Forest Protection

  • If you own or manage forestland, identify and adopt practices that maximize long-term carbon storage.

  • Contribute to organizations and preferentially purchase products that help protect forests.

  • Forest protection can reduce the incidence of vector-borne diseases and exposure to extreme weather (such as heat). 

  • This solution provides increased opportunity for time in nature, which is shown to reduce obesity, improve mental health, reduce blood pressure, and boost immune function.

  • Forest protection improves air and water quality.

  • Protecting forested land can reduce species and biodiversity loss, which contributes to improved planetary health.

  • Combined with ecotourism or agroforestry, forest protection can alleviate poverty by increasing income and boosting the economy.

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    Reduced Food Waste

  • Learn what various “best by” or “expiration” food labels mean, and use your new knowledge to reduce the amount of food you throw away.

  • Contribute to or volunteer with a food rescue organization.

  • Reducing food waste can improve nutrition and reduce food insecurity by keeping more food available and accessible for human consumption.

  • Improved nutrition and food security are associated with improved cardiovascular health, reduced obesity, sufficient nutrient consumption, and improved mental health.

  • Using fewer resources to produce food has the co-benefits of saving land and resources for other uses and reducing emissions generated from food production.

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    Plant-Rich Diets

  • Host a “plant-based protein” potluck and invite participants to share their recipes.

  • Encourage your favorite restaurant to feature meatless entrees.

  • Plant a garden, and enjoy what you grow!

  • A widespread transition to plant-rich diets could prevent about 5 million premature deaths and about 11 million total deaths annually by 2050.

  • Plant-rich diets can improve health for people who do not rely on meat as an essential nutrient source and have excess red meat intake.

  • Plant-rich diets are associated with improved nutrition and increased food security, which can reduce cardiovascular disease, reduce nutrient deficiency, reduce obesity, and improve mental health.

  • Consuming less animal-based food can reduce agriculture's need for land and water.

  • Utility-Scale Energy Storage

  • If you're an engineer or entrepreneur, consider applying your talents to improving energy storage.

  • Encourage your utility to look into energy storage options in preparation for bringing more renewables online.

  • Utility-scale energy storage enables energy technologies that are less expensive and less polluting than new coal power plants.

  • New energy storage technologies create new job opportunities (construction, installation, maintenance, etc.) 

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    Distributed Energy Storage

  • Ask the utility that provides your electricity what it's doing to incorporate distributed energy storage into its plans for the future.

  • Make your next vehicle an electric vehicle.

  • Distributed energy storage reduces the chance of blackouts when electricity demand is high.

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    Microgrids

  • Access to the clean and affordable energy microgrids provide supports education, health care, agriculture, and small businesses. 

  • Deploying this climate solution stimulates local economies and creates employment opportunities. The installation, operation, and maintenance of renewable energy systems require skilled labor, creating jobs and contributing to economic growth.

  • Shifting to clean and renewable energy sources reduces indoor and outdoor air pollution, which is a significant health concern in many developing countries. By replacing traditional fuels like wood and coal with cleaner alternatives improves air quality, reducing respiratory illnesses and related health issues.

  • In developing countries, this solution expands access to modern and reliable energy services, enabling communities to meet basic energy needs such as lighting, cooking, heating, and powering essential services like health-care facilities and schools.

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    Grid Flexibility

  • Find out what your utility is doing to enhance its ability to accommodate renewables. If the answer is "not much," encourage it to up its game.

  • Explore the role electric vehicles can play in boosting grid flexibility. 

  • Grid flexibility reduces the chance of blackouts when demand for electricity is high.

  • Methane Digesters

  • If you manage large amounts of animal, human, or solid waste, explore whether a digester would be good for your operation and the environment.

  • Find out where your trash and wastewater go, and encourage operators of the associated facilities to consider installing a methane digesters.

  • Methane digesters keep manure from polluting waterways.

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    Landfill Methane Capture

  • Estimate the amount of trash (by weight or volume) your household makes in a week. Think of three things you can do to reduce it—and do them.

  • Find out where your trash goes when it leaves your home or workplace. If it ends up in a landfill, share this page with facility managers.

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    Waste to Energy

  • Pay attention to the amount of trash you produce. Reduce it as much as you can.

  • If a waste-to-energy facility serves your community, make sure it meets pollution standards.

  • Using waste as an energy source reduces the space needed for landfills.

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