How to Make a Difference, Solo
See the change (it’s hiding in plain sight).
You recycle, you consciously consume, you have a smart thermostat—and still you wonder if any of it adds up to a dent in what seems like an insurmountable problem. Here is your permission to step away from the fatalism: Of course your individual actions matter. And literally no one is expecting you alone to fix global warming (even an epic doer like you!). Still, there are some less-obvious strategies you may not have on your list, but could help you make a bigger dent. We reached out to “Into Them” veteran Bina Venkataraman, author of The Optimist’s Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age, to see what we’re missing.
Get local.
You’ve heard us beat the drum on getting smart and engaged in local politics before—and for good reason. While they may not bait you to click as often as national news alerts, local politics matter so much more to our daily lives. In the area of climate change, this rings ever true. Your local public utility boards have huge heft in decision-making, such as whether to use net metering or allow solar energy to be fed back into the grid. It is telling that so many cities remained signatories to the Paris Climate Accord, even when the U.S. government withdrew. Cities tend to have the profound lived experience of natural disasters and are ultimately responsible for the resilience planning coming from these events—so their points of view tend to lean more practical than political.
Watch it add up.
We tend to get a little pennywise when it comes to looking at the cost of climate action policy, but we don’t necessarily tally the cost of inaction. Last year saw over 20 extreme climate-provoked events (a record) that rang in with billion-dollar-plus price tags. Beyond looking at reducing emissions and energy efficiency in housing, we’re willing to bet that you may have some sway over where your business offices (once those are a thing again) are located. Looking at newer, greener buildings can have a big impact—so as you’re crunching the numbers, consider the non-financial benefits as well.
Make like an eighth-grader.
People truly underestimate the power of behavioral contagion (known to you as peer pressure). It’s not just for junior high, so instead of using it to get someone to chug a wine cooler, take advantage of the fact that it also works in normalizing climate friendly behaviors in your collective spheres. You’ve seen this at play with public anti-smoking campaigns and, more recently, with mask wearing. So think about how you can model and spread some of your individual actions to your community.
