Actions

What organizations can do

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Here are some actions that unions, environmental and social justice organizations have organized and carried out more effectively than individuals, and which they can continue to do:

strikes against employers who overwork and underpay their employees

demonstrations and general strikes against cuts to social programs or environmental degradation

boycotts of corporations for their unfair labor practices, discrimination or pollution

occupations of corporate and governmental offices, stock markets, etc

hosting of forums, seminars and webinars

taking over and running businesses that owners have abandoned

defending the land rights of indigenous peoples and tenant farmers

setting up alternatives to for-profit businesses

defending human and animal habitats from mining and logging

defending lands and waterways from dangerous pipelines

suing corporations that violate pollution and labor laws

defending tenants’ rights

lobbying politicians

registering voters and reminding them to vote

non-violent civil disobedience

advocating for national health care

researching and advocating for the most efficient, reliable and cost-effective "net zero emissions" new housing standards, such as better insulation and networked (community) geothermal heating and cooling.

What individuals can do

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Besides the political actions that we can take, whether they involve voting, registering or reminding voters to vote, signing petitions, joining or forming unions or political organizations, or direct action, there are appeals we can make individually, or with others, to our local governments. Also there are helpful personal lifestyle changes some of us can make. Here are some suggestions of things you might want to try:

Appeals to Local Governments

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If your city or town doesn’t have an energy aggregation program, urging them to create one. In an energy aggregation program, your city or town negotiates a lower rate for your electricity, and the electricity provider has to include more renewable energy into the mix.

If your city or town doesn’t have an ordinance requiring solar panels on larger new and renovated buildings, urging them to institute one.

If your city, county or state doesn’t have a public electric energy utility, urging them to take over the local private utility or its function in your area. We have some control over legislatures but little over how regulatory bodies implement regulations or how electric utilities comply.

If your city or town doesn’t have ordinances banning polystyrene take out food containers and single use plastic shopping bags, urging them to institute them.

If your state doesn’t have a rent control program, urging your state representative and senator to institute one.

Urging your state representative and senator to institute strong healthy soils legislation with substantial funding to support farmers starting up or making the transition to organic and/or regenerative agriculture.

If your city or town doesn’t have a composting program, urging them to institute one.

If your state doesn’t have a health care program covering everyone, advocating for one.

Personal Lifestyle Changes

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First, I want to acknowledge that many of the lifestyle changes I will suggest below only apply to people with sufficient financial means. Never the less, please see if there are any of these suggested actions that are possible for you. Some of them cost nothing or actually save you money.

If you own your home, making sure your home is well insulated and has well functioning, efficient heating and cooling systems.

If you own your home and it has a large south-facing roof capable of holding solar panels, taking advantage of state and federal rebates to add solar panels to your home, so you can lower your electric bills and even provide energy to the grid.

If you live where vegetables are abundant and you eat a lot of meat, eating less meat, fish and animal products and more vegetables, beans, peas, mushrooms and whole grains. This is both better for the environment and your health.

If you can afford it, eating more organic and whole foods and less processed foods. This is both better for the environment and your health.

If there is a CSA (community supported agriculture program providing a variety of fresh, local foods to members) that delivers to your area, joining it.

If there is a farmers market in your area, buying produce from them.

If there is a community garden in your area, using it to grow vegetables and connect with others using the community garden.

If you work full time and have sufficient income, trying to work less (35 hours is standard in many European countries), and/or working from home when possible. For many people these are not options, as they need to work full time for heath insurance and/or may need to work more than one job to feed their families and/or may have to work outside their homes. Ensuring that everyone has enough income and health insurance coverage while working less than 40 hours can only be achieved at a system level, and so this is something we can advocate for.

If you have freed up time from a job, or don’t have one, spending more time with your family and to share in domestic duties like shopping, cooking, laundry, cleaning, childcare and eldercare with other adults in your family.

If you don’t like what you are doing for work, trying to do work that is more helpful to people and the planet. For example, instead of working in military industries, stock markets, marketing, corporate law or advertising, training and working in a profession in something like health care, education, ecology or urban planning.

If you fly for vacations or work, finding ways to fly less.

If you drive a lot, finding ways to drive less, and if you can, walking and/or bicycling more.

If the cars and devices you have work perfectly well, not buying the latest ones available.

If you buy a lot of books and/or stream a lot of movies, getting more books and movies from the library instead. Streaming and computer searches and downloads use a lot more energy than watching DVDs or BlueRay movies or reading paper books.

Getting items you need and giving items away you no longer need, using your neighborhood contacts or forums like Freecycle and Nextdoor.

If you have a yard where you could set up a composting area, composting your food scraps. Otherwise, if your city or town has a composting program, joining it.

If you drink water from plastic bottles, using a water filter and filling a stainless steel bottle instead. Over time, water filters save you money and eliminate the plastic waste, including the plastic that ends up in your body.

If you spend a lot of time online, on social media or playing video games, seeing if you don’t feel more relaxed and inspired by spending more time in nature, doing outdoor exercise, dancing or doing another healthful movement practice, meditating, or socializing with friends in person.