Distant Deadlines

We will save trillions by making this transition by 2050! We will reduce emissions by some amazing number if we change this by 2030! We will improve, increase, remove, decrease, all by some distant deadline. Where is the sense of urgency? Can anyone say they have never crammed for an exam? How many people who could make a difference NOW see some distant deadline as permission to not make a difference YET?

Where are the people who make calculations based on the end of the current year, the current month, the current week, today? We know they’re out there. Every now and then, we see one pop up.

Where are those people who turn the air conditioning to 70 degrees instead of 60 or theheating to 60 instead of 70? What difference can be measured on a day when a few thousand people in a city do that? When my mother listed her house for sale and people were shocked to see that the house did not have air conditioning, she would say, “If the day is too hot, I lie on the tile floor in the hallway and it cools me right down.” I had to tell her that was not considered a feature. There are other ways to cool ourselves.

Where are the people who only put on their plate what they can eat at that sitting instead of piling it on and throwing the excess away? Where are the experts at making tempting meals from “leftovers?” When my kids were little and my husband’s work was seasonal, I managed to make a pot roast on Sunday into meals for the rest of the week with minor additions each day to portions of the meat. By Saturday, it was “Sloppy Joes.” I wondered where the awards committee was with my prize.

Where are the Homeowners’ Associations that do not prohibit growing food, that encourage diverse plantings instead of lawns, that turn off the timed sprinklers when it’s raining, that want to see solar panels and wind turbines, that encourage permeable hardscapes? Storm water runoff can be measured. Reduced air conditioning use with a well placed tree can be seen. Reduced water use because the soil can retain more water can be measured. Homeowners can see reductions in their expenses. HOAs could become agents of positive change.

Success stories with proven payoffs are inspiring. Proof that an effort, no matter how small, can make a difference is motivating. Often, a success story can start with a school project. One school had a small team that turned off lights when rooms were not being used. Being able to show the reduced power bill made that effort spread out into the neighborhood.

What could you initiate in your immediate location NOW?

Where could you share your success story NOW?