Change, Choice, Character
“Change is made of choices, & choices are made of character.”
Those are the words of poet Amanda Gorman from her poem “We Write” in her book Call Us What We Carry.
I want to connect this idea of our choices and character to our carbon footprint, the impact each of us has on the Earth. 8 Billion Trees provides a Carbon Footprint Calculator that lets us see the impact our choices have on our planet.
These choices have the most dramatic effect on marginalized communities. I share just a few of these impacts described in a recent newsletter from OXFAM.
- “On average, more than 20 million people a year were internally displaced by extreme weather disasters over the last 10 years. Eighty percent of those displaced live in Asia – home to more than a third of the world’s poorest people.”
- “The richest 10 percent of people in the world produce around half of all global emissions. The poorest half of the world’s population – 3.5 billion people – is responsible for just 10 percent of carbon emissions.”
I’m pretty sure that everyone who reads this blog is among the richest 10 percent of the people in the world. I also believe that those who read this blog consider themselves to be people of character. With that perspective I invite you to find your Carbon Footprint using the tool provided in this link.
If you are willing to take my challenge, I then propose you examine what choices you are willing to take as a person of character to offset your Carbon Footprint.
Since I believe in the power of small steps to create profound change, what is even one small step you are willing to take right now to reduce your Carbon Footprint?
“Change is made of choices, & choices are made of character.”
