The uncomfortable elephant in the room at the global dinner party = greenhouse gas emissions.
The problem can seem so vast and thus overwhelming that many people ignore it rather than face it, and perhaps find bliss in the ignorant belief that someone, somewhere else will solve the problem for them. However, this attitude can leave you feeling disempowered to have any impact on your life and these circumstances, when the opposite is the case.
It is true that corporate/government decisions about emissions matter in aggregate more than personal choices. However corporations and governments are comprised of people, and larger numbers of people taking regenerative actions can begin to impact these influential bodies. For example, having a firm understanding of how to make simple changes yourself will empower you to tackle larger changes in your work place or other institutional setting.
One choice is offsetting your emissions. You can do this by:
(1) Switch your electric bill to 100% renewable. (scroll down to see how to that in our previous post). This is a big deal because the highest carbon emissions per person is from electricity, followed by vehicle emissions, natural gas use, and emissions from waste.
(2) Calculate your emissions. We used this calculator from the EPA. This part can be a bit tricky. We are happy to help (email Ashley).
(3) Choose your organization to support! This year we hosted a farm to table brunch with Gourmet Diva that donated to Red Hook Farms. Another organization to check out is Local Farms Fund. They help early-stage NY organic farmers by providing capital to help them buy their land. Ensuring local organic farming remains financially viable is critical for building a regenerative food system, especially because Big Ag is supported by subsidies and thus artificially cheap.
For any organization you decide to support, you have to make an educated estimate of how much of your emissions will be offset by your donation. You might look at the impact materials for the organization and see if they have any breakdown of what they can do with your funds.
(4) Write a post about what you did and share the process with your communities!
(PS) We suggest reviewing your emissions and how you choose to offset them once a year.
We look forward to hearing what you decide to support! Let us know by leaving a comment below.
