Can We Save Our Planet?  Will We?

The month of April includes Earth Day on the 22^nd.

But why can’t it be every day in the month?  Every day in the year?

Climate change … Global warming … whatever moniker you want to use … is real.

The examples are all around us.

• More intense natural disasters (hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires, droughts, etc.)
• Rising sea levels. Rising sea temperatures (and the impact on marine life)
• More and more seriously endangered species of animals

Who should be working hard to preserve what we have and save further decline?

• Country governments
• International agencies
• Corporations
• State governments
• Local governments
• Individuals

Who is doing good things?

• City of Boulder, CO  (a specific “Zero Waste Strategic Plan”)
• Subaru  (National Parks Foundation, National Forest Foundation, Leave No Trace, retailer partnerships)
• Patagonia  (1% of sales to conservation for 35 years!  Completely carbon neutral by 2025)
• Earth Day Org. advocating Climate Literacy through the UN (100 countries and 300M people signed on)
• Chipotle  (10% of executive’s incentives tied to progress on environmental goals)
• Etsy  (Offsetting 100% of carbon emissions from shipping. To date: 173,000 metric tons of CO2)

What can be done?  (We’ve made progress, but a full mindset shift is critical)

• Enforceable and enforced standards regarding pollution, manufacturing, packaging, disposal, etc.
• Strategic plans that address specific environmental outcomes and actions (tree canopy, bike and walking trails, recycling, etc.)
• Governments:  File paperwork online; conduct online meetings; measure and report progress
• Public and private sector collaboration as well as competitors working together
• Map the supply chain to use organizations with a similar commitment
• Education to communicate the urgency and call to action. 
• Electing political leaders (at all levels) that put the environment as a serious priority
• Individuals and households adopting and practicing environmentally friendly behaviors

There’s SO much more to consider … to learn … to do.  This only touches the issue. The commitment to save our planet needs to be from all sources and from all levels.

Since PBI helps local governments achieve excellence, I’d enjoy hearing any ideas about practices we should advocate or lead them to accomplish.