Can you commit to only using your car during the week? This is when you really start making a difference. Crowdfunding is one of the best things to have happened as a result of the internet. Good things in life are worth waiting for. Learn about yourself. When you do your work with happiness, you’ll be 100X more effective. It may sound obvious, but in our stressful and fast-paced lives it’s easy to forget how important small acts of kindness really are. What shifts can you make that will produce natural, almost effortless action that has greater impact & consequence? We are all good at something, and our special skills can always be used for the good of all. Farmers need around 28 times the land to produce beef over pork or chicken, and 11 times the water, according to a 2014 study. We can each make a difference. Glaciers in Iceland are melting. Every kind word to a stranger… every time you help someone feel good about themselves and believe in their potential, you send a ripple of positive feeling out into the world. And while it's unfortunately true that we need government assistance in making the societal-level changes that are necessary, we as individuals are not powerless. You may not want to be there in the beginning, but showing up allows a committed chance at making a difference everyday for the people you love, the people you will meet, and the eventual person you will become. If you’re not, then one of the biggest ways you can make a difference in the world is to first find happiness for yourself. Which of these would you want to share, and which would you like to borrow? This isn't necessarily because governments, businesses and people want to be green. This means that when you bring more joy, happiness, love & positive emotion into your life, you impact the lives of everyone you know, and a whole lot of people that you’ve never even met. Supermarket fruit and vegetables will never taste the same after eating your own produce, and the best way to do it is to share the work. Get a group of like-minded people together and start keeping a record of the skills they can offer and what they would like to receive in exchange. Want to do something a little more ambitious than the suggestions in #1? Avaaz´s successes cannot be understated; collectively its members have campaigned for 50 million actions, staged almost 10,000 marches and flashmobs, raised over $15m for good causes, and taken on politicians and corporations at the highest echelons to win incredible victories on urgent environmental and human rights issues. It takes electricity to warm up water -- depending on the efficiency of your heating system, it can use a lot of electricity -- which, as noted above, often means more carbon dioxide in the air. ~Seret Rafferty. Gardening is easier than you might think, not to mention rewarding and therapeutic. But this is a harder sacrifice to make, since there are often no real alternatives to flight. You’ll be more likely to keep going until you reach your goals. and you shouldn’t try to be something you’re not. Eating fruits and vegetables is good for you, but consumption of out-of-season fruits and veggies can also be bad for the environment, even if not as damaging as red meat. If you want to make a difference in the world then you need to be able to act from a place of service for others. I’m the author of multiple courses & ebooks about bird language, naturalist training, observation skills & outdoor mindfulness. The very, very short version of climate change is this: Earth's climate changes on its own, but thanks to the industrial and agricultural revolutions, humans are spurring it along. Sophie is a staff writer for True Activist and a freelance feature writer for various publications on society, activism and various other issues. You don’t need much land if you use the space well, and some local municipalities may offer allotments to residents for free on long-term leases. The site launched in 2007 and has more than 17 million members worldwide and counting. The lion's share of carbon dioxide production comes out of Asia, not the West. Be happy with yourself. 3. Within weeks it had sparked the interest of the local community, with DVDs added to the library and donations used to buy more stock. You can also download a free copy of my Ebook – ‘The Wild Observer’. See! Which of the overwhelming number of urgent global issues should I focus my attention on first? (The city now relies more on natural gas, which is a pollutant but not as bad a pollutant.) If you can do that, or already do that, you are a true MVP. Where do I start? China is trying to limit its coal use. So... what do? These models allow for people to find painters, carpenters, gardeners, babysitters, and any other services we all need occasionally, without worrying about payment in cash. You can read more of her stuff here. It’s who you become as a person that has the real impact. One of the best initiatives is freecycle, a global online gifting website based on the idea that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read. It's a reminder that new private-sector innovation can kick start movement in the climate change arena. While this may be true to some extent, it’s also a bit of a trap. Vietnam, for instance, ditched a move to nuclear energy in 2016 because coal is cheaper. Your email address will not be published. The only way to change our actions then is to focus on becoming a person who exudes the change we want to see in the world. But the country's investment in renewables means it understands there's a problem, which is half the battle. One of the greatest motivations in this world is the desire to make a difference. This is how you’ll find less wasted time, better results from your effort, and more life fulfillment because you know you ARE making a difference. You already have what it takes to make the world a better place. The