Everything is connected. We may not see the connection or even believe that there is one, but connections exist. The Beloit League of Women Voters had a booth at the Saturday morning Farmer’s Market on July 15th. We gave away over 100 native plants and organic cotton mesh produce bags, as well as provided information about Vision Zero.
The plants were intended to build awareness of and support biodiversity, which protects against climate change, ensures food security, fights disease, supports communities, and yields economic benefits. It’s all connected. The cotton mesh produce bags were to build awareness of the consequences of the use of plastics. Around the world, one million plastic drinking bottles are purchased every minute, and 5 trillion single-use plastic bags are thrown away each year. While plastic has many valuable uses, we have become addicted to single-use plastic products with severe environmental, social, economic, and health consequences. It’s all connected. Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all. Safer streets encourage more people to walk and bike, activities that promote better health and don’t burn fossil fuel thus reducing pollution. It’s all connected.
Recently, ABC News published an article with the headline: “Why Climate Change Can’t Be Blamed for the Maui Wildfires.” ABC received blowback from some of the various scientists they were quoting, as the scientists explained that the headline was technically incorrect. Climate change absolutely can be partially blamed for the severity of the Maui disaster because climate change worsens wildfires, and climate change plays a role in literally all weather events. We just don’t yet know how much blame, because we don’t yet have attribution studies that can tell us that sort of thing, but it’s all connected.
Sustainability is about assessing the consumption levels of our current policies and practices and working to ensure they don’t negatively affect future generations. Sustainability is also concerned with economic and social policy and practice as well as environmental ones, as these can also be unsustainable. It’s all connected. At times the argument is made that corporate versus personal is where the effort is needed to address climate change. The world, every nation needs to act. But it’s not an either/or. We’re all connected.
The LWV mission is two-fold. To encourage people to vote and participate in the decision-making process of government at all levels, and to provide resources so that voters may make informed decisions in their voting and participation. In addition to the plants and bags we gave away, we asked those willing, to fill out an environmental survey. We received about one hundred responses with dozens more at the following events where we had a table. You can view the results at our weblink
(https://lwvbeloit.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=519400&module_id=638731).
Beloit is embarking on a “comprehensive plan update” that attempts to “plan” to 2045. Will the plan incorporate any metrics to measure progress and address environmental issues as well as social and economic disparities such as health care, housing and education which need to be sustainable as well? There is still time for citizens to voice their suggestions and support for environmental sustainability to be written into the Beloit plan (https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/eb56200eaa8c4da79fdb50bf43fa1061), as again—we’re all connected.
Steve Howland, Beloit League of Women Voters Board Member and Co-chair of the Sustainability Committee. Positions on climate change reflect those of the state and national LWV.