Category: climate change

Trash and the Climate

Reducing your waste helps fight climate change!

“While there are many ways to fight climate change, zero waste is a bridge that connects them all,” she said. “In fact, it is the most transformative force in the climate struggle.” Emine Erdogan, the wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

A lot is going on in the county of Turkey. They are hosting COP31(see below)

What is amazing to me the wife of Turkey’s President Erdogan has a zero waste foundation, ZERO WASTE FOUNDATION | Zero Waste Project https://sifiratikvakfi.org/en

Turkey wants to host a COP31 conference with minimal trash, but a New York Times investigation finds Turkey needs to work harder on their own trash problems. I give Turkey credit for trying to reduce trash, and wish them success in the future.

Turkey is the top importer of plastic waste from Europe. The plastic is supposed to get recycled, but The Times found that much of it ends up in the ocean. Our reporters visited Adana, a recycling capital, and followed the pollution through canals (in one, the level of microplastics rose more than 130-fold) and out to the sea, where it travels for hundreds of miles. These pictures capture the broken waste economy.
How Europe’s Trash Ends Up on Turkey’s Beaches – The New York Times

What is COP31?

COP31 is the United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place in Antalya, Türkiye from 9 to 20 November 2026.

UN Climate Change Conferences (or COPs) take place every year, and are the world’s only multilateral decision-making forum on climate change that brings together almost every country on Earth.

To put it simply, the COP is where the world comes together to agree on the actions to address the climate crisis, such as limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, helping vulnerable communities adapt to the effects of climate change, and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

COP31 will bring together world leaders and negotiators from the member states (or Parties) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to further global progress, with business leaders, young people, climate scientists, Indigenous Peoples, and civil society sharing insights and best practices to strengthen global, collective and inclusive climate action.

October is Zero Waste Month

From busy city streets to remote coastlines, waste is piling up faster than we can manage. Each year, the world produces more than two billion tons of household waste, a number expected to nearly double by 2050. The impacts of waste are not shared equally: marginalized communities are often located near landfills, incinerators, and toxic dumping sites, while high-income countries export waste to nations with fewer resources, deepening global environmental injustice.

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There is no such thing as ‘away’. When we throw anything away, it must go somewhere.“

– Annie Leonard, Environmental Activist and Strategist

Plastics are among the most harmful forms of waste. Despite decades of recycling efforts, only about nine percent of all plastic ever produced has been recycled. The rest is buried, burned, or broken down into microplastics that infiltrate food, water, air, and even human bloodstreams. These particles persist for centuries, releasing toxins, disrupting ecosystems, and threatening human health.

I challenge you to reduce your trash. The easiest way is to eliminate single use plastic–No plastic bags, No plastic cups, utensils, straws or pouches. Good Luck!

https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-recycles-a-lot-so-why-does-the-twin-cities-need-a-new-landfill/601883863

Change

Fall is a beautiful time of the year!

Happy fall! After such a hot summer many are welcoming the cooler days, but not the shorter daylight. I love this post from the Carbon Almanac. Many are talking about working on a climate goal for the new season. I recommend using less single use plastic.

Today is the equinox when the sun crosses the equator and day and night are approximately equal in length. It happens twice a year, in March and September, and marks a transition from one season to the next season.

It can be a good time to think about what you want to transition to (or away from). Is there a change you have been wanting to make?

In the context of helping our planet, that could be setting up a regular walk with friends to talk about ideas, donating an hour to an environmental group, reading about your local government policies on climate adaptation or eating less meat one night a week.

What action will be your change for this season?

Power Plant Pollution

The air we breathe is precious. Please help protect it, and drive less!

Fossil fuels are a major contributor to our changing climate. We need to get rid of them not add more to cause air and water pollution.

United States allows more greenhouse gas emissions
Thid week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it was repealing a 2024 regulation that limited carbon emissions from power plants. This follows an action earlier this year that revoked a finding that carbon dioxide emissions were a threat to public health.

Fossil fuel power plants are the second largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, only behind the transportation industry.

Separately, the EPA is also pursuing a new rule that would prevent future governments from imposing a limit on emissions from power plants.

If you live in the United States and want to take action, reach out to environmental groups, engage in conversations within your community and speak to your elected officials. and drive less.

Limiting Overshoot: Navigating exceedance of 1.5°C and pathways towards return

What if we act as if we love the future?

