Editor:
The extreme weather events of this year have made it clear that we have to act on climate change now. Individuals may feel frustrated or even helpless, but there’s so much we can do every day to have an impact. However, we must be prepared to move out of our personal and financial comfort zones and make an effort. Below are just a few things you can do.
Learn how to recycle responsibly at https://recyclebc.ca/ where you’ll find lots of great information.
Stop using plastic as much as possible. Plastic is ubiquitous in almost everything we use – it’s choking our waterways and killing our wildlife. For instance, synthetics like acrylic, polyester, rayon and nylon shed tiny plastic fragments into the environment every time we wash and dry our clothes. https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/documents/article_2_microfibers.pdf
Switch to environmentally-friendly products. Yes, you’re going to pay more – cleaning up our planet will not be cheap. Did you know that when you use regular toilet paper, you’re flushing virgin trees down your toilet? Check out https://ca.whogivesacrap.org/, where you can purchase toilet paper made from recycled paper, wrapped in paper, not plastic.
Drastically reduce your meat and dairy consumption. Meat production contributes heavily to increases in greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, soil degradation, water stress and coastal "dead" zones, according to this report (https://www.idtechex.com/en/research-article/the-meat-industry-is-unsustainable/20231. And you’ll save money by eating more plants.
Our individual actions may seem small. But they are part of the larger solution.
Debra Probert
