Personal Choices
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hi
i’m carolyn claire bridges and we’re all
in this together
i am excited yet challenged to be
speaking to you today
i’m excited because i’ve been given such
an amazing opportunity to speak about
such a pressing matter
however i’m challenged because there are
so many moving parts
that i won’t be able to go into every
nook and cranny and do it justice with
the short amount of time that i’m given
but i do hope that you all are able to
take something away from
the time that we’re about to spend
together according to the carbon majors
database
conducted by the cpd which is an
international non-for-profit
nearly 100 companies generate
71 of our global annual carbon emissions
and the top 10 alone produce
36 of
the total global carbon emissions
but all of those companies have one
thing in common
they all profit off of an industry that
generates money
through non-renewable resources like
coal oil
and natural gases and as we know
coal and oil and natural gases
are non-renewable they take millions of
years to form
through intense heat and pressure
but now that we know
that they’re the culprit for
the majority of our carbon emissions
we’re left with a bigger question
are there any sustainable solutions
you know something that meets the needs
of the present
but doesn’t cost us the future
that also hits three markers being
economically
feasible ecologically
viable and socially desirable
so is it good for the environment do
people want to do it
and will we still make a profit will the
economy still be fined
fine uh
well yes there are solutions and i am
sure that
you all are familiar with majority of
them if not all
so we have solar wind hydro
which is water and geothermal there are
resources that can be replenished
as quickly as they’re being used and
personally i think that
working with what the environment has to
offer us
is a lot more beneficial than going
against it
drilling holes to find an energy source
when
you know in florida where we have sunny
days
almost every single day so you know
solar would be great
for relying that relying on that for
energy
but in chicago i mean
that wouldn’t really be the best option
you would want to go with wind
so figuring out what each environment
has to offer and utilizing that
to the fullest extent and in addition to
the clean energy industry being a
sustainable practice
forbes reported from the clean jobs
america report
that it also generates high wage stable
jobs for blue-collar workers
and 3.3 million americans work in that
industry
so that’s for every for every one foster
fuel industry worker
it’s three clean energy industry workers
triple the amount
that’s insane
additionally uh a pew research study
conducted in 2017
found that around 68
of americans wanted to expand
the clean energy industry whereas only
27
wanted to continue in the fossil fuel
industry
so to recap the clean energy industry is
not only
a socially desirable as seen with the
pew research study
but it’s also economically feasible
and ecologically viable making it hit
all three markers
of being a sustainable solution
uh but you know how do we go about
getting there referencing chapter six
of the power of renewable opportunities
and challenges
for china and the united states we start
by lowering
our consumption of energy so
you know unplugging idle electronics
turning off the lights when we leave
places switching to led bulbs
and while we do that the type of energy
that we consume
being green energy goes up
that’s one way we can start another way
is to look at the green new deal
and while factcheck.org did
basically say that it’s kind of just a
plan of attack and nothing will really
occur
unless separate legislation is enacted
it really gives
a lot of hope and a lot of promise
to what we could do and that it’s not
a dream that is unachievable it’s a
dream that
we can actually
achieve there are other ways that you
can combat your carbon emissions
you don’t have to just go from a
legislative point of view which that is
great that is amazing that is encouraged
you have to hold these companies
accountable
however if you want to create
immediate action you want to feel like
you are making a difference because you
are
here are some things that you can do
but before i get into that it is
important to note
that altering your lifestyle
for the betterment of the environment
it’s challenging
it is challenging because
it can be more expensive and it can be
more inconvenient
i would know i’m vegan it can be very
inconvenient
very inexpensive as i’ve said multiple
times
um but you know you get the hang of it
and
there you know you can reduce the amount
of carbon emissions
by consuming less meat
you know maybe one meal a week you’re
able to substitute it for
a meat alternative or you know a bunch
of chickpeas and legumes
uh another way you’ve heard this a
million times
you’re gonna hear it a million times
more is
to bike take
the bus or walk to wherever you need to
go if possible
i know that’s not always the safest
thing for people to do
and given the current circumstances
it’s probably not the most sanitary
thing
driving on a bus but if you’re able to
that is highly encouraged it reduces
the carbon emissions you would use to
drive there separately
you know you can always carpool too um
there are other ways like composting
um thrifting thrifting is great there
are so
many online shops there’s depop there’s
poshmark uh
thread up there are so many shops online
and
there are
a lot of shops in person too
there’s so many community thrift shops
so you’ll be supporting your local
economy as well
uh to continue buying locally
locally created items uh produce
um bread i always went to the market
uh in my town to get a loaf of bread
each week
is amazing fresh you’re supporting your
local farmers bakers
artists and in general your local
economy which is always great there’s
also bringing your reusable water
bottles
your silverware utensils um
that can be a bit more challenging
bringing utensils
there are great websites online that you
can find sustainably and ethically
created items
that hold you know wooden
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spoons forks knives
super small they wrap up there is a
market in st
petersburg florida called sands
they do no packaging
so they have compostable packaging or
glass packaging
refillable shampoos all that that
it’s a great shop if you’re ever in st
pete to check it out
um and i think those are just a couple
of things that you can do
to reduce your waste just being more
conscious in general
with that in mind here are some ways
that you can take immediate action
i hope that through this time that we
have shared together i’ve been able to
adequately
address the threat that we all face and
by no means
am i an expert nor do i even see myself
as an expert
but i wish that my talk has inspired you
and reminded you
that you are able to create change and
that every single step towards a more
sustainable future
is a step in the right direction thank
you