Numbers are 1....20 below are only there for reference and NOT in any order or importance.  ALL and many not specifically listed are important enough to be on each of our personal green new deal lists, practices.

1.  Avoid cruise ships.

          Nearly 15 million people in North America took cruise ship vacations last year.  Even those cruise ship lines who allege that they are “green,” actually use massive amounts of fossil fuels.  Conservative estimates range from 120-180 pounds of carbon dioxide are emitted by a cruise ship per each passenger per day(!)  Given that we are in a human-caused climate crisis that severely threatens the well-being of our children’s lives and their children, each one of us must be making sure that we do not participate in activities/vacations with such damaging levels of greenhouse gas emissions.  

            If this isn’t enough, know too that cruise ships are notorious for emitting through their energy use other pollutants, which also originate through fossil fuel burning, such as sulfur dioxide.  An extensive study by the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union based in Germany concluded through their research involving over seventy cruise chips that standing on the deck of a cruise ship is similar to being within the most polluted-air cities of the world.  A single very large cruise ship can depending on distance and conditions emit in one cruise as much toxic pollution as 700 diesel-gas trucks and nearly a million cars do in a week.

            Massive amounts of water are used on cruise chips, such as for laundry, cleaning, food preparation, showers….and mixed within the ship water-waste stream on board are oil residues, detergent remnants, and food waste.  This is known in the industry as “gray water” and a study a few years back by the USA Environmental Protection Agency showed that some cruise ships produce well over 100,000 gallons of such water in less than 48 hours.  Another water stream is the sewage accumulated on board, which can number an average of 15,000-25,000 gallons of human sewage a day.  Both gray water and sewage is released into the oceans, often without proper treatment or technology that can "cleanse" somewhat the discharges.  Such emissions into the seas greatly disrupt food chains and are contributing to the loss of many organisms and some species.  Of course, cruise ships too are far more susceptible to illnesses, but that’s another albeit related reason to avoid.

            And yes, going on an airplane trip uses masses amounts of fuel….about a gallon a second or 18,000 gallons in a five hour journey.  What makes fossil fuel-using cruise ships even worse is that they are operating (therefore emitting) pretty much continuously through the whole tourist vacation week periods and simultaneously negatively interacting with our life-giving mass, the oceans, that make up 71% of the surface regions of the biosphere.   Moreover, airplanes do not release its dirty water, sewage, or trash into the air.  That said, airplane travel is also a major contributor to a potential grim future for our children and each of us with the means to travel by air needs to seriously reconsider, cut down significantly or stop. 

2. Avoid or get rid of "sport utility vehicles" (SUVs) as well as other energy-guzzling, luxury vehicles such a pick-up trucks, so-called crossovers and other expensive autos. And, if you drive any car, set a goal with your (or others) children and grandchildren in mind  to permanently cut use to at least one half.  Bike, walk, and/or take public transportation as much as possible.

            It is a dark irony that many who justify purchasing these vehicles claim to do so for the safety and well-being of their children while the overarching reality is that its purchase and use by favoring a 2000-4000 pound fossil fuel-guzzling luxury vehicle, many a kind of techno mini-living room on wheels, is a major negative to the well-being of their children's future. 

            The EPA reports transportation accounts now for over 15% of greenhouse gas emissions,  with cars and trucks making up the biggest share.  Moreover, beside the high fossil fuel demands and consequent high carbon emissions of such vehicles for movement from place to place, the actual manufacture of such cars uses far more energy and releases carbon dioxide at levels well in excess of the manufacture of small, less luxurious vehicles. 

            Something apparent as well to anyone driving on highways and cities around the nation --- there are far more traffic slowdowns and backups than ever before.  This is not just due to there being more cars and more people owning them, but also because there are so many large vehicles such as SUVs, crossovers and pick-up trucks that more space is taken up on the roadways to accommodate them.  When multiplied by thousands of large cars and trucks in a given area, traffic jams, waits, lines extend now much farther and longer than when smaller cars dominated, and of course all are emitting still additional carbon in the long periods of time within these stalled space-occupying conditions 

3.  Avoid, get rid of, refuse or at least greatly minimize air conditioners.  Use fans instead.

            Air conditioning is simply an energy hog -- it is a consistent windy slap at our children and grandchildren. A window unit AC uses 500 to 1440 watts, while a 2.5-ton central system uses about 3500 watts. That is a lot of mostly fossil fuel-generated and nature exploiting power.  Most fans use only 100 to 150 watts on the highest speed, and ceiling fans usually use only 15 to 100 watts depending on speed and size.

            Air conditioning also pumps out heat straight into the atmosphere. Like a fridge, it takes heat from the inside of a building or car, then transfers it to add to the warm outside. That extra heat makes cities hotter, raising night-time temperatures by up to 2 degrees C, which then encourages people to turn up their air conditioning even higher.  Air conditioning systems also use powerful greenhouse gases called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide.  These gases leak out into the atmosphere, especially from vehicles, and global emissions of HFCs rose by more than half between 2007 and 2012, adding to the burden of climate change even more.  Air conditioning is in the vast majority of situations a luxury that sits as another contradiction to the notion that we care about and prioritize our children and future generations.  We must face the fact that it actually makes the climate crisis worse.

