What can you do to reinforce your personal brand or identity as a climate advocate? You can begin by thinking about what’s important to you and about those climate advocates that you see every day. You are probably not going to set out to achieve the name recognition of a Greta Thunberg or Al Gore and that is fine. In fact, that is more than fine, since there is already one of each of them. And we need as many diverse voices as we can get. Finding your stride and developing your advocacy style will happen as you better define your area of interest and passion.
Taking small steps, bigger ones, and very big steps are all part of the way we begin to brand ourselves as climate advocates. Whether your advocacy stems from horror at seeing floating islands of plastic pollution in our oceans; trash and debris entering and ringing our waterways; ocean creatures with plastic straws in their snouts; alarm over rising sea levels; devastation of Brazilian rainforests; raging bush fires in Australia, or ecosystem collapse in a number of areas, you are on board for climate action. Welcome! We need you and we’re glad you’re here! For those seeking to amplify the collective voice seeking bold climate action at the level of local, state, and national policies that will work to stem the grim march the world is making toward irreversible climate impacts, here are several ways you can not only reinforce your personal brand as a climate advocate, but can move you toward recognition as a climate action ambassador. An informal but highly important position that one takes to increase the number of people taking those very small, medium and big climate actions from which all change is rooted.
Some examples of small actions that can be taken easily, quickly and without cost:
* Sign up to receive emails from groups already taking action, like Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, Arbor Day Foundation and the like.
* Join local climate action groups.
* Attend forums, seminars, and talks about climate matters of interest and concern to you.
* Promote and participate in reduce, reuse and recycle options in your community. Can you compost food scraps?
* Call your local, state, and national-level representatives in government to tell them what climate action is important to you.
* Participate in outreach activities, clean up days, lobby days in Congress, write op-Ed’s for your local newspapers.
* Get active on social media and work to amplify the science-based climate change facts, news, victories and set backs.
Here are some bigger actions you can take for the planet:
* Donate money to climate causes you believe in.
* Buy and plant native trees and plants in your yard and garden. Encourage your friends and neighbors to do the same.
* Buy secondhand or consider how important what you’re shopping for is and do you really need that thing. Visit thrift stores and consignment shops for clothes, housewares, furniture and Etc.
* Use “green” bags, utensils, straws, beverage holders lunchboxes, snack holders aka reusables for everything you can as often as you can.
* Plan travel to eliminate unnecessary waste, pollution and gas. Opt for walking, biking and public transportation as much as possible.
And finally, here are the big ticket ways you can live your climate action brand, means permitting:
* Connect to community solar or wind energy options.
* Invest in solar power for your home and business, if possible.
* Purchase an electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle.
* Look for Energy Star certified products, equipment, electronics and etc and purchase those things. This is the easiest way to ensure you are acting as efficiently possible with regard to your energy use.
* Go back to school! Take climate change classes, climate action workshops and community sponsored training.
Become climate smart and make everyday decisions with your climate awareness glasses on.
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