Mastodawn

Parents for the Planet Aug 19, 2023

Week 93 of 400 #15MinuteActions. Personal Action. Put your Go Box together for emergency evacuation. There have been a lot of reminders that we are all, even in cities, vulnerable. Whether it’s fire, flood, hurricane, or toxic gas, there are many reasons your family might have to evacuate. Climate chaos only increases the likelihood. So put your Go Box together, and also talk about it. People think they won’t be affected by these disasters, and knowing that you are thinking about it will make it more real for them, and make them safer in the long run. https://www.ready.gov/kit

Build A Kit | Ready.gov

These resources teach you to build an emergency kit filled with the items you need to survive on your own for several days after a disaster. After an emergency, you may need to survive on your own for several days. Being prepared means having your own food, water and other supplies to last for several days. A disaster supplies kit is a collection of basic items your household may need in the event of an emergency.

Parents for the Planet Aug 12, 2023

Week 92 of 400 #15MinuteActions. Government Action. Help your local or regional government set up an electric lawn equipment voucher system. Mowers, leaf blowers and other gas-powered lawn equipment are pollution hazards. One hour of leaf-blowing is the pollution equivalent of 1100 miles in a car in terms of CO2 emissions, and also emits nitrous oxide, which is 300x more warming. Gas-powered garden equipment is responsible for 5% of US air pollution. The Denver region has an incentive program for replacing your mower with an electric model. This program could be a template for one in your area. https://www.mowdownpollution.org

Parents for the Planet Aug 5, 2023

Week 91 of 400: #15MinuteActions. Justice Action. Talk more about climate migration. Last year was the first year that climate forced more than 100 million people to migrate. For every degree in global average temperature rise, experts estimate a billion people will be force to migrate. That’s about the total population of both North and South America. Some of that migration will happen internal to countries as people move away from coastal areas or areas that too hot to be safe. Some of it will be across borders as people desperately seek relief from drought, heat, and flooding. Figuring out how to respond to this looming crisis is one of the many things we aren’t talking about when we talk about climate. https://bipartisanpolicy.org/download/?file=/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/BPC_Issue-Brief_ClimateMigration_R06448.pdf

Parents for the Planet Jul 29, 2023

Week 90 of 400 #15MinuteActions. Institutional Action: Find your local tool/things library, and if you can’t find one, start one. The average drill is used less than 30 minutes a year. The average punch bowl even less. We don’t all need to have all the things, we can use tool/thing libraries to lessen our consumerism, allow us to need less storage, connect with our local communities, and more. With shared tools, more people can afford to make their houses energy efficient. Even informal sharing helps: our neighbors are trying out our electric lawnmower as they think about converting from gas. https://sharestarter.org has tips for getting started.

Parents for the Planet Jul 22, 2023

Week 89 of 400 #15MinuteActions. Personal Action: To distract Northern hemisphere folks from the current season, let’s take a minute to think about and keep an eye on your heat pump options. Earlier this month, RMI released a study of heat pumps, concluding that in the 48 contiguous states “replacing a gas furnace with a heat pump could reduce climate pollution by up to 93 percent.” Even in places where furnaces aren’t used for space heating, heat pumps can reduce the emissions of water heating. Have this choice in mind as you plan house remodels or furnace or water heater replacements. https://rmi.org/now-is-the-time-to-go-all-in-on-heat-pumps/

Now Is the Time to Go All In on Heat Pumps

A new RMI analysis shows that in all 48 continental states, replacing a gas furnace with a heat pump could reduce climate pollution by up to 93 percent.

RMI

Parents for the Planet Jul 16, 2023

Week 88 of 400 #15MinuteActions. Government Action: Comments on the EPA’s proposed Coal Ash Plan are due by July 17th. The proposal will force coal power plants to take responsibility for “safe management of so-called coal ash dumped in hundreds of older landfills, “legacy” ponds and other inactive sites that currently are unregulated at the federal level.” This pollution is harmful to drinking water and can damage the circulatory, respiratory and digestive systems. It can also cause neurological and reproductive problems. Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OLEM–2020–0107 https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/05/18/2023-10048/hazardous-and-solid-waste-management-system-disposal-of-coal-combustion-residuals-from-electric

Federal Register :: Request Access

Parents for the Planet Jul 15, 2023

I am throwing back to ISeeChange for this week’s #CitizenScience. There is so much going on, and the more data we can get to scientists, the better we can respond and predict and become more resilient. I’ve talked about their data about seasonal changes, but this week they’re asking for heat wave data. Positive activism is one way to catch your breath when the world gets hard and the tipping points feel relentless. Knowing you can make a little impact in what we know and how we handle all of this is comforting and restoring. Give it a try. https://www.iseechange.org/getting-started

ISeeChange | Community Climate & Weather Journal

Parents for the Planet Jul 9, 2023

Week 87 of 400 #15MinuteActions. Justice Action: In the US, call your representatives about the coming childcare crisis. 3.2 million children will lose their childcare on September 30th, when the additional federal support for COVID ends and 70,000 childcare centers close. Children are a big part of our ‘why’ in climate action: making a future they can thrive in is a big part of our motivation. Not everyone can afford hours of driving or thousands of dollars a month for childcare. That doesn’t mean these kids don’t deserve care in the present or a safe climate in the future. And we can’t ask their parents to work for the future when they are concentrating on surviving the present. https://tcf.org/content/report/child-care-cliff/

Child Care Cliff: 3.2 Million Children Likely to Lose Spots with End of Federal Funds

If you are having trouble accessing the interactive map on mobile, click here. In just over 100 days—on September 30, 2023—child care for millions of

The Century Foundation

Parents for the Planet Jul 2, 2023

Week 86 of 400 #15MinuteActions institutional: Talk to your neighbors about dangerous invasive plant species in yards, alleys, and marginal spaces. These species interfere with local ecosystems, clog waterways and can even be noxious to pets and people. Know what your local noxious weeds are, walk around your neighborhood and know which ones you’re seeing (in my neighborhood, it’s a lot of myrtle spurge, buckthorn, and Tree of Heaven. Your area has a list of these plants, too. This introduction, from Australia, is a nice introduction to the invasive plant concept. https://www.eddmaps.org/about/what_is_invasive.cfm

EDDMapS What is an Invasive Species? - EDDMapS

EDDMapS.org

Parents for the Planet Jun 16, 2023

Here's to Roger Payne, and to the gift of whale song he gave us. May we honor his legacy. https://time.com/6284884/whale-scientist-last-please-save-the-species/

I Spent My Life Saving the Whales. Now They Might Save Us

Over 50 years ago Roger Payne discovered that whales sing. Now he has an urgent plea for the world as he confronts his own mortality.

Time