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

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What if we act as if we love the future?

Planet Awareness

Consider our Earth when you make choices for your day.

Every day is full of choices. You won’t be perfect, but make it a habit to become aware! Our air, water, wildlife, and all living things thank you.

Below is from The Carbon Almanac:

Salvador Dalí once said, “Have no fear of perfection—you’ll never reach it.”

He wasn’t talking about the environment. But he could have been.

Somewhere along the way, the idea that if we’re going to care about the planet, we have to do it right. The right purchase. The right diet. The right commute. And if we can’t be sure we’re doing it right, a strange kind of paralysis sets in where it seems it is better to do nothing than to do something imperfectly and get it “wrong.”

Waiting for the perfect option is a very effective way to never act at all. And the perfect option doesn’t exist as every decision has trade-offs. 

So if we can’t make the perfect choice, then we should be looking for the next best choice. The choice that we don’t make on autopilot. When we pause to weigh the planet in a decision, we’re not just making one choice. We’re practicing a habit of attention. And that habit doesn’t stay contained to the one decision in front of us. It grows. The more often we consciously factor in impact, the more naturally it shows up in the next decision, and the one after that. Awareness builds on itself in a way that a single “perfect” decision never could.

The real question isn’t “did I make the perfect choice?” It’s simpler than that: “did I include the impact on the environment in my thinking?”

The more we do that, the better we will become at making the next best choice.

Picture of Lake Superior

Clean water and clean air depend on every day good choices.

World Oceans Day

Today we celebrate our oceans, which are vital to the health of our planet.

 

Make it a plastic-free day.

Our oceans are warming at a staggering rate which has an effect on our weather and the health of our planet. Besides making it plastic-free decide how you can reduce your fossil fuels use by driving less and using less energy it your home!

Our oceans need protection!

Below is from the Carbon Almanac:

In December 2022, governments around the world agreed to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030. Now just over three years later, 10% of the ocean is officially protected. To meet the 2030 goal, an area the size of the Indian Ocean still needs to come under protection.  

With a big step towards the 2030 goal, Papua New Guinea recently established the 200,000 sq. km Western Manus Marine Protected Area which is the largest the country has designated to date.

As we think about our waters, visit the World Ocean Day website for more information on the role they play and how to take action.

Love Your Mother!

We need to do more to protect our beautiful planet!

Mother Earth, we love you.

Our Earth is so beautiful, especially in May! On Mother’s day we should be thankful for our mothers’, but also for our Mother Earth

Mother Earth is clearly urging a call to action. Nature is suffering. Oceans filling with plastic and turning more acidic. Extreme heat, wildfires and floods, have affected millions of people. If we all do one thing like stop idling our cars or driving less, we can make a difference!

There are so many wars going on. We need to stop all this destruction which has such a negative effect of people and planet!

Climate change, man-made changes to nature as well as crimes that disrupt biodiversity, such as deforestation, land-use change, intensified agriculture and livestock production or the growing illegal wildlife trade, can accelerate the speed of destruction of the planet.

Everyone needs to play a part in protecting our planet. We need to buy less plastic junk, we need to drive less, and plant native plants. We need to expose ourselves and our Earth to less harmful chemicals. These things protect our health and the health of our planet. Protecting clean water and clean air need to be priorities. Everything else relates to that!

Plant bee balm, purple cone flowers, blazing star and rudbeckia. They attract pollinators and need no chemicals!

plastic-free tips – Health4earth

World Food Waste

🍽️ World Food Waste Day 🌍💚

Become aware of the food you throw in the garbage. How can you repurpose it to eat tomorrow?

Did you know that tons of perfectly good food is wasted every day, while many people go without? Today is a reminder that each of us can make a difference with simple, everyday choices.

Wasting food is a waste of resources. It is a waste of time, labor, and energy. There are estimates that 40% of the food in the United Staes is wasted. This is an enormous contributor to our climate crisis. We can do better!

Here are a few easy ways to reduce food waste:

-Shop bulk to purchase just what you need

🥕 Plan your meals and shop with a list

🧊 Store food properly to keep it fresh for longer

🍲 Get creative with leftovers

📦 Share extra food with friends, family, or those in need

By wasting less, we save money, protect the environment, and help build a more sustainable future for everyone. 🌱

Let’s value our food and make every bite count!

Tips to fight food waste – Health4earth