Making a Mini Climate Contract
I pledge allegiance to the earth
and to the flora, fauna, and human life that it supports;
one planet, indivisible,
with safe air, water, and soil, economic justice,
equal rights,
and peace for all.
Staying motivated or “moved” to make decisions in our everyday lives that are in alignment with our values can be really hard. A great way to short-circuit the need to stay “moved” to do what’s in alignment with our values is to be clear with ourselves and create a contract. A contract takes the decision making process out of the realm of motivation.
This week I listened to a podcast episode from MindBodyGreen: “We’re Talking About Climate Change Wrong” with Jonathan Safran Foer, a best-selling author and environmental activist. As an author, he does as authors do when they release a new book: They travel to different cities, read it allowed, perhaps take a few questions from the crowd, then conclude the event with a signing. One of the last stops on his book tour for his most recent hit, We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast, concluded a bit differently. There was a couple in line waiting to have their book signed, but when they approached him and opened the book to the page that’s usually blank and ready for his signature it was full of their handwriting. Jonathan was naturally thrown off and was like, “uhhh guys what’s up? what’s this?”
The couple explained that they are getting married in a couple of months and during the reading they realized they didn’t have a plan for how they would live their everyday lives. They felt that if they didn’t make a plan they were just going to do what everyone does, which is what they did yesterday… they would just keep reliving some version of the past reflected by past habits. Like life on a hamster wheel. So during the reading they made a plan and wrote it in their copy of Foer’s book: they would have no more than two children, they would eat as vegetarians unless served meat at a friend’s house, they would eat vegan two days a week, and only car share going forward. At the bottom of the plan they asked him to sign as a “witness”. Jonathan was like “omg so charming and cute, totally”.
There are a few things I love and recognize about this plan: it takes someone intelligent to realize they need a plan, it takes someone even more intelligent to be self-knowing and recognize that, as all humans do, more than one thing in life matters to them at a given time: the planet, yes of course, but also friends and the social elements of food. By being so clear and direct with their plan to eat meat only when it’s served at a friend’s they have removed any risk of hypocrisy. They aren’t “fake vegetarians” because they eat meat at their friend’s houses here and there. They didn’t “fuck up”. No, it’s part of their plan. Their plan recognizes and normalizes that we all have more than one thing we care about, and we may need to indulge in certain actions that feel inconsistent with one thing we care about in order to satisfy another thing we care about. And that’s ok! Human beings are complex creatures. I admire those who choose to live their lives in such an absolute way whether they are athletes like Kobe Bryant who practiced his craft almost EVERY SINGLE DAY, or someone like Bea Johnson who lives a completely zero-waste life with her husband and their two children. However, I personally don’t feel as though living in such an absolute way would allow me to cater to the multiple things in my life that matter to me: my friends, my family, my desire to see the world and experience life in as many places as possible, my love for really good sushi, and for nostalgia purposes, going IN on a filet from the Market Basket in the summertime when my dad fires up the grill.
So I have made the decision to make a mini climate contract to help me navigate my everyday decisions around my competing concerns, passions, and values.
I will only buy loose produce, with the exception of berries and clementines.
I will bring my own grocery bags, produce bags, and containers for bulk items when I go food shopping
I will buy from farmers markets instead of grocery stores whenever possible (usually spring through fall) EXCEPT for melons which are so much easier to get from a grocery store
I will always choose glass or aluminum over plastic
If and when I eat meat, it will be sourced from regenerative farms that are local to where I am
I will only eat meat, chicken, and fish from restaurants if they know where it’s sourced from
I will only have fair-trade, ethically sourced chocolate and coffee
If I ever find myself with too much food that I think may go bad before I can consume it, I will bring it to a community fridge nearby
I will compost all my food scraps
I will continue to use the things I already have that aren’t eco-friendly, and I won’t beat myself up about it. If I don’t use it… it will just go to waste and waste sucks. When they run out I will replace them with an eco-friendly alternative
I will avoid ALL products that are packaged when I can buy a package-free alternative that’s just as good
I will only purchase clothing that’s secondhand OR through a company that does right by the environment, it’s workers, and the community
I will be an activist and advocate for the planet. I will make myself aware of agricultural, environmental, energy, and water related legislation in NY and NJ and make calls to my local representatives
I will watch at least one climate related movie, documentary, or show a month and read at least one climate related book every other month
I will make time to connect with nature every single day
Will you be my witness?
Xo Leah