Here are selected resources to support the most effective things you can do to respond to the climate crisis.
Feel free to suggest additional resources.
Get involved
Below are organizations you can work with, as well as informational resources to support that work. Only organizations of national or international scope are included, so be sure to explore more local ones.
350. “350 uses online campaigns, grassroots organizing, and mass public actions to oppose new coal, oil and gas projects, take money out of the companies that are heating up the planet, and build 100% clean energy solutions that work for all. 350’s network extends to 188 countries.”
Climate Justice Alliance. “Climate Justice Alliance formed to create a new center of gravity in the climate movement by uniting frontline communities and organizations into a formidable force. Our translocal organizing strategy and mobilizing capacity is building a Just Transition away from extractive systems of production, consumption and political oppression, and towards resilient, regenerative and equitable economies.”
The Climate Mobilization. “Our mission is to initiate a WWII-scale mobilization to protect humanity and the natural world from climate catastrophe.”
Extinction Rebellion. “International non-violent rebellion against the world’s governments for criminal inaction on the ecological crisis.”
Fossil free. “City by city, town by town, we’re ending the age of fossil fuels and building a world of community-led renewable energy for all.”
350. “350 uses online campaigns, grassroots organizing, and mass public actions to oppose new coal, oil and gas projects, take money out of the companies that are heating up the planet, and build 100% clean energy solutions that work for all. 350’s network extends to 188 countries.”
Compassion Over Killing. “A national animal advocacy organization working to end animal abuse, COK exposes cruelty to farmed animals and promotes vegan eating.”
Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM). “FARM works for the vision of a world where animals are no longer raised or killed for food. We advocate for animals through massive public awareness initiatives and organize the world’s largest annual animal rights conference that nurtures both aspiring vegans, as well as budding and seasoned activists.”
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). “PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: in laboratories, in the food industry, in the clothing trade, and in the entertainment industry.”
Reports on animal agribusiness and its toll on farm animal welfare, the environment and public health (Humane Society of the United States).
The End of Animal Farming: How Scientists, Entrepreneurs, and Activists Are Building an Animal-Free Food System (Jacy Reese). “Outlines a strategic roadmap to a humane, ethical, and efficient food system in which slaughterhouses are obsolete.”
Next System Project. “The Next System Project is an initiative aimed at bold thinking and action to address the systemic challenges the United States faces now and in coming decades. Deep crises of economic inequality, racial injustice and climate change—to name but three—are upon us, and systemic problems require systemic solutions.”
Climate Justice Alliance. “Climate Justice Alliance formed to create a new center of gravity in the climate movement by uniting frontline communities and organizations into a formidable force. Our translocal organizing strategy and mobilizing capacity is building a Just Transition away from extractive systems of production, consumption and political oppression, and towards resilient, regenerative and equitable economies.”
The New Economy Coalition. “The New Economy Coalition is a network of organizations imagining and building a future where people, communities, and ecosystems thrive. Together, we are creating deep change in our economy and politics—placing power in the hands of people and uprooting legacies of harm—so that a fundamentally new system can take root.”
“A systemic approach to occupational and environmental health” (Skip Spitzer). An overview of how capitalism drives social and environmental harm.
World Carfree Network. “The hub of the global carfree movement and a clearinghouse of information from around the world on how to revitalise our towns and cities and create a sustainable future.”
American Public Transportation Association. “American Public Transportation Association is dedicated to supporting a multi-modal lifestyle that allows mobility to all Americans.”
Stay grounded. “Stay Grounded is a growing global network supporting alternatives to aviation like night trains, and organisations supporting communities which struggle against offset projects or biofuel plantations. Our vision is a form of mobility that rests inside the planetary boundaries and is not at the expense of others.”
Transition Network. “A movement of communities coming together to reimagine and rebuild our world.”
Family Climate Action is a model of bringing families together in small communities to support family-inclusive action for social and personal change in response to climate change and environmental breakdown.
It is an unusual and potentially very useful approach in that it:
- Is built to includes kids, making the work more effective and also supporting their growth and preparing them for the world they are inheriting
- Takes a systemic view, naming capitalism as the system driving climate change and environmental breakdown through its inherent focus on profit over people and nature, dependence on perpetual growth and unsustainable resource use, and decisive influence in politics and culture
- Focuses on getting involved in activism and supporting the most impactful lifestyle choices we can make (sustainable transportation, whole-food plant-based eating, and family planning)
As our community develops, we’ll post materials here to support others who want to do something similar.
“Family Activism” (Lucie Brown).
