Category: climate change

International Day Of Clean Energy

The progress to clean energy is hopeful in a world where it is difficult to be hopeful. The demand for electricity is soaring, and data centers are imposing an enormous load on our communities for energy. Unfortunately, some of our elected officials are pushing various types of burning as clean energy. They want to include the burning of garbage as a form of clean energy. Burning in any form from your backyard fires to burning garbage is NOT clean energy.

wind generator

Today is the International Day of Clean Energy!

Today, let’s think positive and celebrate what is good and getting better!

Below is from the Carbon Almanac:

Celebrating clean energy

Today, January 26th, is International Day of Clean Energy. Clean energy refers to electricity generated from sources such as solar, wind, geothermal and hydro that emit little to no greenhouse gas emissions.

The World Resources Institute has summarized the key statistics when it comes to clean energy in this article. The article highlights some positive news such as:

  • how clean energy is creating the majority of new electricity capacity
  • Investment in green energy is higher than fossil fuels
  • Growth in clean energy jobs

There are still challenges to overcome in the industry including distribution of investment and length of time to bring a project from ideation to production. But there is a lot of momentum behind green energy and it will be interesting to see how 2026 shapes up for it. 

The United States Exits Important Agencies

Everyone needs to work to help our planet. So much leadership is needed!

A chance for other countries to lead. France, Germany, England, Italy, India?

U.S. leaves international climate agencies
This week the United States announced it would be leaving 66 international organizations, agencies, and commissions which includes many related to climate change.

Among these is the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which was adopted by all member nations in early 1990s and is considered the treaty which led to 2015’s Paris Agreement. The U.S. also previously announced its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, which will officially take effect on January 20.

Also included are:

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
International Renewable Energy Association
International Solar Alliance
International Union for Conservation of Nature
Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
With these actions, the U.S. has further separated itself from other countries in the climate change space. Does its withdrawal give pause to the activities of other nations? Or will it motivate other countries to lead in this evolving space?

This is from The Carbon Almanac

Daily Difference

Let’s all help to hold up our planet in 2026

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The Daily Difference Newsletter

Join the Daily Difference, a newsletter to help everyone around the world in taking action and making a significant positive impact. It’s not too late. The earth needs passionate people like you to spread the word and create meaningful change.

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December 30, 2025

It doesn’t need to be perfect

Taking action to heal the planet doesn’t need to be overwhelming.  It doesn’t need to be perfect.  It just needs to happen.   Take a moment today and be a difference […]

Read More

December 29, 2025

Doing the work

The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species is a report on the health of the world’s biodiversity. It is a comprehensive source of information […]

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December 28, 2025

Shining a light on positive climate news

Negative climate stories in the United States often make the headlines – cancelling wind farm construction, accelerating oil and gas drilling, rolling back regulations on greenhouse gas emissions and air […]

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December 27, 2025

Voting for conservation

In Canada, and in many other countries around the world, it is often Indigenous people leading the way in sustainability and stewardship of nature. The Heiltsuk Nation, on British Columbia, […]

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December 26, 2025

Packaging producers now pay in the UK

In the United Kingdom, companies who make packaging are now having to pay as the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has started its enforcement stage.  What is EPR? It is based […]

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December 25, 2025

Helping young people engage in climate actions

Mihir Rao, an 18-year-old from Alberta, Canada, is helping other young people to learn how to influence decision-makers. Rao, who is also a winner of the 2025 I-SEA Youth Climate […]


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Less Stuff, More Joy

How can you generate less trash and less junk?

This is from the Story of Stuff. I hope you will give it some thought and make thoughtful purchases for the holidays and all year.
“This time of year, the pressure to buy more — and waste more — is everywhere.
Black Friday doorbusters, holiday flash sales, limited-time offers: overconsumption during the holidays isn’t an accident. It’s by design.

And the consequences are massive. Americans generate 25% more waste between Thanksgiving and New Year’s — an extra one million tons of trash every week. From impulse purchases tossed by January, to mountains of packaging, the holiday season has become a pipeline of extraction, production, shipping, and disposal.

