I’ve noticed a certain jadedness among young people who have lived their entire lives in the shadow of climate change.
I understand their frustration. I was in fourth grade when I discovered that natural disasters were becoming more frequent. In sixth grade, I found out that my favorite animal was the polar bear.
We hear horrible stories about the environment all the time. The news is dominated by the stories of wildfires, extinctions and oil spills.
I have noticed a lack in belief that individual actions can make a difference.
If youre like me and have ever felt defeated in your efforts to make the environmentally-conscious choice if youve ever dumped your recycling at the center behind Target and wondered, Whats the point? You’re not alone.
We don’t see our trash go to the landfill or ocean. But we do see the positive effects of our decisions.
It is true that both large corporations and government bodies have more power. Use While we have more power than anyone of us individually, our individual actions still have great impact.
I keep seeing memes on social media that show how individual actions are insignificant in comparison to institutional changes. They say, “Sure, Ill continue bringing my reusable water container to work,” but not a headline about how Line 3 spilled.
This sentiment is very relatable. It can feel as if our individual actions are just a drop in the ocean.
Here’s the truth: Negativity is not helping us.
People react strongly to negative news, sometimes too strongly, as the news cycle seems depressing in real-time. However, people are more likely make positive changes to their lives if there is hope.
If we feel it will make a difference, we are more likely to recycle, buy organic and put up solar panels. If we are positive about the outcome.
Individual actions can’t offset the carbon footprint from rainforest deforestation and coal mining, but they are still very powerful.
We are creating social norms that encourage people to make the best environmentally sound choices. We send a message that people care about the Earth every time we collect the trash from the special dumpsters located behind Target.
Every time I drop my recycling, they overflow.
Another example: This year, I committed not to use the clothes dryers in my building.
Dryers consume between two to six kilowatts per hour. My apartment receives passive solar rays free of charge. As a small nod to my Peace Corps life, I started drying my clothes. My apartment is dry, so drying my clothes there costs nothing and uses less energy. It also increases the humidity in my home without the use of a humidifier.
Are you going to save the earth by not drying my apartments?
I’m going to be bold and say yes.
My indoor clothesline is something I show friends when I invite them over. I was actually more embarrassed to set up my own indoor clothesline because my neighbors had one. This is optimism.
The
Nancy Knowlton started a movement to highlight the many successes and failures in our environmental path.
Although they all agree that Earth’s habitability has been threatened, speakers Jane Goodall, Sir David Attenborough, and a Solutions Fair highlighted how individual actions can have an impact.
Websites like
They cover stories we don’t hear often, such as those about municipalities that ban plastic bags and recover species, or LED lights going up.
It’s a great place to find a new dose of optimism, especially when we are feeling the most defeated and least likely to act for the good of the planet.
So many people care about the Earth. We are not the only ones concerned about the environment.
I had the opportunity to visit Wells Technology last week. I didn’t know that almost all of the factory’s production is powered by 98 mobile photovoltaic panels.
Hunters are now turning in deer for CWD testing to ensure the survival of the species. Red Lake’s almost-extinct walleye has made a complete recovery. There are good news right here in our backyard.
Rachel Beglin, originally from Phoenix Ariz., now resides in Bemidji. She is a former Peace Corps volunteer, sustainability advocate and a writer. You can reach her at
