Keep in mind that environmental justice is multifaceted—all actions can contribute to the overall movement, and no one should be expected to do everything. Always make sure to take care of yourself, and do self-care!
Practice sustainability in your daily life
- Check out Amherst College’s current sustainability strategies and see how students can pitch in
- Reduce your meat consumption
- Organizations including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have suggested that reducing meat consumption could help promote global stability and reduces potential harm to land. Furthermore, meat production is often more water-intensive compared to fruits and vegetables. For more information, see this New York Times article on food and climate change.
- Some smaller steps to consider are:
- Substituting less-water-intensive meats (like chicken or turkey) for beef, when possible
- Challenging yourself to avoid meat for one day a week
- Eating or requesting a smaller portion of meat in your meals, when possible
Watch one of the 20 climate change documentaries recommended by Mashable—and look into the action items included with some of them
Contact your representatives and ask them to take action on environmental justice
- Visit myreps.datamade.us to identify your local representatives either in Amherst or in your hometown
- In Amherst, our national representative is James McGovern, and our senators are Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey
- If you’d like to mail a letter, there is a postal box outside Converse Hall, by the parking lot. For templates (it’s recommended that you customize before sending):
- National Resources Defense Council (nonprofit advocacy group)
- Citizens Climate Lobby (email and call scripts—note that you’ll likely want to expand on the provided templates). Another link on their website has specific talking points to help you build your letter
- Global Greenhouse Warming — template and sources for additional information
- 350 offers talking points specifically focused on conservatives and a carbon price