By Lin Smith

Reducing Waste and Pollution

January 5, 2014–Since it’s a new year, and my first article of the new year, I was going to write about the 2014 predictions for Renewable Energy, as stated in the data recently released by EIA, the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Here is some of what they predicted: The EIA estimates that carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels will increase by .4% in 2014 which “reflects projected growth in coal for electricity generation in response to higher natural gas prices relative to coal.” Coal is cheaper! But I believe, we, as individuals and communities, have the power to overturn this prediction and reduce emissions from Fossil Fuels in 2014–and that’s why I choose to write, instead, about 1 Million Women!

1 Million Women is a movement in Australia, by women, with the goal of reducing waste and pollution by working together, but setting individual goals. They have a vision of leading women in Australia, and eventually women at the global level, in making a positive environmental change and reducing the CO2 in our atmosphere The 1 Million Women’s movement was started by Natalie Isaacs and her friend over a cup of coffee one morning. They asked themselves, “What if  the our everyday choices we make as women add up to a big difference for the planet and future generations in reducing waste and pollution?” They started a movement to answer their own question and realized they have power! Cognizant that women in developed nations waste too much, harming the planet, they decided to start a movement with a goal of signing up 1,000,000 women committed to helping the environment–that’s real change!

Committed to Cutting CO2

Since 2009, they have over 83,000 women signed up and engaged in the movement. They are “committed to cutting over 100,000 tons of CO2, the equivalent of taking 240,000 cars off of the road for a year!”, according to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, where they were recently recognized as a Lighthouse Activity, shining a beacon of hope into the future of our planet. They are educating women on climate change and reducing waste and pollution! They have, also, developed a SAVE program, which is a practical guide to shrinking household bills, reducing waste and living more sustainably–projects for women written by women to utilize renewable resources and be conscientious about their day-to-day living habits.

Living Simply for a Healthy Planet

If you’re a woman who cares about the environment go to http://www.1millionwomen.com and join up. The website will give many suggestions for getting involved. In the article, “Six Ways to Live Simply”, they suggest easy actions to make a difference, one of which is the Power of the Purse: Make Every Dollar and Cent Work for You and the Environment. They will educate you in making financial decisions that support a clean environment by choosing a green investment fund. They state, “Every cent we invest has an impact on the future of everyone’s world as well as our own.” A million women in developed countries, voting with their money, can shift how industry sets up retirement funds for their workers. The ideas on this website are numerous!

Renewable Resources: Think Globally

The first 3 years of the 1 Million Women movement have been spent building its structure. Over the next three years they plan to work globally and according to their website, “Adapt the movement’s core message to a universal one of “Less is More,” aimed at both climate change impacts and wider resource management, based on the need for women in developed countries to consume and waste less, so that everyone can have a greater quality of life while preserving environmental well-being–we are daughters, mothers, sisters, grandmothers getting on with climate action!” And that is why I chose to write on the 1 Million Women’s movement, a beacon of light for our future, instead of the hard, cold facts set forth by the EIA! Happy New Year and let’sreduce waste and pollution in 2014!