By this point you’ve heard about climate change, the climate crisis. You’ve seen the headlines as one natural disaster rolls through, a few percentage points worse because of our warming world. The New York Times has a Climate and Environment section, right there next to Health, and Science and Dance, etc. COP26 “just” happened in October. The Infrastructure bill passed with some climate action related monies identified, but the Build Back Better initiative remains stuck, held up by the coal baron Manchin (and well lets be fair, the entire Republican party) where even more money is identified to help us address and adapt to the rapid and destructive changes happening to Earth, to the environment, to plants and animals and our water and weather and the very air we breathe. And of course to people, cultures and countries that have contributed way way less to this crisis but are bearing the burden sooner and more harshly than the WEIRD countries (Western, Educated, Industrialized Rich, Democracies) that have contributed the most to the unrolling climate and environmental disaster before us and in front of us.

Studies roll out regularly - like, oh heat waves increase kidney stones, air pollution increases dementia, kids can’t learn when its hot, babies are being born earlier, the permafrost is melting, the artic had its warmest temperature ever, the ocean is the warmest its been, the past five or 7 years have been the warmest on record (I mean at this point, does it really matter if its 5 or 7?). We know its happening. And it is 7.

And yet our emissions - as we struggle to pretend like the pandemic is “fine” (it’s fine) and the planet isn’t melting - have increased. We literally know that we need to turn this ship of emissions around. And yet - what have we changed? The personal “we” and the collective “we”?

I don’t mean to be depressing. But we are our own worse enemies. Entirely sensible people recognize what is happening - but then have an SUV full of “what ifs” or “not in my backyard” or “not my wheels” or “yeah but its the system” or “somebody should do something (but I don’t want to)”.

And they aren’t wrong about “the system”. Its so much easier to go on about our days then to change our habits and behaviors, our “This is how life is” expectations - our own personal “systems”. Its easier to go on about our days and not demand changes to the “system” - the system(s) that run the world - corporations, government, rich people. Or to demand changes to the system, but not want those changes to affect our own little piece of the world.

So - what can I do? What can I say? What can I say that hasn’t already been said? Who will listen? Who will act?

What can I say that doesn’t feel like I’m just screaming into the Void.

We cannot just give up.

That’s the thing of it. I can’t give up.

I don’t want to lose the animals and plants. I don’t want people to suffer. I want clean and clear air with the beauty of vistas. I want clean and clear water. We will already, with the damage done, lose animals, plants and people. But we cannot just throw in the towel. We can’t be fatalistic.

How many times as kids were we encourage to not say “I can’t.” How many times as parents (I am not one) or coaches (I am one) or teachers have we said to kids “Say ‘I can’t - YET’ ”. Yet leaves open the possibility for learning, the possibility of growth, the possibility of change.

“Yet” -

• I haven’t bought an electrical vehicle - yet (Need to do the calculation of my limited mileage usage of my ICE (Internal Combustible Engine- meaning burns gas) versus other changes to my carbon foot print that might have more bang for my bucks. My car will be 13 years old in April and currently has about 95,600 miles, its a Honda Fit with excellent gas mileage - which is still a fossil fuel).

• I haven’t increased the insulation in my attic - yet (this summer hopefully).

• I haven’t replaced my lawn with native plants and storm water runoff management - yet (Happening this Spring! Well, for the back yard first).

• I haven’t switched out my gas furnace for an electric heat pump - yet (this will happen by 2025).

• I haven’t switched out my gas hot water heater for an electric, possibly solar supported or “tankless” water heater - yet (doing some research to see what makes sense for my situation, but this will happen by 2025).

• I haven’t donated the torn or stained textiles to a recycler - yet (but I have started looking for a place or way to do this).

I started with the “yets” but I did manage to accomplish a few things this year.

Done or in progress

• Swapped out my gas oven and stove top for an electric induction. And I love it.

• Replaced my over 10 year old refrigerator with a newer and supposedly more efficient model, donated the old one for recycling through Pepco.

