This interview has not been edited. Thank you to Jacque for sharing her story.
Why did you choose to support the Cool Effect Projects?
I’d like to participate but don’t always know how. I feel good that I can make a financial contribution and there is a direct correlation to how that impacts the amount of carbon.
What is inspiring to you about the Cool Effect community?
It’s inspiring to know that there are people and companies that are in service of finding ways to provide a product or service with the environment in mind. We only have one earth and she needs to be protected.
Tell us about your efforts to fight climate change:
I don’t do as much as I’d like but I try to keep my footprint as small as possible which includes…
- Sharing a car with my spouse, we ride share or use public transportation when plans overlap but we’ve found that it’s quite easy to make do with one vehicle.
- Not using plastic unless absolutely necessary. We use compostable garbage bags, we use our own non-plastic bags when shopping, we choose beverages and food items that are packaged in glass or other non-plastic containers.
- I support political candidates based on their commitment to the environment and their stance on climate change.
- I try to stay away from restaurants or take-out food companies who use non-compostable packaging and I don’t use straws. If a company uses styrofoam containers (i.e., Dunkin Donuts) I won’t go there.
- I am on many newsletter lists that keep me informed, like CALPIRG, MoveOn.Org, SumofUs.org, and The Rising: Susan Tompkins post. I also donate to charities (i.e., Nature Conservancy) that are trying to make a difference.