1. failure to use a condom
2. volcanic eruptions
3. buying imported foods
4. the earth’s tilt
5. leaving the lights on when leaving a room
6. wildfires
7. running unnecessary errands in your car

Though some are natural events and others intentional/unintentional human activities, all can engender consequences which contribute to climate change.

Whether or not you believe climate change is happening, and regardless of your stance on this subject as  policitically polarizing (or not),  here are some data, courtesy of the World Resources Institute’s Sustainability House graph:

• 13.5% of greenhouse gas emissions are transportation related

• Another 13.5% comes from agricultural activities

• 24.6% of these emissions are from electricity and heat

• 10.4% are industrial

• 18.2% are related to changes in land use

Yale’s recent project Global Warming’s 6 Americas 2009: An Audience Segmentation Analysis determined that we are extremely segmented in our beliefs and understanding of this issue. The project determined that we can be divided into 6 separate Americas based on our perceptions of the reality/unreality and extent of this problem and regarding whether individual change or national policy is the solution. Reading the report is a good place to start in deciding where you fall on this 6 Americas continuum.

What can an individual do about climate change?

And, by the way, where do I get off discussing this subject in a non-political blog?

8 years as a middle school science teacher prior to my present career has, I hope, informed some of the household practices we have always adhered to: no paper towels or plates, no tissues (we use cloth hankies), no disposable diapers, and composting wherever we have lived.

You’re probably already doing what you think you need to do but if you have questions, you could just spend an afternoon with my husband, Don, the resident energy czar. If you can’t track him down (he is probably checking our water barrels or installing more weatherstripping), just follow some of these principles at work and home:

• Teach your friends and family that in your home, you practice the good old 3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

• Update your appliances so that they have earned Energy Star ratings

• Turn off your computer when not in use

• Seal and insulate your home

• Use water efficiently in and around your home

• Monitor your tire pressure

As for me, I am NOT an expert and I am NOT an activist, just a person from one of those 6 Americas who today  lives and works in a house on a well, with a low water use washing machine and a hybrid vehicle in the driveway. And a person who tries not to be wasteful but who probably is in many unacknowledged ways. For instance:

All of us entrepreneur types go to meetings at places like coffeehouses: do we bring our own coffee mug along?

We stay in touch with our clients and colleagues on computers that are likely ALWAYS on: is that necessary?

Learning more

Here is more information if you’re ready to change some personal habits this year, or if you concluded this problem is larger than what changes in personal habits can accomplish:
Climate Change Communication
Do Personal Changes Matter? Yes Yes Yes
Clean, Green and Fair to Everyone
Taking Personal Responsibility for Climate Change
Creating a Personal Plan for Climate Change Part 2: Taking Political Action

And speaking of that, here are some related posts from the Loosely Speaking archives:

58 Hankies: Going Green in the Home Office
Best of Blog Action Day 2008
Blog Action Day 2008
Pick Your Issue and Drive it Home (Blog Action Day 2007)

1. Recommit to your core services

It’s easy to get off track when you are slow. Requests for charitable work or even paid projects that lie outside the area you love to work in is enticing since it represents much needed income or exposure.

The problem with accepting too many such requests is that it’s work that takes longer to do since it’s not routine. Or, even if you can turn it around expeditiously, if it’s a killjoy you’ll come to resent the time you’re putting in on it. Then once you get really busy, you may be saddled again with some types of work that you decided long ago that you weren’t going to do any more.

Use this time to remain true to your areas of expertise and joy. If you want to donate services, only donate them in the areas of work you love to begin with.

2. Reexamine your structure

When you are swamped again, you may wish you had carved out some time to set up systems for referring overflow work, creating affiliate and/or referral programs, creating a virtual team work structure, or even moving beyond providing direct service into the realm of education through writing, training or speaking on your industry.

If you want to grow your business beyond being a solopreneur who personally handles every job, you can work now to set up an organized strategy for when the work comes rolling in again. Study the various systems utilized by some of your industry’s leaders so that you can create your own profitable approach now while you have time.

3. Dig out your crockpot

When you get slammed, it’s easy to develop and rationalize bad eating habits, even though you know that cooking at home is better for your body and your bank account. Practice some new culinary techniques and find local sources of good fresh foods.

Apply this principal to some of your existing office practices, too. If you’ve been doing your time tracking by hand, for instance, or never learned how to track projects using a database,  look around now for some software options which can automate these processes for you later. It’s like finding dinner ready and waiting for you in the crockpot at the end of the day.

4. Do your part to solve  an important issue that you CAN do something about

You can’t personally fire up this economy. But you can make a difference by adjusting your various daily habits or by trying to help someone else in your community.

Blog Action Day is every October 15th and is a world-wide effort to bring attention to an issue that affects the entire world. Participating bloggers dedicate a post to their personal examination of that year’s issue.

By participating you can educate yourself and  consider what you personally can do about the issue locally or globally. In 2008, the topic was poverty. In 2009 participants will blog about the topic of Climate Change. You can get involved (it will cost you nothing but time) by going here.

You can read as many Blog Action Day posts as you’d like here.

No, I did not read all 20,000+ posts nor did I send out link love to all who joined in the effort, but I am sharing a few that resonated:

“I think Blog Action Day is Mostly Worthless,” because it has people talking.

Pia Jane Bijkerk: enhance the everyday is creative, beautiful, and provocative.

