A few days ago I watched a video of Al Gore giving a very passionate, intense, and yes, angry talk at COP29 (COP is the global climate change conference), which to be honest, has essentially become useless at this point. The Al Gore video explains why; view it here.

It's powerful and important, and I'll be honest, pretty scary. In many ways, it is one of those examples of when the climate crisis feels just so impossible, so out of reach to fix.

Here is the thing:

We need people like Al Gore, Greta Thunberg, and Jerome Foster III to really push governments, global organizations, and the media to change in a very public way.

Just as I also believe we need Just Stop Oil, Extinction Rebellion, and Sunrise Movement to pressure change in ways that get people talking. You may not agree with their ways, and I don't believe we all need to be those activists, but they do matter and they are very effective.

We also need people who are keeping the hope alive, showing people a way forward, a way to join the movement in a loving way. I see people like Jane Goodall, David Attenborough, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson (who has an amazing new book out, by the way, What If We Get It Right?). I like to believe I fall into this category, even if nowhere near as far-reaching as those trail blazers.

Know what else we need?

You.

Yep.

Before you scroll on, hear me out.

I don't need you to do anything drastic. I don't need you to vow you will never use plastic again, because you will fail. Anyone who makes that commitment would fail, no matter how environmentally passionate they are.

But what we do need from you is to consider one singular way you can make a small difference in your community.

I saw a beautiful example of that this week in Portland.

I went to a coffee shop, Fetch Coffee Roasters, and in there, they had this sign:

And next to the register, right in the eyeline of where you paid, they had this:

Reusable coffee cups that you take with you, and have two weeks to bring back to any of the 32 locations within Portland that offer this initiative. You can use it over and over again, and it gets coffee lovers in the habit of using reusables.

Imagine if Starbucks offered something like this.....a girl can dream. *cough* Shop local coffee instead of S whenever possible *cough*....It would make it a lot more appealing if they weren't creating millions of disposable, microplastic-filled cups every day though ;)

For the record, we toss 120 billion single-use disposable cups in the US every year. Almost all go to landfill.

Ick.

My point is not to say, "If you live in Portland, do this," although if you do (or the other cities they are available), you absolutely should.

It is to say that it was one human being (well, three actually, Margot, Deb, and Emily) who came up with the idea of Okapi, the resusable cups (no, this is not a paid push; I just think this is so cool).

It was another human who owned a coffee shop in Portland and said "YES!" to the idea. Once Okapi had one "yes," they could approach other coffee shops who could do the same.

Now that these cups are in 32 Portland coffee shops, they can go to other cities and present the same idea. In fact, they have; find out what cities here.​

THAT is how we change the world into the world we wish to see AND how one person can start a ripple effect that can make big change happen.

YOU, and yes, I mean you, have some way you can start a ripple.

You probably don't know what it is yet, and that's okay, but today, I wanna plant this seed in your mind. Take a few minutes if you can, and see what comes up. If nothing, that is okay; sometimes seeds need a little time to grow into something that has potential.

You matter though; I know you do.

After years of paying hundreds of dollars to the mega phone service providers, our family switched to Mint. We have been thinking about it for years, and a few months ago we made the switch. I will admit that at the NYC marathon finish line, my internet service was less than perfect (due to the high proportion of people trying to use their phones), which was a little frustrating; otherwise, we have been very happy, and yes, it is true, only paying $15 a month. I thought I would share as I wished someone had told me about their experience. Learn about Mint here.​

My favorite environmental gift for people you love?

These Stasher bags. Nope, they have never paid me anything or sent me anything, but we use them every single day and they are the best. If you order before 3rd Dec, they are actually 40% off.​

"If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person."

— Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers)

Thanks to our partner, Tracksmith

For the first time in over a year, I asked Tracksmith for something new. My old favorites are still in beautiful condition and working well, especially my all time faves, my Brighton Bases, which by the way, are on sale (and there is a 20% off sitewide sale on top), but I had been thinking about something else for a while, and not seen one anywhere in the used stores I had been looking in.

It's the New England Overshirt, and let me just say, I have been LIVING in it since I got it (I am even wearing it in the video I shared earlier about the reusable coffee mugs). SO comfy (and oversized), so warm, and in true Tracksmith style, looks good dressed up or down. It is currently on sale (and you can get that 20% off additionally). It is under the Lifestyle tops and tees section.

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Be kind to one another, yourself, and this beautiful planet of ours.

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