emissions/absorb some of what you emit

6. Plant a tree. A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide in its lifetime.
7. Buy locally grown or produced foods – they travel less to get to you, and therefore, less power is used to get food to you. You will also be supporting local farmers and markets while you’re at it.
8. Walk to the corner store ( rather than driving there) and/or carpool with your colleagues and/friends when you can. This helps reduce the amount of fuel you use to travel and the accompanying carbon dioxide emissions.
9. Phone/email when you can, rather than travelling long distances to attend meetings. This means you use your car or any mode of transport less, and emit less carbon dioxide in your travels.

Doesn't sound so hard, does it?