Driving across Canada we met hundreds of people interested in electric vehicles. Also while driving across Canada we met hundreds of people thinking about buying an electric vehicle.
Often on the trip I would point out the logo on our Bolt from the 2 Degrees Institute about being part of the solution, and then my finger pointing would go to the sticker referencing Take the Electric Car Pledge.
Sometimes we would talk about carbon footprint and fossil fuels and other times it would be sharing about the planet that our children will experience compared to our own experience. Most people did not think governments would save us from anything especially climate impacts.
Who will save us?
Now that answer was not so readily on the lips of some of the individuals we shared conversations with along the way. Yet there was no despair voiced like the ship is going down.
In fact there was no denial that our planet is in crises and climate change is the caused. The correlation between human impact and planet degradation seemed a common talking point.
But who will save us?
Will that internationally known super hero, Somebody Else, zoom in to save the world?
Travelling from coast to coast, we heard whispers of this hero, Somebody Else but it was like the rumour that Ted’s Uncle Harry saw a Sasquatch in the bush after a night at the local Legion.
We did see a dead bear on the side of the road, some gophers, a coyote in Belleville but no Sasquatch. We did not see the illusive climate crusader Somebody Else.
Organizations like the 2 degree Institute and Zero Waste Canada believe every one of us needs to take personal action now. This personal action is not a call to abandon ship but a call for everyone including you and me to take action, set goals and make changes. There will be no Somebody Else to save us.
Mistakenly we often feel we are powerless. “What can I do” is the question while frantically wishing Somebody Else would make a grand entrance.
Our arms too weak to pull someone from the torrential flood waters become strong when linked to together as you and me linking arms to create a chain to rescue. The things we each can do, if each one of us does something, is like the arms linking: our power is stronger.
We do not need to be super heroes. We can be regular people just doing things to make the planet better.
We (you and me) do things every day. We make choices and set goals as we navigate through our daily lives. Setting goals helps us to achieve our desires.
Sometimes we make pledges of I will or I won’t do to reinforce our goals.
A childhood pledge to never eat sandwich meat with florescent orange edging ever again remains strong to this day.
We make lots of choices. We make choices about what sandwiches to eat and what cars we will purchase to drive.
Our choices can be the things we do to make the planet better.
For those thinking about buying an electric vehicle or those people interested in electric vehicles or for those people who will need to replace their vehicle in the future, please consider taking the electric vehicle pledge.
Both the 2 degree Institute and AVEQ have sites where you can take the electric car pledge.http://www.electricpledge.org/#pledge
You can drastically reduce carbon footprint through a single decision of making your next car an electric one.