What we rarely see are the impacts hidden upstream. Most of a product’s environmental footprint happens long before it reaches your door — through rapid mining of raw materials, energy-intensive manufacturing, and global shipping emissions that fuel the climate crisis.

Fast fashion hauls and holiday overbuying only accelerate the damage. Every second, a garbage truck’s worth of clothing is landfilled or burned. Electronics, toys, gadgets, and seasonal “stuff” flood into toxic e-waste dumps around the world.” Story of Stuff

But there’s a different story we can tell — and build — together.

Trying to be more climate friendly with gift giving this year? This holiday gifting guide will help you get in the spirit while saving you money and deepening the meaningfulness of your holiday season.

Buy Nothing Day

Go for a walk. Enjoy our beautiful world

Tempted to buy extra stuff today? The pressure is on, the ads are running, and it’s hard to avoid all of the sales. Here are a few ideas to manage the shopping frenzy:

💚

 Buy nothing.

🌳

 Step outside and get some fresh air.

💚

 Visit your favorite green space.

🌳

 Call or visit a loved one.

💚

 Spend time with yourself or a pet, with your favorite seasonal drink.

🌳

 Really need an item? Consider buying just essential items that need to be purchased anyway.

💚

 Support a local and sustainable small business, instead of big-boxed stores.

🌳

 Instead of purchasing something new, see if you can buy it second-hand, borrow it from a friend, or rent it.

Feel free to take the pressure off today (if you can), and buy nothing.

🗣️

Quote by earthlyeducation on IG

#BuyNothing#Overconsumption#PlasticPollutes#BreakFreeFromPlastic#BlackFriday

Make it a plastic-free day!

Start From Where you Are!

Yes, we all can make a difference. Small changes can lead to big changes.

A great thought for the day. How can we have more control? The world can be a discouraging place. Especially when we have elected officials that are taking us in the wrong direction and wasting taxpayer dollars. The only thing we have control of is our own behavior, and instead of being angry we can use that energy to make a positive difference. Below are some ways you can make a positive impact without much effort. Good Luck. Below is from the Carbon Almanac:

When countries and companies lessen their commitment to targets and activities for climate change, it can be disheartening as systemic change is critical for big impact. If you feel powerless to influence systemic change, you can start where you are.

Some ideas of how to start:

  • Start by having a conversation with friends
  • Start by taking one less trip in a combustion engine vehicle
  • Start by shopping at a thrift store
  • Start by buying produce that is not wrapped in plastic
  • Start by bringing a reusable mug to your favourite cafe
  • Start by finding a local environmental group

And my list to get you started:

*Always carry reusable shopping bags

*Never idle the engine of your car

*Write letters to elected officials and newspapers expressing your opinion (positive and negative)

*Plant a native plant or a native tree

*Listen, smile and be kind

The key is to start (or keep) taking action. One action can lead to another and then another. And by sharing what you are doing, you can inspire others to join.

Zero Waste Fest

I wanted to share an invite to Zero Waste Fest on Saturday, October 11 at Burroughs Community School in Minneapolis. It’s a free, all-day community event with panels, food, music, kid’s activities, and lots of hands-on ways to get involved in building a future without waste. Zero Waste Fest — MN Zero Waste Coalition

The day runs from 10am to 4pm and includes:

  • Inspiring panels on:
    • Building a Zero Waste Future in Minnesota
    • Plastic is a Justice Issue: Fighting Pollution from Production to Disposal
    • From Throwaway to Reuse: Reclaiming Culture, Creating Systems
  • Tabling from organizations around MN supporting zero waste 
  • Clothing swaps and mending
  • Food, art, and music!

It’s free and open to everyone. I’d love for you to join us and help spread the word!

You can RSVP here

What You Should Know

About Plastic

Every year the countries of the world produce more plastic, and there is no end in sight. Production. of plastic keeps growing.