seemingly never-ending newsreel of climate catastrophes can leave us feeling powerless. Airplanes eat up huge amounts of gasoline, with international flights often easily burning well over 10,000 gallons of fuel, and being responsible for around 5% climate change, according to a recent report from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics. The idea that you can do something that will have a real impact on the lives of people is a very inspiring thought, but sometimes it can seem like we’re fighting an uphill battle. That's thanks in large part to the growing number of people around the world wanting to do their part to help preserve the planet. You have to see the value inherent in you before you can bring it into the world. Coal is a go-to for governments, like those in Asia, because it's relatively cheap and often profitable. Since then I’ve been passionately seeking tools for helping modern humans develop razor sharp natural instincts. It Need Not Be an Enormous Task “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.” – Mother Teresa. Similarly, one of Bill Gates' major philanthropic projects is creating safer and more efficient nuclear energy. Many great minds throughout history have talked about how the deepest fulfillment in life comes from helping others & making the world a better place. The only question then is ‘who are you?’. Eat less beef, that's what do! If you start with happiness then patience is easy. There are two main ways sellers get around this: Import food from overseas, or pay local farmers who use huge amounts of water and electricity to grow them out of season. Gift economies enable people to exchange goods, services and favours without any need for cash payment. If you don’t have any sense of what your gifts are then I would suggest you spend some good time getting to know yourself. If the local schools are unfit for purpose, get talking to other concerned parents about starting a home schooling co-operative, like this one in Atlanta. © CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. (Electricity from natural gas is also dirty, but estimated to be around 50% cleaner than coal.) It's because solar and wind power are getting cheaper and cheaper. It's the little things. So while we sadly can't plant all of our problems away, planting a tree will still help. How To Make a Difference. "Some customs, such as holding a wedding overseas and expecting all guests to fly to it, are incredibly wasteful.". Ecosystems, be they wetland, terrestrial or oceanic, are at risk, as are many animal and plant species, according to the IPCC. Keep track of those feelings. All the home learning products in my online store come with a money-back guarantee and cover unique aspects of the holistic deep nature connection journey from bird language & naturalist intelligence to mindfulness & goal-setting. Guerilla art is street art which is exciting, subversive, anonymous and inspiring. That’s something you can feel good about from the very moment you start. The chances are you are reading True Activist because various things you watched or read have made a huge impact on your life and attitude towards the world. Maybe you can’t save the world, but you can save your backyard. "Global warming is likely to reach 1.5 degrees celsius between 2030 and 2052 if it continues to increase at the current rate.". The annoying part can be finding a grocery store that you're sure buys its produce from local farmers. You don’t have to know exactly what to do or how you’ll do it. Not so hard, right? And there are more of us every day. Whenever you’re ready… here are 4 ways I can help you connect deeply with nature in your local environment: I always recommend new visitors start by watching my free training video ‘How To Read The Secrets of A Forest‘. 2. For instance, in Sydney, where I live, it's spring right now, which means pineapples, mandarins, asparagus and (much) more are very hot right now. Unfortunately, Western governments alone haven't given cause for optimism. Impatience is also the reason most people give up! Cars are a major emitter of carbon dioxide. Not only that, but discarded food ends up in landfills where, due to it decomposing without the presence of oxygen, it causes emissions of methane into the atmosphere. So a quick and easy way you can help is to eat less red meat. You just have to be patient and have faith. Pay it forward is a fantastic initiative (and inspirational book/film) which is based on the idea that for every good deed you receive from another, you pass it on to someone else. Got a lot of shoes and clothes, gathering dust in the closet? Alternative currencies like Bitcoin are growing in popularity, and other local tenders have been launched in cities around the world. Another idea is to launch a skill swapping or time bank initiative in your community. That's about the equivalent of Portugal, which occupies 92,000 square kilometers. Waste less food and you'll buy less food, which is helpful for both Mother Nature and your wallet. With a click of the mouse you can either create or fund a potentially world-changing project- check out Global Giving for some ideas of how you can help, or ask for funding to create a project close to your heart. Pay-It-Forward to assist the local farmer. Plus, many people really love their cars. The area covered by forests and woodlands within the continent grew by 90,000 square kilometers between 1990 and 2015, according to the World Economic Forum. Would you like to join us? If you don’t use your time for good then your time will just be used in some other way. Methane, produced en masse by livestock, has a similar effect on the atmosphere to that of carbon dioxide, while forests (which absorb CO2) are destroyed to clear land for crops, and huge amounts of water and electricity are used to produce fruits and vegetables and ship them to places they're out of season.