Now that we have a sense of what global warming/climate change/climate crisis are all about, it’s important to understand the bigger picture.  Bigger than global?  Yes.  In the end, global warming is just a symptom or side effect of bigger dysfunctions.  It’s an alarm bell from the earth’s climatological systems clarifying that we are living beyond our means.  We use more energy than we receive, we use more resources than the earth can support, and we run our culture and economy on the basis of subjugation and oppression, depending on our heretofore unchallenged opportunities to liquidate more financial capital that doesn’t belong to us.

Taking all this on may seem a bit overwhelming.  And the scope is hardly the end of the difficulty.  It’s difficult because it’s abstract and remote, and we’re wired to respond to immediate threats.  It’s difficult because there is no single solution – neither an answer, nor one-size-fits-all, the answer will be a patchwork of many different answers, quite at odds with how we prefer to handle things (for greatest monetary profit).  And it’s difficult because many of the changes required are outside the reach of individuals, whether because of where we live (like the absence of transit here) or because of “the market,” where the mindset of consumption can be tempered, but not yet turned on its head.  Sadly we must triage for now – improving the efficiency of our lives and homes as best we can – even while we argue, vote, and lobby for systemic changes that will make good, local, sustainable, rational options the norm rather than the exception.

So while doing the wrong thing more efficiently is not the ultimate answer, more of a rearguard action, it is part of the immediate steps we can take toward the solution.  So what is The Solution?  Well, there will not be just one solution, but rather many locally determined and regionally appropriate solutions.  Further, no one really knows what these true solutions will be, yet.  We’re still figuring that out – both what we want, what’s possible and how to get there from here.  There are clues out there though.  Local Action has a reading list that includes positive visions of  sustainable futures for less gloom and doom in our lives.

Local Action invites you to be the change you wish to see in your personal life,  to join us for meaningful community action and figuring out our future, and to add your voice to the national call for a new way forward.  Above all, now that you see the problem, be part of the solution:  do something!


Personal Action in perspective:

What can we, as individuals do?  To be honest, this question is both too easy and too hard.  On the one hand, because we currently consume on such a massive scale, it's easy to cut back in all sorts of ways.  On the other hand, because our lifestyles are so bound up in excess consumption, it's hard that there's no single, simple or easy answer to the question.

But all you have to do is start scratching the surface and you'll find umpteen ways/checklists/tips/guides to reduce your personal contribution to the climate crisis.  In fact, there are almost too many of them.  It is helpful to have some direction when faced with 15 different checklists suggesting hundreds of different things you could do.  The Union of Concerned Scientists has a very useful table for this.  Source: Table on Institute for Lifecycle Environmental Assessment website, which condensed the table from The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices, 1999, pp234-240. It outlines the relative impact of the various aspects of our ecological footprints on average, specifically showing how much our transportation figures in, and then household operations (heating and cooling) and then other things like food sources.

Once you've looked at that, there are numerous top ten lists of things you can do.  They're all variations on more or less the same theme.  You can find several from The Union of Concerned Scientists, Step It Up, the Center for the New American Dream (see Turning the Tide especially), and The Evangelical Climate Initiative.  They may leave you wondering if that's it?  Change some lightbulbs and drive less?  Eat local food and less meat?  Not to worry, there's near infinite room for improvement.

The next step is to look at more intensive lists of options -- "let us count the ways..."  These may be available online or in book form.  They include sites like the one for An Inconvenient Truth (which includes multiple webpages of suggestions of things you can do and taking action), EnAcT (a 100-page document outlining household changes in 6 areas, from transportation to food choice), or Time Magazine's Global Warming Survival Guide (a list of 51 things you can do to save the world).  And then there are courses like "Global Warming:  Changing CO2urse" from the Northwest Earth Institute and "Low Carbon Diet" from David Gershon of the Empowerment Institute -- these are based on the principle of the 12 step programs, that real change is more likely to come in the context of a support group.  The EnAcT (Environmental Action Team) program also fits this model, but is only really available in that format in Wisconsin.  Their guide is a free download no matter where you live.  There are also areas where similar EcoTeam programs exist.

If all of this is too much and your head is spinning, then you step back and consider baby steps, like subscribing to monthly or weekly tips from the Union of Concerned Scientists, Ideal Bite or Greenfeet (this one is a bit on the commercial side).  These give you manageable information on a single subject, like leaving your car idling (you want to get 0mpg?) or how to choose between different products or what kind of non-disposable water bottles might come in handy.

All that said, there are still a lot of gaps -- especially for residents in the Central Susquehanna Valley.  Two of the items on most of the short lists of actions to take are "use more public transportation/drive less" and "choose green power," neither of which are really options for most people in this area.  That's one of the places that the Local Action Network comes in.  We are working together to make more sustainable options available to all in exactly these tricky areas.  For example, we are involved in the updating of the Union County Comprehensive Plan, working toward greater bicycle and pedestrian accommodation in the Lewisburg Area, educating ourselves and our public officials about the pros and cons of various alternative energy sources, and getting word out about what it all means, how it relates to our lives and why we should care.