            Fans are targeted to certain areas of a residence office.  People are not sitting and standing up near ceilings and yet in many locales in buildings, much of air conditioning energy are cooling those areas.  Fans are far more transportable than air conditioners and can be used in multiple locations in the home, office or apartment. They are also easily stored after use.  And, of course, fans not only cost far less to operate than an air conditioner but they are also far less expensive to buy and maintain.

            Minimally, air conditioning must be temperature-rationed. There is no need -- except in nursing homes and certain other health facilities -- for temperatures to set below 78 degrees F.  Nearly all humans in America can live and function at this temperature.  Cooling below this with an AC is an irresponsible luxury.  For those who say, "No way can you shut off or strongly restrict my AC...That's off limits!"  To them (you?), I say then you must face the reality that your comfort needs are worth the price of your children and grandchildren having much more discomfort and even trauma in the future. Indeed, the self-focus we often have today means far less healthy options for future generations.

4. Quickly wean off paper coffee cups and all plastics, especially cups, lids, straws, utensils, packaging, bags, most of which are not recyclable.  Make it a habit to carry a re-usable mug, water bottle, and a re-usable utensil(s) with you.  Put it in your backpack or pocket book.  Hand the mug, for example to the vendor before they pull out the array of plastics they would use. When going out shopping, bring a re-usable canvas shopping bag(s).  

            World plastic production accounts for over 350 million tons, more than half of which is single use and ends up in oceanic ecosystems and landfills.  Americans buy an estimated 50 billion water bottles a year. Hard to even estimate, but consensus is that Americans use and throw in the trash over a billion plastic bags each year, with less than 1% recycled.  Millions of plastic straws are used worldwide when of course straws should be refused.  Americans throw "away" (there of course is no "away") over 25 billion styrofoam (a synthetic that cannot be recycled) cups each year. Studies indicate that nearly 80 million tons of plastic in the world that are used in food, and other packaging is not or cannot be recycled and ends up in our oceans.  This is roughly equivalent to 1 garbage truck load of plastic being dumped into the ocean or riverways every minute throughout the year. Research now -see for example the recent in-the-field reporting from Arwa Damon and Brice Laine, https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/19/world/microplastics-sargasso-sea-north-atlantic-intl/index.html    shows as well that micro-particles of plastic material from plastic bottle use and other sources are commonly found in water systems, including drinking water. This intake can potentially have dangerous health effects on us and other life forms upon which we and biomes depend.  

            All of these categories of plastic consumption and use are a human creation that originated in the late 19th century but did not become prevalent until just after World War II.  The material, while thought to be useful especially as a vehicle for more capitalist growth, consumption and profit, actually is more like a deadly virus that had never existed previously in the 3.6 billion year life history of the planet.  It is yet another example of industrial age humans producing enticing materials that ultimately make for a toxic Home and a calamitous and potentially un-survivable future.  The more we all get off of plastic use, including our plastic clothes (nylon, polyesters and other synthetics), the healthier both we, our children, and the earth will be.

5. Work to be palm oil free.  Easier said than done, but nevertheless any effort to use products that do not contain palm oil, palmate and its components is not trivial.  Tropical rainforests, especially those in Indonesia continue to be exploited and destroyed and then replaced by mega-corporate-owned monoculture palm tree plantations.  

           In Indonesia forests, an estimated 50,000 orangutans, close relatives of Homo sapiens have died over the past 25 years through this palm oil industry ecosystem destruction.  

           Palm oil now often gets hidden in the ingredient listings with names such as PKO or palm kernel oil, PHPHO or partially hydrogenated palm oil, palmate, palmitate, FPKO or fractionated palm oil, glycerol stearate and many others.  Palm oil is found in over 50% of the products sold in the shelves in markets, including cookies, cereals or these first, lipsticks, body lotions, hair shampoos and conditioners, butter, laundry detergents, soaps.  Indeed, a good identifiable start is with the latter -- buy quality hand and body soap that will not be a contributor to rainforest and bodiversity demise.  Costs a bit more, but balances out because it lasts longerr.... Check out and order on line or better still avoid the energy use and packaging of on-line shopping and demand that it be directly available at Whole Foods or other stores..  Buy palm oil free quality soap at https://www.handinhandsoap.com/pages/sustainnable-suds-new

6.  Get 100% renewable energy such as wind for your apartment's electricity at very minimal additional cost above your electric bill through the non-profit, State-recommended Green Energy Consumers Alliance: https://www.greenenergyconsumers.org/greenpowered.  