The list below is composed by the Plastic Pollution Coalition. Let’s work every day to reduce our consumption of plastic. Never use plastic utensils, plastic bags or straws

  • Plastic never goes away. It doesn’t break down; it only breaks up into smaller and smaller pieces. These microplastics and nanoplastics are harmful and are everywhere now, including in our bodies. 
  • Plastic pollutes the environment, wildlife, and people.
  • Plastic is not safe. Plastic leaches toxic chemicals and sheds plastic particles at all stages of its existence. 
  • Plastic especially harms communities living near petrochemical and plastic infrastructure. 
  • The more plastic companies make and we use, the more we contribute to pollution and climate change.
  • Plastic was not designed to be recycled, and most plastic does not get recycled in the way we’ve been led by industry to believe.
  • To solve the plastic pollution crisis, industries must stop producing so much plastic. Instead of single-use plastics, we need to use nontoxic reuse and refill systems and regenerative materials.
  • Taking action on an individual level, using less plastic, and demanding policy action to hold producers accountable can help support the systemic changes to shift away from society’s reliance on plastics.

1. Ernie Mundell, “You might inhale 68,000 microplastics per day,” United Press International, July 31, 2025.
2. Sharon Udasin, “Humans may be inhaling 100 times more microplastics than previously assumed, scientists warn,” The Hill, July 30, 2025.
3. Yue Li, Le Tao, Qiong Wang, Fengbang Wang, Gang Li and Maoyong Song, “Potential Health Impact of Microplastics: A Review of Environmental Distribution, Human Exposure, and Toxic Effects,” Environment & Health, August 10, 2023.
4. Julia Shumway, “Oregon’s Bynum, Merkley and Florida Republicans target microplastics with new bill,” Oregon Capital Chronicle, July 17, 2025.

Earth Overshoot

On July 24, we had used all the resources that the Earth can generate in a year. We are using more resources than we can replace, or living on borrowed time.
The day we want to reach is December 31.

How can we use ;ess resources

From the Carbon Almanac. On July 24 we hit Earth Overshoot Day for 2025. Earth Overshoot Day is noted every year and the date is announced on World Environment Day. It marks the day when “humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services … exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year”. Global Footprint Network, a research organization focused on the operation of the human economy within the Earth’s ecological limits, hosts and calculates when Earth Overshoot Day will occur, with this year showing that humanity is using the planet’s resources 80% faster than ecosystems can regenerate. July 24 is the earliest in the year that Earth Overshoot Day has fallen, with past dates going back to 1971. In those 54 years, humanity reached its overshoot day on December 31 once, in 1972. 

Calculations for overshoot day are based on the National Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts, and this year’s calculations revealed that due to the ocean’s reduced capacity to store carbon, an increase in per capita Footprint and a reduced per capita biocapacity, Earth Overshoot Day fell eight days earlier than it did in 2024. In addition to Earth Overshoot Day, Country Overshoot Days are also calculated each year, seen here. These dates represent when the planet’s ecological resource budget would be used up if every place on Earth consumed at the same level as residents in that particular country. 

Credit: Global Footprint Network 2025, www.overshootday.org and www.footprintnetwork.org.

A campaign working to reduce the strain on the Earth’s resources and bring humanity’s consumption into better balance is #MoveTheDate. The goal is to move the date of Earth Overshoot Day to December 31 or later every year, ensuring that the resources taken from the planet can be sustainability regenerated by the ecosystems. Solutions range across five major areas: planet, cities, energy, food and population. This solutions map tracks solutions being implemented across the world. Check it out to see if there are any near you. 

Visit the Earth Overshoot Day website to learn more about how it is calculated, as well as the economic and ecological implications of humanity’s continued overuse of resources. 

My Five things you can do:

Strive for zero waste–Reuse, Reuse, Reuse and Refuse!

Drive Less

Reduce your plastic footprint–No single use plastic!

Plant native plants and raingardens without chemicals!

Don’t waste food.

https://www.ecowatch.com/earth-overshoot-day-2025.html