Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 - 2 comments

Doing your part as a woman for climate change

What connection does finishing the food on your plate in New York, saving the water and the energy here, have to children and women in third world countries? Many.

Like a spider web our lives are all interconnected in a way that we cannot draw direct lines to. What we do here has a link to what happens there. If we fail to see that we inhabit the same earth and hence this link, we fail ourselves and the future.

Be the change you wish to see in the world

Without delving into the complexities of climate change from a scientific perspective, I would like to approach it from the simple perspective of a woman and an aspiring Buddhist.

Generally speaking in Buddhism, if you want to change the world, you have to change yourself first. In other words, be the change you wish to see in the world. I am sure that, similarly, many faiths ask the same. As much as this introspection applies to many things in life, we can try and apply it to such an imminent and daunting challenge as climate change too.  We may yell, shout and write and hold as many conferences as we want about it, but if individual habits don’t change at the same time then, we are all hypocrites.

What can women in the Developed World do to help?

We all know that climate change and global warming impacts people living in poor and developing countries and those living in coastal regions, even more. And in many of these societies women and children are affected most. This is because they are not only subsistence farmers like their husbands, but they are also mothers, caregivers, providers of families and communities and, therefore, their struggle is greater. Climate change can have, and is already having, many drastic impacts on the lives of these women through effects on crop production, food, income, shelter and social welfare.

It is too much to ask third world women to make changes in their lives or lifestyles because they have none. Instead, they face the insurmountable task of trying to pull their families through a day, forget weeks or months.

If anyone can make a difference then it is people, especially educated women, living in developed and advanced countries that can make the individual sacrifices or the changes in lifestyles that can impact fellow women elsewhere.

How can we do this?

In my opinion, this change comes in the form of one word “Minimalism.” As women, even in advanced and developed societies, we still run households and communities, so more often than not, it is our decisions that can make a difference. If we can simplify and minimize our lives through our diets, our shopping habits and lifestyles, we can contribute to a change in the lives of women at the other end of the world, as far-fetched as it may seem. After all there is a link between over consumption (of things we don’t really need) mass produced in factories that contribute considerably to the toxic waste and destruction of our environment, that is in turn, affecting the climate.

1. Eat and buy less meat

Or even better, become vegetarian (even if its once in a while). Reports from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N. and others say that factory farming has made animal agriculture the No. 1 contributor to global warming (it is significantly more destructive than transportation alone), and one of the Top 2 or 3 causes of all of the most serious environmental problems, both global and local: air and water pollution, deforestation, loss of biodiversity. . . .

Eating factory-farmed animals — which is to say virtually every piece of meat sold in supermarkets and prepared in restaurants — is almost certainly the single worst thing that humans do to the environment.” Jonathan Safran Foer for the Food Issue, New York Times.

2. Consume less / shop less

As a woman I am amazed at how much is out there for the consumption of women. It is a huge industry. Lets get real, if women make conscious decisions about why we need to buy, what we need to buy, from whom and from where, there will not be as much junk out there, as there is now. Think twice before you buy. Don’t be a compulsive shopper.

As the holiday seasons approaches, however, it is necessary to buy gifts.  Consider shopping at stores that are conscientious, or who contribute to a cause. Online sites like Global Goods Partners (www.globalgoodspartners.org) sell handicrafts and products made by people (especially women) from underprivileged countries.

Artisans in the developing world are often unable to reach the global marketplace and engage in economic growth. Through our online store we provide direct access to new markets for our community based partners’ handcrafted products, often providing the only means of revenue for artisans and others in their communities.

A few other examples:

• www.greatgreengoods.com/
• www.realgreengoods.com/
• www.abchomeandplanet.org/

3. Recycle

This word has been used and overused and can sound stale, but if you are religious about it, whether at home or office, you will be amazed at how you can reduce your waste considerably. Coming from a Third World Country, I am amazed at how much people buy and discard in first world societies.

• Refuse shopping bags and plastic bags if you don’t need them.
• Recycle gift wrappers, printing paper, and shopping bags. Remember, it’s not about being cheap; it’s about being considerate.
• Rethink what goes into those goody bags. If you know its going to have a short life and wind up in the garbage can, its time to get creative and do something more meaningful.

4. Conserve and don’t waste

• Water
• Energy
• Food

Growing up in the third world, I understand what “shortage” means. At the Convent in boarding school in Darjeeling we rarely had flowing water from the taps. We had one mug of water to wash our face and brush our teeth. We never had showers, only baths. Even though it is a different story here in New York, I cannot shake away the belief that flowing water – whether as a river, stream or tap – is precious. It is the same with food and energy.

As women, these are some things that we can do to make a difference.

The views expressed in this blog-post are solely those of the author.