Lifestyle

Even though desertification feels like a world away, there's plenty of lifestyle changes we can do here in Newton to combat it. Start small, and set specific goals ("this week I am going to bike to work for 3 days.") If something works for you, make that goal more and more challenging ("I am going to stop eating red meat for a month.")

Why does one individual's change matter?

1. It sets an example for the community. By changing your lifestyle you can set norms for others. Trends change based on behavior, if someone sees you do something climate-friendly, it pressures them to do the same. For instance, the odds of someone buying solar panels for their roof go up for each home in the neighborhood that already has them. Studies also find that when a group of people see that one person decided not to go on a flight because of the harms airplanes do to the environment, half of them will fly less because they've seen an example. The bigger the change, the more likely people will follow in your lead.

2. It pressures policy makers. Politicians decide their policies based on what will get them re-elected. By making changes you prove to them that the environment should be something they care about. This has worked before. Californian citizens have a reputation for being very environmentally conscious, and policymakers there responded with a law mandating 100% renewable energy use by 2045 across the state.

3. It pressures corporations. Companies pay attention to trends, consumer values affect their decision making processes. After roughly a decade of decline in per capita meat consumption, Tyson Foods—the world’s second-largest producer of meat—announced that the company would shift to more vegan options. Lyft recently announced it would offset carbon emissions from its rides. Google, Apple, Sony, T-Mobile, and others have committed to buying renewable energy

4. Individual change is the only method of collective change. In the same way everyone must vote to make a democracy run, everyone must do their part to save the world's ecosystems. Change can be tough initially, but how can you expect others to make a change if you don't make a change yourself?

What lifestyle changes can you make?

1) Reduce meat consumption: No, you don’t have to go vegan, but see if you can reduce meat consumption. Maybe try being vegetarian before dinner. Plan meals that don’t involve animal products or choose veggie options when you order out

Eating one hamburger wastes more water on the planet than 2 months of showering. When we distribute more water towards us, it leaves behind the places that need water more than us to grow crops and push back against the desert.

The global livestock industry produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all cars, planes, trains and ships combined. Greenhouse gasses change out environment to my hotter, dryer, and harder to sustain agriculture in. They also increase the frequency of extreme weather conditions which destroy ecosystems.

2) Reduce your carbon footprint: Do your best to walk, bike, or carpool when you can. Get a free solar power evaluation if you live in Newton. We have amazing public transportation, go use it! See if every day you can use less emissions than you did the day before.

If an area of land has natural resources like natural gas, oil, or minerals, people will come in and mine it or take it out. This usually strips the soil of nutrients, which in turn kills the plant life, which in turn starts the process toward becoming a desert biome as time goes on.

If everyone fueled trips under one mile with their feet instead of with petroleum it would save 2 million metric tons of CO2, 575 million dollars, and it would be the equivalent of taking 400,000 cars off the road each year. Plus it’s great exercise!

3) Reduce paper consumption: Send emails instead of hand-outs, use the back of paper that’s been thrown in the recycling, use reusable bags instead of paper ones, sign up for online newspapers instead of paper ones, use towels instead of paper towels, add your name to do-not-mail lists to stop junk mail. Finally, go to ecosia.org so that your internet searches plant trees!

It takes an average of 5 liters of water to produce one piece of A4 paper. When we distribute more water towards us, it leaves behind the places that need water more than us to grow crops and push back against the desert.

Pulp and paper is the 3rd largest industrial polluter of air, water and soil. Pollution in the atmosphere heats up the atmosphere making it harder to sustain agriculture in. It also increases the frequency of extreme weather conditions which destroy ecosystems.

Using paper means cutting down trees. Without trees, landscapes cannot be healthy and flourish- forests turn to desserts. Trees are also a natural form of carbon capture, reducing the rate of climate change.

4) Utilize our democracy: research candidates with good environmental policies and vote for them. Attend or organize protest to pressure policymakers.

5)Donate: for more information on this website go to Action Plan --> Donate