The list of lifestyle tactics we can use to clean up our personal carbon footprint is pretty well-known, but there is another dimension:

How do we feel, inside, about the harm we are doing to people around us, in particular those not yet born?

Next quiet moment, please think about what we owe the generations-a-coming… Is harming someone else’s kids ever, ever acceptable behavior?

Here is a piece I bookmarked and keep coming back to in my own life, pointing out that an excellent way to spur action is to think deeply about the legacy you I are leaving.

Simple:  Think deeply about those who come after us.

Do we owe them anything?  Most people (even climate skeptics) would say “Heck yes, we owe future generations a safe, clean place they and their kids can prosper.”

The piece by Ezra Markowitz and Lisa Zaval is from the Washington Post and is called, “Here’s the Secret to Making People Care About Climate Change:  Make Them Think About Their Legacy.”  Photo credit is to Kacper Pempel of Reuters.

As a retiree, I’d have to say that certainly works for me…

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Not sure where to start saving the planet (civilization, really)?  Always remember the exciting truth that “Hope is a renewable resource.”  Then, our practical answer becomes “Start by deeply knowing your three personal Superpowers: ” 

1) To save the planet, CHANGE YOURSELF FIRST;

2) To save the planet, INVEST YOUR WORKING LIFE;

3) To save the planet, USE YOUR VOICE and take advocacy seriously!  Never miss a vote and never, ever stop influencing your government and all businesses locally, at the state level, and at the national level.  

It falls upon you and I to lead the way with substantive global warming solutions.  (Far from being a bummer, this is actually a fun trend for each of us to be part of… get energized!)  Our kids and their kids will be proud of us…

And in all cases and at all times, cast aside the learned-helplessness that infects so much of modern life… the time is now for climate change solutions.  No one else is going to do your part for you… never give up.

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