Last week we celebrated our 52nd Earth Day, which seems to have greater significance each year as extreme weather events and pollution continue to worsen. These impacts continue to increase global temperatures, which cause their own havoc, most recently in Antarctica, where the Conger Ice Shelf shed a block of ice the size of Rome in March, and in May 2021, a slightly smaller block split from the Ronne Ice Shelf.
Another example of the effects of climate change? My climb of Mt. Whitney in June last year, which was canceled due to 100-plus degree temps that sparked wildfires, which typically don’t start in California until September.
Given the circumstances, I am trying to do my part each and every day, by recycling, using reusable water bottles, and even investing in climbing equipment and clothing that are made from recycled materials.
On Earth Day, I try to do my part as well! Yes, I may only be one person, but the “Power of One” can have a significant impact not just on Mother Earth, but on anything as it is often a concept used in business strategy and principle. In fact, my former call center manager used the "Power of One" to demonstrate the positive impact that just one team member can have on a backed-up call queue in a matter of minutes.
This weekend, in honor of Earth Day, I picked up trash on the main road into our neighborhood for the second year in a row. I filled four garbage bags plus picked up a shell of a bumper and hauled everything back to the house so it could be properly disposed of. The sad thing is that 90 percent of what I picked up was recyclable, and most of it was plastic water bottles. What’s worse is that we live by a large creek, where much of this trash was collected.
But it goes to show that the "Power of One” does make an impact. I am one person, who spent one hour, on one day, picking up trash on one road, positively impacting one neighborhood, and ultimately, one planet.
I am just one person, but there were a lot of other like-minded people who spent Earth Day doing the same. Look at it this way: If my massive group of 17 followers (yup, for reals) each spent one hour walking their neighborhood, a path and/or a trail and picked up visible trash, each collecting four bags as I did, together we could have potentially collected 72 bags of trash. That is the compounding power of one!
This year, I am not going to go on a big rant (read last year’s post for that), but I do encourage people to do things such as use reusable water bottles and grocery bags. When we lived in Connecticut, our town of Westport had a “no plastic” ordinance. If you forgot your reusable grocery bags at the store, your only option was paper. That way, if the bags ended up in a creek or a river, they’d biodegrade.
We had never used reusable grocery bags before moving to Westport, but making the change was easier than we thought, and it wasn’t long before it was automatic. Now, after grocery shopping with only reusable bags for over 10 years, I can only imagine the number of plastic bags we’ve saved (I didn’t even try to do the math on that!).
It was one small change, but when consistently made over time, its impact has exponentially increased, and that’s why these small changes are so worthwhile to make. So now it’s your turn! You don’t have to wait for the next Earth Day - find a small change you can make now, test it out, and make it a habit. The planet will be immediately rewarded by the “Power of One!" It’s up to you - make it happen!
Happy Earth Day and Climb On!