The Napa Valley Climate Connection: Small steps matter - Napa Valley Register

The Napa Valley Climate Connection: Small steps matter

Remember “50 Simple Things to Save the Earth”? Published in 1989, the book arrived just as the first major green marketing wave was taking off, in time for the much-heralded 20th anniversary of Earth Day. It caught the imagination of the public, and millions of copies sold.

The big idea that propelled the book’s success was that our most pressing environmental problems could be solved if we all pitched in with small but meaningful actions. This simple message empowered people to feel that their personal choices and decisions mattered — when shopping, in their use (and reuse) of products and materials, and in their decisions to consume less.

In the years since, it has become painfully evident that there is nothing simple about saving the earth. The changing climate, the continuing pollution of our air, water and oceans, and the unprecedented loss of biodiversity all point to a difficult path ahead. Solving this puzzle will require courageous policies at every level of government, and full engagement of the private sector to embrace sustainable practices and drive innovation.

People are also reading…

Yet still, individual action matters — not just because of what can be accomplished when lots of people get in on the act, but each small success helps dispel the feeling of helplessness and can serve as a steppingstone to more impactful action, whether at home, at work, or through greater civic engagement.

Retired Napa school teacher Susan Crosby, who participates on Napa Climate NOW!’s Waste Reduction Issue Team, offers a few simple day-to-day reminders that can reduce your climate footprint at home.

What’s lurking in your refrigerator?

As reported by Deena Shanker of Bloomberg News earlier this year, the national nonprofit ReFED confirmed that food waste in the U.S. is rising, reaching 91 million tons of surplus food in 2021. Uneaten food constituted about 38% of the total food supply. Unless composted, this food waste ends up contributing to methane generation, a potent greenhouse gas and one of the greatest near-term threats to our climate.

“Let’s all take a good look at what’s already in our refrigerators,” said Crosby, quipping, “Yes, I’m talking to you, last week’s broccoli.”

By paying closer attention to our perishable foods and getting creative to prevent this food from going bad, we could cut food waste by 50%, and reduce annual carbon emissions by 561 lbs. per capita while saving money, too, according to statistics cited by the environmental organization, Wild Aid.

Go vegetarian for a day

We’ve written before in this column about the “reducetarian” movement that’s encouraging people to eat less meat. According to Crosby, blogpost The Space Between tells us that if everyone in the U.S. went vegetarian one day a week, 1.4 billion fewer animals would be needed for meat.

“That means less methane gas produced and more water saved,” said Crosby.

To put this in further perspective, the Earth Day Network calculates that if everyone in the U.S. avoided eating meat or cheese just one day a week, it would be the equivalent of taking 7.6 million cars off the road.

A few more thoughts

In addition, Crosby provided a few additional ideas:

“Cut out plastic bags entirely this year and cut carbon emissions by an estimated 1,270 pounds. Wash and reuse the same sheet of aluminum foil as long as you can, then when it finally reaches the end of the road, rinse it off, crumple it into a ball, and toss it into the recycling bin. When cleaning in the kitchen, use a dishcloth instead of a plastic sponge, and clean rags instead of paper towels. Used paper towels can go right into the compost if they were used without toxic cleaners. Finally, limit showers to five minutes and you’ll cut your annual carbon emissions by 492 pounds,” she said.

At the end of the day, there is no list of 50 simple things we can do to save the planet. But the small steps we take can add up to significant greenhouse gas reductions, and have a much larger effect by influencing our family and friends, demonstrating to businesses where our priorities lie, and reinforcing the efforts of local elected representatives to enact climate-friendly policies.

Linda Brown is co-founder of Napa Climate NOW!, a local citizens advocacy organization working for smart climate solutions. She is also co-founder and Senior Vice President of SCS Global Solutions.

Napa Climate NOW! is a local nonprofit citizens’ group advocating for smart climate solutions based on the latest climate science, part of 350 Bay Area. Info, napa.350bayarea.org