Sounds crazy?
People are fighting climate change with mind-boggling inventions, ground-breaking products, and cutting-edge research.
In Climate of Hope, former NYC Mayor and Presidential Candidate Michael Bloomberg, and Carl Pope, former executive director of Sierra Club and leading environmentalist, wrote “each part of the problem of climate change has a solution that can make our society healthier and stronger.”
And a lot more fun.
Think bamboo. Many associate it with chubby panda bears, quirky “lucky” plants, and bamboo shoots in wonton soup. There’s a lot more to the story.
Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on the planet. Some types have been reported to grow up to 35 inches a day. Pull up a chair and watch it! At the same time, bamboo releases more oxygen and absorbs more carbon than trees. It’s so strong that many call it “green steel.” Bamboo is safe and hygienic for both YOU and the Earth – good for everything from dinner to elegant “wood” floors.
You can find bamboo everywhere, from construction and home design to kitchen utensils and very comfy socks.
Bamboo can even replace The Orange Man’s plastic straws and plates without having to cut down trees and burn rainforests for fast-food burgers.
That’s why I drink my coffee from a bamboo cup.
Earth-healthy sustainable stuff is all around you.
Consider this: we throw away one million plastic bags every minute and 35 billion plastic water bottles every year. Half of all plastics are used once and tossed out – ending up in landfills, the ocean, and garbage dumps.
Only 25% of plastics are recycled.
Scientists have estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. That doesn’t bode well for tuna fish sandwiches and sushi.
People are inventing innovative ways to use recycled plastic. It takes about 10 recycled water bottles to make a tee shirt, 14 bottles to insulate a ski jacket, and 63 bottles to make a sweater. Recycled plastic bags make strong lumber (park benches, playground equipment, and backyard decks); milk jugs and shampoo bottles are great for outdoor furniture; and all of it works for funky elephant art.
There’s a lot more going on – walk in shoes made from sugar cane, use hagfish slime instead of nylon, and sleep under a cozy comforter made from corn. When you host a party, use “paper” plates made from sugar and bamboo fibers (no trees involved) and bamboo “linen” dinner napkins.
Then there’s silicon, an element that makes up silica – the most common substance on Earth. It’s sitting inside your computer chips right now. Silicon is also used to make silicone (note the extra “e” at then end), for things like your bathroom caulk, colorful kitchen utensils, and great bakeware.
It’s all here! The list is growing faster than bamboo.
The Orange Man doesn’t believe in climate change and refuses to take action to protect our grandchildren, wildlife, and the planet.
You don’t have to agree.
Be part of the solution that Bloomberg and Pope talk about – if we all do something, however small, we can make a difference. Human ingenuity, along with businesses, craftspeople, and manufacturers, are hearing us! Politicians are slower to respond so use your vote to make them listen too. Choose Earth-healthy, sustainable products, wear plastic bottle clothes, drink your coffee in bamboo, and tie your shoes with sugar-cane laces.
Climate change doesn’t have to be all bad news.