“Parenting for environmental sustainability and social justice” (Skip Spitzer). Includes topics like:
- Developmental benefits of social action
- Ideas for engaging children
- Some activist kids
- Raising kids on a plant-based diet
- Talking with children about the world
- Youth activism organizations
- Youth activism camps
[Forthcoming]
Introduction to social change
Nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience
Climate change, racism, patriarchy, inequality, and other problems
Lifestyle choices
Below are resources to support the most important personal changes you can make.
The choice to have children
“Advantages and Disadvantages of Being Childfree” (Ellen Walker).
“How People Decide Whether to Have Children: A guide for those on the fence” (Olga Khazan).
Adoption
“Adoption [basics]” (Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute).
“Impact of Adoption on Adoptive Parents” (Child Welfare Information Gateway).
“How to adopt” (Child Welfare Information Gateway).
A vegan diet is one that excludes animals and foods from animals (like dairy products).
A whole-food, plant-based diet excludes foods originating from animals, but also emphasizes eating foods in their whole form (e.g., apples, not apple juice).
“Vegetarian [vegan] Starter Kit” (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine).
“Vegan Starter Kit” (International Vegan Association).
“Raising kids on a plant-based diet” (Skip Spitzer).
How Not to Die (Dr. Michael Greger). An excellent review of latest science on the fifteen top causes of death in America and what to eat to prevent them.
NutritionFacts.org. Run by Dr. Michael Greger, this website provides summaries of the latest research on nutrition.
“Kids Who Get Driven Everywhere Don’t Know Where They’re Going” (Sarah Goodyear).
Walking
“Why walking is the most underrated form of exercise” (Brianna Steinhilber).
“The Beginner’s Guide to Walking Meditation” (Matt Valentine).
Cycling
“30 great benefits of cycling,” (bikeradar.com).
“Get Rich With… Bikes” (Mr. Money Mustache).
“How to raise consciousness with a bike trailer billboard” (Skip Spitzer).
Rascal Rides. “Our goal is to get more families outdoors on bikes. At Rascal Rides, you can expect to find reviews, product guides, helpful tips, inspiring stories, and a community of families just like yours.”
[forthcoming] “Going car-free, or how I bike just about everywhere I go, in a very rainy part of the country, 99.9% of the time hauling a toddler” (Skip Spitzer).
Public transit
“The Top 10 Benefits of Public Transportation” (Smart Cities Dive).
Trains
The Man in Seat Sixty-One. A very impressive website for travel by train worldwide.
Car shares, rentals, and rides
Short distance ride sharing web search.
Long distance ride sharing web search.
If you are among the estimated 5-18% the world’s population that ever flies, it can be very difficult to stop, but here are a few ideas:
- Of course, travel by train, bus, car shares, or even freight ship.
- Don’t go if flying is the only way to get there, saving any exceptions for events like funerals, moving abroad, and getting overseas to begin once-in-a-lifetime journeys by land and sea.
- Connect with faraway friends and family regularly by video. Although there is no substitute for actual togetherness, you can actually have more connection this way than, say, an annual family visit.
- Direct flights have less impact than multi-leg flights since a great deal of fuel is used for takeoff. Likewise, flying during the day and warmer times of year strongly lower impact. This has to do with a plane’s contrails, which trap heat in the atmosphere more than they prevent heat from entering. At night they have no heat-reflection benefits. Planes produce more contrails in cold temperatures and high humidity.
Other resources
“The illusion of green flying” (Magdalena Heuwieser).
“Going jet free: Alternatives to flying” (Avery Sumner). Includes great resources for long-distance travel by freight ship!
The Man in Seat Sixty-One. A very impressive website for travel by train worldwide.
“What is Aerotoxic Syndrome?” (Aerotoxic Association).
One good way to reduce consumption in general is to screen potential purchases using these four basic questions:
1. Should I have this?
- Does it meet real needs or desire?
- Can I borrow or rent one?
2. Can and should I make this?
3. Can I get this second-hand?
4. If I buy this item new, is it a sound choice?
- Is this something that will last and be used for a long time?
- Does buying it support other harms (e.g., poor labor conditions)?
Other resources
“Twenty Things You Can Do to Conserve Energy” (Power Scorecard).
“Why Kids Need Minimalism” (Denaye Barahona).
“New Study Underscores Why Fewer Toys Is the Better Option” (Susan Newman).
Nextdoor. A neighborhood-based social network that is great for borrowing and getting second-hand things.
Buy Nothing Project. “We offer people a way to give and receive, share, lend, and express gratitude through a worldwide network of hyper-local gift economies in which the true wealth is the web of connections formed between people who are real-life neighbors.”
