I am not following the president impeachment happenings each day, though I do try to stay informed since I am, in general, a bit of a politics junkie. However I'm finding the toxicity spills over everywhere, with much that stuns and dismays. Cruelty tears me up. (Kids in Cages??!) Not facing the changing climate, in particular, makes no possible sense at all to me. (Fossil fuels forever? I don't see how or why.)
I don't want to take time tonight to make any kind of long list. Where my house is located, we don't talk politics a lot and when we do It doesn't feel unfriendly. My Kentucky county has, until Trump, always voted for the Democrat for president.
My monthly writers group of over 20 years enjoys giving a joint donation every year instead of gifts to each other at Christmas. This year we decided to find some way to express support for actual ongoing projects that are trying to do something on the ground, so to speak, directly related to the climate. Here are two articles we use to research our decision. I don't include either one in its entirety, so I hope it doesn't end up being too confusing to be helpful.
article #1: How to Stop Freaking Out and Tackle Climate Change
Here’s a five-step plan to deal with the stress and become part of the solution.
By
Ms. Marris is the author of “Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World.”
You are scrolling through the news and see yet another story about climate change.
Australia is on fire. Indonesia is drowning. At the same time, Donald Trump is trying to make it easier to build new fossil-fuel projects.
As
you read, your chest tightens and a sense of dread washes over you,
radiating out from your heart. You feel anxious, afraid and intensely
guilty. Just this morning, you drove a gasoline-powered car to work. You
ate beef for lunch. You booked a flight, turned on the heat, forgot
your reusable grocery bags at home. This is your fault.
As
an environmental writer, I’m often asked for guidance on coping with
climate change. I have thoughts. Even better, I have a five-point plan
to manage the psychological toll of living with climate change and to become part of the solution.
Step 1: Ditch the shame.
The
first step is the key to all the rest. Yes, our daily lives are
undoubtedly contributing to climate change. But that’s because the rich
and powerful have constructed systems that make it nearly impossible to
live lightly on the earth. Our economic systems require most adults to
work, and many of us must commute to work in or to cities intentionally
designed to favor the automobile. Unsustainable food, clothes and other
goods remain cheaper than sustainable alternatives.
There's much more to the article, but I want to include here an earlier article that was helpful for us, from VOX, December 18, 2018, by Sigel Samuel:
article#2: Want to fight climate change effectively? Here's where to donate your money.
The article features 5 options, and we are going for the first one, called COALITION FOR RAINFOREST NATIONS. If anyone wants help locating the article, please let me know and I can dig around and send a link.
Note: Since I do believe that trees are essential for life on earth and irreplaceable, and since I will probably end up writing other posts on this topic, I am also going to feature a tree each time. I revere trees. Here is one of many photos with trees that I've made. The photo was made in England; it's an oak, in January. Thank you, tree. We need everyone of you.
Stay warm, keep your cool, be bold, encourage bravery, appreciate a tree.
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