28 Jun Moved to action

“I recently started packing a lunch and taking it to work”, she said. “It has really reduced my food waste on a daily basis, but as an added bonus I am saving money and losing weight. Most importantly, each day as I look at my cute lunch box with my reusable cutlery, I can now see that I am consciously able to impact issues around plastic waste and the food waste.

It may not be a lot. But it is somewhere to start.”

That was a conversation I had with a listener this week. And it brought a big smile to my face. Because there it was: we are not sure that anything we can do will ever make a difference.

But what if it was a whole number of little ‘anythings’?!

You, too, can have impact and agency!

When I launched my daily segment on Climate Awareness & Action on the day of the summer solstice, I was wary.

Apart from wondering what my regular audience would feel about the connection between the Climate Crisis and the Future of Work (there is a BIG one!), I was not sure how the message would land. Was the message too dark? Would I lose readers and listeners?

And I was feeling overwhelmed regarding the very scope of the problem. As I did my research I wondered if there was indeed any opportunity for me to make an impact on the climate crisis, however small.

Chunk it down

As we talk about in my FUTUREcasting workshops, when you have a big unassailable problem, the best thing to do is chunk it down.

Having recently started a podcast “TILT the Future” and needing some extra on-mic and sound editing practice, I figured I would start right where I was. I could do double duty and use my daily practice to serve a greater purpose.

TILT in the name of my podcast alludes to our ability to make small changes – in attitude, in knowledge, in action.
Or it could be a teeter-totter, with us trying to balance the various aspects of our lives, understanding the issues and making tradeoffs.

TILT 1. Awareness

With the podcast being a communication vehicle, it made sense to leverage it to expand the awareness and urgency around the Climate Crisis.

We are running out of time

My first priority is spreading the word about the urgency. When Nature Guru, David Attenborough pulled no punches, and explained that our window of opportunity has shrunk to less time than it takes to pay off the average mortgage, I felt that was a message that had to be shared, urgently.

Having grown up with Climate Change as a persistent issue, I had drowned out the rhetoric as white noise. I was doing my part, but there was always time tomorrow to make better ecological decisions. I had other more urgent initiatives to focus on, like the Future of Work. There are people out there dealing with this.

Class of 2035 are kindergartners today

Now I needed to get the message out to parents and educators, grandparents and preachers: this threat is imminent. If we do not make significant change within the decade, the class of 2035 who are currently in kindergarten will be graduating into a society fighting over climate instability.

Awareness and urgency are my priority. And in this, with my podcast, I have the opportunity to make a difference.

TILT 2. Action

Knowing and doing. It is not enough just to know. I need you to join me in taking some action.

Minimum viable action

OK. I’m borrowing the concept from James Clear’s Atomic Habits. The way to make bigger change is by starting small. Very small. Like opening my computer each day, and plugging in my headset. And trusting that by the end of the day, I will have figured out content worthy of your time, gathered the courage to record, and been technically adept to publish.

But the actual action is purely that. Opening my computer and plugging in my headset.

Test balloons

I sent out some test balloons to family and friends. Would they be willing to engage? And I got back a healthy dose of overwhelm. Along with a simple request:

“Tell us what we can do. Make it easier and simple.”

There are many in my circle of acquaintances, family, friends who are already making intentional decisions daily regarding climate change. This can range from Meatless Mondays or becoming vegan; purchasing away from plastic; decisions to use train over plane when they travel.

But the rest of us need a few more ideas.

So I published a few episodes to remind us how blessed we are to be living on Planet Earth:

• • The heart-shaped island in the Great Barrier Reef
  • The blue dot

Overwhelm – again?

As I reminisced about learning to swim at the start of the monsoon season in India, I was alerted to the crisis that is hitting most of India with the delayed monsoons this year, brought about the change in weather patterns.

I was ready to give up. And there, as if as a guidepost in my daily planner was T Harv Eker’s quote:

“Stop focusing on the size of the problem, And focus on the size of you“

And the positive phone calls and encouraging messages from my network of family, friends and supporters made a huge difference.

A cluster of good news items

But let us end this week’s roundup with the good news items:

• • Many UK supermarkets and grocery stores are committing to remove plastic packaging in their fresh fruit and vegetable departments
  • In the past few months a Climate Emergency Motions have been declared by countries (Canada, UK, Ireland), cities (New York City, Hoboken, Sydney) and many local muncipalities

Stay engaged.

As I say to my workshops: You got this!

If you would like to know that your action has impact, your vote is heard, your purchasing decision can make a difference, then stay engaged. Discover new ways to participate.

Remember to out there and enjoy the very nature that we are fighting for.

Take small actions. Daily.

Follow the podcast via Instagram, iTunes, Spotify.

If you liked this post, here is the podcast.
It continues to be great to receive feedback as podcasting and blogging is a little uni-directional.

Please feel free to respond – particularly with ideas for content that will enable all of us to make a bigger impact and more the needle faster. If you are asking the questions, odds are someone else is too!

Thank you for the encouragement:

To everyone who has sent me notes, called, or written thank you. Your words from the four continents help make a difference, reminding me that we are all fighting for the same thing: shared air, land and water. Thank you for inspiring me:

CREDIT & THANKS; DEFINITIONS & RESOURCES:

• Inspiration & Motivation: A few very special conversations and messages from listeners
• TILT the Future – my new podcast discusses how little ideas, small shifts and minute moments can result in monumental changes in our lives https://karenadesouza.com/blog/
• Find a version of this thought for today article on LinkedIn and Instagram
• Photo, audio & video credits: Headliner app, Canva, Simplecast, creator Karena de Souza