This is a guest post Adam Cook that I think is pretty good.
It’s easy to feel discouraged or hopeless about climate change. Studies have found that we’ve just left the hottest decade in over 100,000 years, so anxiety about our planet’s future is unsurprising. To carry on despite the grim predictions surrounding us, it’s important to focus on how your needs can be met while serving the environment simultaneously. Read on for some tips, courtesy of Jim’s Freedom Blog.
Reducing Stress
Before you can effect positive change in the world, you first need to get your mind in a healthy state. Your anxiety about the climate is justified since, despite overwhelming evidence, it seems as if nowhere near enough is being done, but you still have to live your life. Find ways to snap yourself out of your anxious feelings and remind yourself that while things may seem impossible to fix, a cynical attitude won’t improve the situation.
Optimistic thoughts can help you reconfigure your mood and give you the drive to start doing your part. Think of how much better off the world will be once you’ve put your worries behind you and gotten to work. If the ambition to help protect the environment isn’t enough to push you out of your rut, there’s no shame in seeking out a therapist that will validate your climate anxiety.
Striving for Positive Change
You can do plenty in your everyday life to reduce your effect on the climate. Using recyclable materials whenever possible (and making it a point to reuse or recycle them) will keep you from contributing to the demand for single-use products. Installing solar panels or growing produce rather than relying on factory farming will also decrease your part in the creation of industrial waste.
You may be thinking that it’s impossible for an individual’s efforts to offset the scale of this crisis, and you’d be correct. It’s not enough to live more environmentally conscious yourself; you must also get others involved in the cause. Community-minded efforts are the best way to educate and get support on a large enough scale to make a tangible difference.
Making a Difference by Starting an Eco-friendly Business
It’s possible to contribute to fighting climate change while keeping the bills paid. Starting an eco-friendly business such as a recycling center, solar panel installation service, or bicycle repair shop would allow you to promote green life choices while also bringing in money to support yourself, your family, and your continuing efforts. Customers may even be more inclined to try you out specifically because of your environmentally-conscious practices.
When you’re starting a new company, an important consideration to make early in the formation of a business is how it will be structured. Whether you’re creating a corporation, partnership, or an LLC, you’ll need to research how each model can benefit your project and what your local regulations are regarding them. Speak to a professional if you’re uncertain which business model is correct for your plan.
A business is nothing without a loyal customer base, and brand awareness is the best way to cultivate one. A memorable logo shown prominently on your products and advertising will make your customers associate your quality services with your brand. Plenty of online tools are available for creating logos, allowing you to select icons, fonts, and colors and arrange them however you wish, all without needing to hire a professional.
We may not be able to halt climate change as individuals, but an optimistic attitude, collective action, and starting an eco-friendly business can slow the crisis as more effective measures are advocated for.