Momocrats – Blog Action Day: on the street (whether or not you are for “That One”)

Soupablog on Redistributive Giving (whether or not you follow a certain religion)

In looking back through the Loosely Speaking archives from this time last year, I see that Blog Action Day 2007 influenced not only my thinking, but my posts and actions in the months that followed. Without quantifying it, I believe that this day can motivate change, ala the “Power of One.”

Thanks to the organizers and other bloggers for for making me stop and think.

Speaking of this, here are some related posts from another time and place in Loosely Speaking:

Blog Action Day 2008: What will you do to fight poverty?

Technology Recycling Contest #3: Pick Your Issue and Drive it Home

Blog Action Day 2007

Since distributing that appeal for information in August, the numbers of those facing impoverishment may have risen due to economic woes confronting the world. It’s a confusing time when some of those who freely give of their own time and talents may be facing financial challenges of their own.

While I didn’t hear back from very many of the people I contacted, what I DID discover was some very good information on what’s happening right here in my community. So, here’s a brief rundown on local efforts to assist those who need a helping hand.

The Yavapai Coalition for Compassion and Justice administers several programs which address poverty:

Open Door distributes winter clothing, coats, and blankets for kids and adults. This year’s distribution event will be held from 10:00 – 4:00, Saturday October 18 at Miller Valley School’s cafeteria. Note: children must be present for an individual to receive a donation. Open Door also provides provides emergency assistance to people in our community who are struggling financially. They provide hot meals, food boxes, clothing, showers, a mail service and use of a phone, toys, diapers and toiletries; we also have gas and laundry vouchers available for the first two eligible people who apply each day we are open.

For more information on Open Door, contact them at 928-776-9294 or by email at opendoor@YavapaiCCJ.org .

Circles of Support helps motivated families transition from poverty to self-sufficiency, enabling them to gain economic stability and learn about social interdependence. Circles of Support surrounds these families with well-trained community volunteer mentors who offer guidance and support. Participating family members also attend regular “Circles of Support� meetings and can access coaching in the areas of job acquisition and retention, medical, housing, nutrition, clothing, childcare, budgeting and finance and automobile acquisition, maintenance and insurance. For more information on Circles of Support, contact circlesofsupport@YavapaiCCJ.org .

Home Repair Program: CCJ is aware that significant numbers of low income homeowners live in houses that are unsafe or unhealthy; many of the owners do not have the financial means or the skills to improve the conditions, and there is a need for a volunteer service organization to help out. Applications for repairs are accepted only as referrals from social service agencies and various faith-based organizations. Applications that have passed a screening process are prioritized. The repair work is then performed by volunteers to the extent possible, or by professionals as necessary. To learn more, or become involved with Home Repair as a volunteer, contact homerepair@YavapaiCCJ.org.

When temperatures dip and the furnaces and fireplaces fire up, our thoughts go to those living on the street here in our high altitude climate. Homeless men in Prescott can find shelter from the cold at Project Aware Mens’ Shelter downtown. Contact the shelter at 928-778-7744.

The American Cancer Society has two cancer resource centers in Yavapai County. The resource centers offer free services to cancer patients and their families, such as free wigs, hats, scarves, mastectomy bras and prosthesis. Information on specific cancers and treatments is also availabale. The “Reach to Recovery” program is a visit by a trained breast cancer survivor counselor. “Look Good Feel Better” is a program to teach women in cancer treatment how to care for their skin and deal with hair loss. Also available are help with housing arrangements (if treatment is out of town) and help with transportation to treatments. All of these services are free and staffed by trained volunteers. Having cancer is difficult, getting help shouldn’t be. The two cancer centers are located at:
Arizona Oncology in Prescott Valley, AZ
Northern Arizona Tumor Institute in Prescott, AZ
(submitted by Roberta Winker, who can be reached here: winker-at-cableone-dot-net)

What’s related:

http://blog.looseends.net/webtech/technology-recycling-contests/technology-recycling-contest-3-pick-your-issue-and-drive-it-home/

http://blog.looseends.net/life-of-the-virtual-assistant/blog-action-day/

Last year, thousands of bloggers participated by writing about the environment, posting our articles en masse on October 15, 2007.

This year the format is the same in that all participating bloggers upload their posts on the topic of poverty simultaneously on October 15.

There is NO political agenda, and, regardless of those causes you may hold most dear, poverty is one of those issues that knows no boundaries and can be one of the precursors of those other causes that concern you. So, by involving the friends and family of all the bloggers who participate, this year’s Blog Action Day has the potential to make a difference to people affected by poverty worldwide.

Rather than sharing facts about poverty, my post on October 15 will be a collection of solutions to poverty (actual and proposed) collected from people I know.

So, then, let me ask you:

A. Do you know of an effort where you live that is successfully combating poverty?

B. Do you personally have a story to share about something you or you and a group of friends or family have done to fight poverty?

C. Do you have an idea for a project that would help eliminate poverty in your corner of the world? Share your idea, whether simple or complex, and ask for the kind of help you need to implement it.

Please send me your stories and, with your permission, I will include them in my post on October 15.

You can share your ideas by commenting or by emailing me at ktcosmos-at-LooseEnds-dot-net. In your response, please identify your location.

If you don’t want to be named, SPECIFY THAT PREFER ANONYMITY.

However, remember that if you are anonymous, no one can follow up with you to try to carry on the good works you envision.

To read more about Blog Action Day 2008, go here.

Speaking of this, here are some older related posts:

Pick Your Issue and Drive it Home

Blog Action Day 2007 Announcement