• Donated cabinets and appliances from my kitchen remodel to Community Forklift to get a second life and a microwave to Habitat ReStore.

• Installed cork flooring in my kitchen and reused some of the old tiles in the garden to create a path

• Rode my bike or walked to the store, farmer’s market and my parents more than the previous year (reducing local car mileage)

• Picked up trash around the creek more than once (but not enough!)

• Planted more plants for pollinators, reducing the percentage of my yard that is grass/lawn.

• Bought an electric lawn mower instead of the lawn service mowing with gas tools.

• Used all LED lights for my kitchen and porch projects.

• Increased the temperature that I turn on the AC, and reduced the temperature that I turn on the heat. Currently setting the heat at 57 at night for sleeping, keeping it in the low sixties during the day, getting up to no higher than 68 in the evenings when the wind blows through the walls.

• Joined my local Buy Nothing Group - haven’t given anything away yet (just joined last week) but looking forward to finding people who can use the random extra things in my house. Like I bought Velcro dots for something specific, but I only needed like 4, but of course you get l20 in a pack. That kind of thing should not just be thrown in the trash!

• Making a pile of used gear or gear that I don’t need to trade in at REI.

• Making a pile for electronics recycling - like the router and modem that the lighting strike took out last summer. And - do I dare admit this? My apple computer . . . from college.

• Composting - that’s been a continual thing, but its continuing!

• No flying - I mean, there has been a pandemic, but I haven’t flown anywhere in awhile. I’m trying to remember when I last flew somewhere. Maybe 2018?

• Trying to eat less meat and dairy overall, and from local farmers when I do.

Will my personal efforts change climate change? Save the birds, bees, plants and animals?

No.

But maybe it’ll be 2 degrees hotter a few minutes later than if I didn’t act. Maybe 1 or 2 people will suffer a little bit less from a “natural” disaster. Maybe my local birds, bees, plants and animals will experience a little less suffering. Maybe my creek will be a little less polluted.

And the thing of it is, I don’t actually think of any of these things as a sacrifice. I like my induction stove top better than when I had a gas stove. I like biking and walking places - combines exercise with accomplishing an errand while not burning fossil fuels - yes please!

Keeping my house colder in the winter and warmer in the summer? To be honest, it makes it way easier to spend more time outside. We acclimate to the temperature in which we spend the most time (to a certain degree, human life is going to struggle with the heat increases, as we’ve already seen with the increase of loss of life during heat waves). Its easier to connect with nature when there is a less drastic difference in our indoor and outdoor temperatures. Besides, when there is a big difference in indoor and outdoor temperatures I get a migraine leaving or entering buildings.

And yes, taking some actions cost money. Like adding insulation to your attic. You can DYI this of course like my sister and brother-in-law did, you can rent the equipment, feed the machine and blow insulation into your attic. I’m going to add it on to an existing project. Its one of the most return for your money efforts you can undertake. Sometimes it comes down to making choices. Sure, Disney world is fun but is super expensive. Camping, hiking, staying in a cabin or swimming in a lake is also super fun, less expensive, and you might be able to then afford to add insulation to your attic.

Maybe that’s what we need to be thinking about. Just like some religions require a certain tithe or I try to donate a certain amount to charity each year, maybe we need a practical solution like making a line item in our budgets for addressing our climate and environmental impacts. Just like we have to save for our “retirement” years we need a line for changing, planning and adapting to a changing environment.

Now that seems like a topic for another post!

So - in response to my title - What is there (still) to say? - what I have still to say is that we cannot give up. We need to plan a bit, act a bit, and plan some more and act some more. Bit by bit, action by action, baby steps and big steps. Person by person. You, me, and your neighbor, our best friends, the kids down the street. We have to act, we have to change, the coming changes will also require us to adapt and change. Let’s be ready by acting and changing now. I hope you are with me on this!

And that pretty sums up what I can summon up for the New Year of 2022.

Thanks for reading.