Climate Action

Implementation
Paola Martinez
Summary of MY ACTION
My topic for this project was minimalism to begin with but then I ventured out
to veganism and zero waste because they easily connect with climate change.

I decided to start with minimalism because it was something I had recently

gained an interest in to re-evaluate the meaning of my life.

My audience are the people I spend the most time around with and they go
hand in hand where I choose to spread my message.

For some of my climate action implementations I got out of my comfort zone

for and for others I simply enhanced my current actions.
My Message & My Audience
Main message: Inspire the people around me to seek change and to question
their everyday habits, so they can inspire those around them to do the same.

Audience: College students, family, friends, and co-workers

Documenting MY ACTION
Influencing my sister has been by far one of my biggest actions towards a
cleaner and more sustainable future.

I know she respects what I believe in and takes what I say very seriously so it
was only natural for me to start sharing my growing concerns and solutions
for climate change. She has changed her lifestyle and has become more aware
of the impact her actions have on the environment.

She has also become my biggest supporter and together we are taking action
to change how the company we work for approaches climate change locally
not just in distribution centers.
Documenting MY ACTION cont.
My sister and I started going out on walks to pick up garbage (hopefully others
will see us and feel motivated to do the same)

Source:http://spicefmonline.com/2018-06-06-w-r-world-environmenta
l-day-observed-at-nkontompo/
Documenting MY ACTION
Asides from influencing my sister I’ve started to influence a really close friend
of mine. At first she made of me for being vegan but now she’s gradually
making the transition into a healthier lifestyle.
Documenting MY ACTION cont.
I created a petition on a government website to get help me dive into action
and I know it’s a long shot but it’s worth a try.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/acceptance-adaption-and-mitigation-time-band-aid-answer
s-twenty-years-past

Because of this petition I got the courage to seek the help of the school to get
it out to everyone at SLCC and I will be looking into actually implementing it
here as soon as possible.
What Didn’t Go Well?
I’m currently in the process of writing a letter the Governor of Utah (Gary
Herbert) but I’m finding it really difficult to finish it because I want it to be as
professional as it can be. I want to portray a sense of urgency but I also want
to provide possible solutions that are not already being implemented. This
letter needs a lot of research to back it up, I don’t want to it to be ignored
(which is something that is out of my control once I send it out).

However, I’m realizing now that I should start out by getting in touch with the
mayor of West Jordan and his council to gain some experience on how to
approach the types of changes I want to see.
What Didn’t Go Well? cont.
My request to get my petition to all of SLCC was denied

My parents get upset when I pick random garbage up with my bare hands,
they think I’ll get sick
What Went Well?
I’m getting my family involved

Learned a lot of new things

I’m looking for ways to get involved

Future Directions
This class and project were my natural disaster wake up call, I realized that I
have to be the the change that I want to see happen. I claim to love both the
environment and animals yet I am letting them die at the hands of strangers.

Like I mentioned before I’m going to look for ways to work with SLCC to
implement what my petition is all about. Then after I gain some experience I
want to get involved with local government to get the city that I live in
involved.

I’m also going to keep learning about climate change, healthier lifestyles,
growing both my people skills and presentation skills to show other people
that the answers to reduce climate change are not impossible.
References
PETA, “Meat and the Environment”, Accessed April, 2019
https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/meat-environment/

EPA, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions”, Accessed April, 2019

https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases

https://vegan.org/

https://storyofstuff.org/
Reflection
I found the true meaning behind the cheesy phrase “Be the change you want
to see”, majority of my life has been dictated for me and I’ve had enough of it.

I found a new passion from something that I love, this course not only opened
my eyes at what kind of climate is predicted for the near future it taught me to
get off my lazy ass. I’ve been going through life as a zombie, only finding small
moments of true happiness and allowing my precious time here on this earth
to be wasted.

I want to look back and be proud of the actions I took and I rather regret doing
something then regret not doing it at all. I believe that I am walking away a
more knowledgeable person than when I started this course.