4/22/21
by Kacy Qua

Last fall I felt trapped, with COVID-19 lurking indoors and wildfires decimating communities just miles from my house. The daily walk with my infant son, that felt like my fingertips grasping at the edge of Sanity Cliff, was now out of the question. We couldn't open our windows or sliding doors without filling our home with the stale scent of campfire. Our beloved lofted view of the Santa Monica mountains was now a front row seat to fear, destruction, and sadness. I saw apocalyptic pictures of orange skies in San Francisco, of forests being consumed in Oregon, of a satellite map of the US showing our miasma of smoke traveling to the East Coast. I reflected on the friends in Malibu who had lost everything to the fires not long before. Of similar stories from Australia. This country wasn't alone in experiencing the effects of a threat that feels too big and too impossible to solve.

We packed go bags and stocked up on supplies and water. I bought fire extinguishers and emergency ladders and other band aids that would be relatively powerless in the face of the furious force humankind has set into motion. In a year when sharing breath was dangerous, and when taking a breath was no longer taken for granted, I committed to truly appreciating this precious gift from now on.

Not too long afterward, other places experienced their own climate crises. Many of the folks who were scarred by the continuous fires had moved from California to Texas, only to have a new kind of climate crisis falling at their doorsteps. As I worked with scientists and researchers on solutions for the pandemic, I was inspired by the fact that the whole world was focused on a single problem. It seemed time had stopped, the usual rules no longer applied. And if these unprecedented events could take place, then perhaps it was a scrimmage game to prepare us for the most existential problem humanity has ever faced. To use this moment of awareness to mobilize the masses.

It is easy to feel helpless in the face of a threat so great. It is easy to place blame on corporations, governments, and the folks flying private jets. But as my friend Graham Hill reminded me, it only takes 3.5% of the population engaging in non-violent, direct action to drive major change. And the way to get corporations, governments, and investors to pay attention, is to use exactly the same playbook as we have seen transforming other essential aspects of our society this year: grassroots. People driven.

In past years, I thought of 4/20 as the greenest day of the year. But in 2021, I'm having my come-to-mama moment. With a toddler to answer to, and a lifetime of carbon debt to pay back to his generation, Green means something different. It arrives 2 days later this year, on Earth Day. And I vow to my son that I will do right by him and the planet that he and his little friends will inherit.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and my first step is in measuring and reducing my carbon footprint, and helping others to do the same. I've joined forces with Graham to amplify his organization, The Carbonauts, which does exactly that. It makes it easy to do something about the most urgent issue facing humanity.

This Earth Day, I invite you to #DoSomething other than cower in fear. Learn about your carbon footprint and how to slash it. Join us in this righteous fight to save our home. Do it for the people who aren't privileged enough to have a choice, but will certainly feel the brunt of climate change. Do it for your loved ones. Encourage your friends, companies, and cities to do the same. It only takes 3.5%.

Slash your carbon footprint with The Carbonauts with 20% off the training course! Learn more here.

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Read & Share - Read Intrepid Travel's blog on our commitment to the environment

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