Blog Action Day – Climate Change
Blog Action Day has arrived. This is the one day when I try to set aside posts about literature, writing, publishing and ebooks and focus on an issue that affects us all. This year that topic is climate change – a very real problem this earth is facing (and last I checked, this is the only earth we have, for now). This is a day when bloggers from all over unite on a single issue.
To be honest, I was struggling about how I should approach this topic. My first instinct was to incorporate climate change and ebooks somehow. But after doing a little research, the ball is still in the air about ebooks being more environmentally friendly. I also thought about writing about the impact of print publishing and all the resources it eats up. That would require digging through a lot of numbers, studies and stats, which I’m not good at.
In the end I decided to keep it simple. The great folks that organize Blog Action Day set up a page of resources to help bloggers focus their posts on climate change. I’m going to list 5 negative side effects of climate change (there are a lot more than 5, however) and then list 5 simple ways you can make a difference.
The consequences of global warming
- Say hello to more mosquitoes (source)
- Say goodbye to fly fishing (source)
- Say goodbye to meadows and wildflowers (source)
- Say goodbye to 40% of the world’s species (source – not available)
- Say hello to more stray little kitties (source)
- Say hello to more hurricanes (source)
- Say hello to more wildfires (source – not available)
Easy solutions to prevent climate change
- Consume less: This goes without saying. The more we consume, the more waste we produce.
- Eat smart, go vegetarian: I turned vegetarian back in May 2009 and was amazed to learn how much natural resources the US beef industry eats up.
- Bicycle, use public transportation, or carpool: I’m always stunned at the huge numbers of cars on the freeway during rush hour with only 1 person in them. It wastes gas and it pollutes! Find alternate, earth friendly ways to get to your destination.
- Be more efficient: Turn off lights when you leave the room. Group your errands together so you are driving less. There are tons of ways to make your life efficient and environmentally friendly.
- Stop cutting down trees (plant trees instead): Trees our called the ‘lungs of the earth’ and are very important to stopping climate change.
- Have only 1 child: The amount of natural resources every person consumes is amazing. And with earth’s population rabidly growing, we will reach a point when our planet can no longer support such a large number of people. Consider adoption instead.
(source for this list)
Each list can be a lot longer, as there are more effects of climate change and more solutions than what I posted here. I didn’t even scratch the surface of the information that’s out there.
I think it’s important that the environment stays on our minds 24/7 and 365 days a year, not just during Blog Action Day. Even little stuff like recycling adds up. There’s an old saying “Think globally, act locally.” That saying really applies to climate change!
Related posts
- Mark your calendar: Blog Action Day 2009 is on October 15
- The impact of publishing on the environment
- Breathe life into your characters using action
- Are ebooks really more environmentally friendly?
- New design, new features, same blog
I’ve been looking around to dozens of Climate Action Day blogs and find almost no one is posting anything. So by the end of the day, out of 8000 blogs there should be at least 20 or 30 posts. yay Blog Action day! Big success…Wahoo..
Here’s my post for Blog Action Day:
http://selfdestructivebastards.blogspot.com/2009/10/wake-up-humanity.html
Everyone else go make one too!