Even once you're geared up to green your life, there are bound to be questions that all those checklists and FAQs just don't address.  That's another place where the Local Action Network comes in.  We are 200+ people in the Central Susquehanna Valley who are also considering these ideas in a local context and may have already figured out the best place to get a compost bin, which farms operate community supported agriculture options, and which native plants make sense for your backyard.  Or, say, you're ready to replace a car, but just can't afford a new hybrid.  We can give you references to help you make the best decision for your wallet and the environment.  (Hint:  see the Environmental Working Group's website report on auto pollution.  Look it over for a bit and then come back to compare notes, since it isn't as user-friendly as it should be to begin with.)  We can be emailed with such particular questions.

Local Action Out and About:

Does this really help?  Many of us already know what these lists codify.  As much as the climate actions listed though, the act of communicating these ideas, issues and topics to a broader public is also part of the solution.  In this area, aside from the staunch defenders of the bah humbug position, there are a lot of folks who haven’t thought about any of this much at all, but who are starting to be interested.  For them – and for you to pass on in your daily interactions throughout the community – here’s a short set of suggestions that focuses on concrete, accessible and relevant topics:  how to achieve carbon reductions at home, on the commute and during recreation.  The preceding list of myriad options gives some context.  And as I’ve said the answer may be “it depends” in many cases.  The top thing to do will differ from person to person, household to household.

In your home, the main answer is to switch light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs.  Even factoring in the cost of the bulb, you can save more than $5/year on bulbs that are in frequent use.  Start counting bulbs and you'll see that that can add up to hundreds of dollars (and thousands of pounds of CO2) per year.  (LAN has a lot of info about how to do this and how much it will save you on our website.)  The next thing in the house depends on the age of the house, but likely includes insulating the attic or attic floor.  It could mean getting a newer more efficient furnace or energy star appliances.  Or it could mean weatherstripping carefully.  Or installing low-flow showerheads.  Most people assume it means replacement windows, but that is often not the case.  If you're really serious, you will want to do an energy audit. Just in the past month or so, SEDA-COG has started offering energy audits for $350 and there is a firm in State College which does them for $425.  LAN is hoping to follow the pattern already in place in other areas and create partnerships with the local utilities that will offer rebates or even cost free audits if the home owner then invests in improvements.  For now there are online prompts for how to conduct one and LAN will be offering a workshop on how to do your own residential energy audit later this year.

In your commute, drive less -- around here that means consider carpooling or telecommuting occasionally.  Or if it's possible, try biking or walking once a month.  Drive the most fuel efficient vehicle you can.  This may just mean a small, efficient car.  Or it could mean a hybrid (one that uses its electric motor to increase efficiency, not power).  Maybe if you're a wiz in the shop, you're ready to convert a diesel to run on used vegetable oil or to distill your own biodiesel?  If you live close enough to bike but find it unsafe or undersupported, point this out and check in with the locality and/or your employer about plans to improve bike accommodations.  Local Action is looking into innovative developments in small scale transit that might be accessible, affordable and work in the small communities we have in this area.  But we could use help if others want to work on that.

In recreation, look for high enjoyment, low impact activities, like hiking, sustainable hunting, biking, birding, fishing or paddling in the region.  Patronize local or regional attractions rather than taking a plane (one of the most carbon-intensive things any of us is likely to do; if there will be more than one person traveling, going by [almost any] car is a better choice than plane), such as Knoebels, or Steamtown, or try out in-state bed-and-breakfasts or Annapolis, MD as a change from distant resort hopping.  Definitely move toward using your body as the driver of any vehicles (like bikes, canoes or kayaks) and away from small motorized vehicles (which, like planes, pack a mighty amount of carbon emissions in each use).  It's better for your health as well as the health of the planet.  For those who enjoy shopping as a leisure activity, try to steer shopping toward more high quality goods that will last, those from local producers, or at least locally-based businesses, aim to minimize packaging, and consider becoming a yard sale guru rather than staying at the mercy of marketers.  The connection of consumption to global warming has to do with the efficiency of our consumer society, we expend a great deal of energy making, marketing, transporting, and often using objects, 80% of which just wind up in a landfill within a month -- not a very prudent use of all that energy in the end...

The Limits of Personal Action:

There’s always that niggling discomfort over the fact that our direct consumption only accounts for 60% of our share of national consumption.  The other 40% comes from infrastructure, commerce, and industry that support our individual lives.  On the one hand that’s just 60%, but it’s still worth working on.  It also points out the need for ongoing work on the national, largely out-of-our-hands questions.

It is a lot to get your mind around.  The most important thing to realize is that you are not alone in the effort.  You don’t have to have all the answers or reinvent the wheel.  We invite you to plug in to the Local Action Network for support and community.  And to get started moving toward a less carbon-intensive life.