Bright Ideas No. 39
WHAT REALLY MATTERS
BRIGHT IDEA: When Praise is Due, Give it!
The recently passed Senate bill, the Inflation Reduction Act, may not be everything climate activists hoped for but it’s quite an accomplishment, nonetheless. In fact, $375 billion has been earmarked to fight climate change – the most substantial investment in history!
Surprisingly, this bill made it through a deadlocked 50-50 Senate. For the first time ever, climate change is receiving the attention and priority it deserves. Congratulations go out to everyone who helped make this happen.
BRIGHT IDEA: Think About Your Story of Climate Change
The stories we tell ourselves will determine whether our society declines and self-destructs or whether we heal and thrive. So, what’s your story? Are we going to pull out of this or are we doomed? There’s a short 16-minute video “We will fix climate change” that you are sure to find interesting and instructive. It’s produced by an educational company called Brilliant.
Remember that every story is based on a particular perspective on the world. Be aware of how your point of view affects the myths that form your reality.
BRIGHT IDEA: Consider What a Just Transition Would Entail
These days the terms “climate justice” and “just transition” float around freely. But what would a just transition look like? Addressing the climate crisis is a survival issue for everyone. Climate change does not discriminate but the ability to respond to it does. Wildfires don’t avoid fancy homes. Likewise, snowstorms, hailstorms, and tornadoes don’t discriminate. But recovery from such disasters does. It’s nearly impossible for communities of color, Indigenous reservations, small rural towns, and traditional fishing communities to respond appropriately.
By changing the way solutions are implemented, a vibrant, fair, and regenerative future is possible- “Not when thousands of people do climate justice perfectly, but when millions of people do the best they can,” Xiye Bastida.
BRIGHT IDEA: Buy Food that Matters.
Good eating starts at home, and one of the most important things we can do for the future of the planet is to minimize food miles. Our staples should be foods raised in this country, the closer to home the better. We need to do our best to understand the journey to our plates of what we eat and try to keep that journey as short as possible.
Credits
“Calling In,” Xiye Bastida, an essay in “All We Can Save,” 2020.
“Eat this to save the world,” Clare Finney, The Guardian, July 29, 2021.
Bright Ideas is brought to you by Portland Climate Action Team which, during the pandemic, meets on-line the 4th Thursday of the month, 6-7:30 PM. All are welcome to join in. FMI: portlandclimateaction@gmail.com.
