I spent the last summer without turning on our air-conditioning system. It was a deliberate decision and one I didn't feel like writing about until the weather was cool again. It was that hot.
As a lifelong environmentalist I've been well aware of our warming planet for a long time. But, I still find myself in shock at how rapidly it's accelerating. And I'm stunned that this has not been taken seriously and now we find ourselves in a crisis situation with the survival of our species in jeopardy and some of the worst effects of the warming happening probably in our own lifetimes.
I've been advocating for policy solutions by political means for almost my entire life, and over ten years ago when it became apparent that the needed policy changes were not going to happen in time to avert disaster, I made the decision to reduce my carbon footprint as much as possible. It was when GWB was 'elected' that I realized we had perhaps lost our chance to make the changes that would be necessary to stop this crisis.
I'm writing this because I want to show how it's possible to make the changes needed to become a part of the solution. I recognize that eventually we'll all have to make major changes to our uber consumptive lifestyles and as I like to do things on my own terms rather than have the changes forced on me I decided to find my own way. Of course, it's more difficult to make the necessary changes to reduce ones carbon footprint without an infrastructure to support those changes. But changing our entire economy to position for less consumptive growth is going to take more time than we have.
So as we agitate to keep our cache of fossil fuels in the ground; and as as we fight to divest from investments in the fossil fuel industry and we also push for the most rapid move to clean energy possible; we must also make the necessary changes in our own lives.
So ten+ years ago I made some major decisions; I decided to drive less by moving to a semi-walkable city townhouse, I sold my car and in it's place bought a gorgeous, restored, beautiful 60's Mustang that I knew I would drive much less so as not to drive it into the ground. I planned for public transport to work and depended on walking and biking for shorter travel. That worked, as it didn't seem a completely cold turkey denial as I still had a car, though don't drive it.
Along the way I've reduced my accumulation of clothes and other fashion though I admit that now and then I have a major relapse.
My most important change and the most effective at reducing my carbon footprint was changing my diet to omit all meat and dairy products. This was a gradual transition but a lot easier than I thought it would be and one of the best decisions I have ever made.
But, we still had the problem of climate control in my townhouse. If you have some sweaters I really don't think you need to use air-conditioning in Florida except in the dog days of summer, which are brutal. As my small townhome complex is condominium run I can't just install solar without my neighbors agreeing to do the same. And this is Floriduh, where many don't even believe in solar (Imagine living in Florida and not believing in the sun!). So decided to try a summer without air-conditioning using some creative means to keep from burning up. It worked okay but was uncomfortable at times and at one point I got a 'heat rash' from the heat and humidity.
So that chronicles my transition to a very low carbon lifestyle. There are other things I do as well like not using plastic bags, or buying bottled water. I've had great success with the water saving, chemical saving baking soda hair wash regime. etc. etc.
It's all become a new, healthier way of life. Perhaps a little slower and more deliberate, but then, I was always envious of Henry David Thoreau.