A CALL TO ACTION

Welcome to our EARTH SAVERS webpage. AADC is committed to supporting environmental awareness. Each month author Jody Brady gives us information and tips on how to be more friendly to the environment. Your comments and tips are welcome. Scroll down if you would like to comment. Comments are curated and may not appear immediately.

A Variety of Short Pieces on the Climate Crisis

This month’s Earth Saver’s is a variety of short pieces on important Climate Crisis happenings, activists, and suggestions. Enjoy!!

GO GRANNY!

Climate change is a real danger to society and especially to our more elderly population. Heat-related mortality in Europeans above the age of 65 has increased by more than 30 per cent.

A group of senior women in Switzerland believe that protection from the environment is a human right. They have formed an organization called Senior Women for Climate Protection Switzerland. This organization is suing the government. Their case has been filed in the European Court of Human Rights. It states that the country’s climate policies are putting the health and human rights of citizens at risk.

If this suit succeeds, it will give credence to other climate lawsuits, of which there are around 2000 worldwide. GO GRANNIES.!

GOOD LAWYER – IS NOT AN OXYMORON

We make lawyer jokes, but lawyers are needed to pass important environmental legislation. Good lawyers. Luckily, the U.S. has The American College of Environmental Lawyers (ACOEL). Check them out. Many of these attorneys could make more money in the private sector but choose to work to better the earth.

When the United States withdrew from the Paris Agreement in 2019, the American Bar Association adopted a climate change resolution. It urged action on climate change, recognizing the important role lawyers have in the combat. The resolution passed unanimously, urging:

Federal, state and local governments, and the private sector, to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. to net zero or below.
Congress, to enact legislation to enact measures for climate adaptation and mitigation, the just transition to net zero, and sustainable development.
The United States, to engage in constructive international discussions and to implement multilateral agreements.
Lawyers, to engage in “pro bono activities to aid efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change, and to advise their clients of the risks and opportunities that climate change provides.”

Other bar associations throughout the world followed this example with similar resolutions.

THE U.S. ENVOY FOR CLIMATE

John Kerry is the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate.

He states that the economy has so drastically and fundamentally changed in the past several years, spurred by the new “climate and energy law passed last year, that the markets would reject a challenge to the nation’s clean energy trajectory.”

Kerry emphasizes agriculture. He says, “We can’t get to net-zero, we don’t get this job done unless agriculture is front and center as part of the solution.”

Overall, the global food system includes land-use change, actual agricultural production, and packaging and waste management. This global food system generates about 18 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year, approximately 34% of total worldwide emissions, according to a 2021 study published in the Nature Food Journal.

In the U.S., however, agriculture alone generates about 10% of total greenhouse gas emissions. Kerry states, “We’re facing record malnutrition at a time when agriculture, more than any other sector, is suffering from the impacts of the climate crisis. And I refuse to call it climate change anymore. It’s not change –it’s a crisis.“

He added that we need to get technical solutions into the hands of folks in the fields, into the hands of small farmers, on a worldwide basis.

WHAT CAN I DO?

We can make our personal contributions by being careful about the packaging we purchase and the waste we produce. Eliminate as much plastic and food waste as possible. Buy and use only re-fillable bottles. Buy products that don’t come in plastic, as much as possible. Then recycle. I know – it’s difficult. And I know you can do it!

GO PAPER

By using paper products instead of plastic, you are helping the planet. Paper bags, paper packaging, and paper boxes are all designed to be easily recycled. Paper is the most recycled material in the U.S. It’s natural and renewable. It encourages our forest owners to grow and maintain healthy forests, twice what is needed.

I was disappointed when TWO of our local Auburn grocery stores stopped offering paper bags and switched to heavy plastic bags only. I would pay for paper. Would you? Let us know. Let those grocery stores know if you encounter this. We all need to speak up for paper!

SPEAKING OF LAWYERS

I highly recommend the documentary Clarence and Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power and the Supreme Court. It’s about 2 hours long. Be sure to watch the entire thing. It’s eye-opening and informative.

You can watch it on YouTube for free:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJuRx1wARUk

It’s also for rent on Amazon Prime for $5.99.

EARTH FRIENDLY TRASH BAGS

Here are a couple of trash bags that are more earth friendly than many others. Let us know of any suggestions you may have, for good trash bags or anything that helps the environment!