Renewable energy can be transferred from various New England sites to the grid system that serves your area such as Eversource or National Grid.  Honestly, this is a no-excuse, no-brainer for you, and certainly for your children, grandchildren, future generations, in that you get off of fossil fuel-based  electricity now in your residence.  If you own your own property, you can of course also obtain solar panel installation for heat (and not just electricity) as well, currently at great savings.  

See: https://www.greenenergyconsumers.org/solar

7.  Develop a new ongoing “face-to-face” friendship – with Nature…even if it means going outside of your neighborhood and even if it means less hours on iphones and laptops.  Support and even lead efforts to establish city "pocket parks", community healthy-soil gardens, as well as locally-produced and therefore less fossil fuel emitting "farmer's markets".   See for example article by Irene Ploczak further along in this Calling Home issue

8.  Shut off lights, appliances, computers when not in use. Turn down thermostats to 68 degrees F or lower.  Regularly implemented energy conservation habits by each person could reduce energy use in America by more than 10%, equal to hundreds of thousands of solar panels.

9. Reduce or eliminate meat consumption, especially red meats.  

        Much science research shows for that eating beef has major negative impacts on the environment and adds further to the climate crisis.  This is due to the amount of land and grain needed for animal growth especially in the large corporate-owned ranches. The Amazon even prior to the current devastating fires had grazing land with over 85 million cattle.  Hooves, poor land practices, excessive methane release, along with the actual physical replacement of forests with cattle  contributes to the climate and sixth extinction crisis. 

10. Develop an earth-centered ethic that often replaces our "human-centric" one with  Nature and especially placing the earth's biosphere at the apex of our thinking and behaviors.  

        Access, use and share  the Goldman Prize site https://www.goldmanprize.org/prize-recipients/current-recipients/ and others such as our Global Ecology Education Initiative https://dpzook.wixsite.com/geeicalllinghome2018 to learn about and be inspired by the thousands grassroots citizens and movements around the world, many of them leaders who are of indigenous tribes/nations, women, peoples of color.   Learning about what so many others in nations globally are doing will inspire and inform you in ways you never imagined.

11. Stop mass extinction of insects....Stop en masse purchase and use of pesticides and herbicides, including on lawns, gardens.   

      Recent comprehensive studies, such as from the Journal of Biological Conservation, warn that the current rate of insect species loss is so extreme that 40% of this most common animal group may be extinct in the coming decades.  This includes of course many pollinators which are essential  for agriculture as well as ecosystem health.  The loss of insects, scientists emphasize, would be catastrophic for the well-being of Homo sapiens and life forms .This assault on insects ultimately is suicidal for our species.  

        Part of the current human-caused sixth extinction on our planet, insect demise is due to millions of citizens and  businesses using pesticides and herbicides.  These chemicals, promulgated by mega-corporations investing in short term profits with little interest in fundamental global ecology and the future health of ecosystems, are often used indiscriminately, wiping out all insects in the area in which they are used.  Many of the harshest pesticides frequently contain  compounds implicated in cancer.  These include those herbicides with glyophosate.    Remember, even herbicides are often indirectly insect killers in that they are used to kill off so called "weeds," which often have prolific flowers and therefore are important sources of nectar for pollinating bees.  Bees of all species around the world are dieing off at an alarming rate.  Without them and other pollinators, the nutrition we need at mealtime would be substantially at risk to put mildly. 

12.  Use travel carbon offsets.  That is, when having to travel by airplane or even long distance by car, tally the estimated amount of carbon that is being given off into the atmosphere using a site such as http://carbonfund.org/individuals.  And then purchase support for tree planting or other earth friendly activities that help to “offset” or more accurately somewhat make up for your greenhouse gas excess.

13.  Practice active democracy.  Don't be a sideliner, a watcher.  

This cannot be emphasized enough.  Voting for sure, as well as letters and petitions and actively participating in local government committees such as zoning boards and town/city councils are all key ways to get involved.  But, there is no greater ongoing impact than  through non-violent but vocal physical expressions such as responsible protests and rallies in support of a healthier planet and future for our children and future generations.  Bottom-up youth and adult voices responsibly protesting as Martin Luther King and others emphasized are essential to fostering needed change and are central to getting us out of our currently weak democracy.

14. Respect, act and fight for the non-offenders. 

          Give serious recognition that the many other life forms who are now in such low population numbers with some  heading toward extinction are due to known biosphere-damaging activities by us, humans.  Write letters to the editor,  organize appropriate protests, meet with Congress-people on State and National levels, get involved in making your own community/neighborhood more supportive and reflective of biodiversity preservation.  While the earth and many life forms – mostly microbial -- will continue on without humans some day, this “sixth extinction” event that we now perpetuate is an assault on animals, plants, fungi, and protists who were embedded in Nature’s ecological rules, and who, if I may be anthropocentric language-wise briefly, were  in effect "obeying" those biosphere rules.  Even if you are disgusted with human behavior and hubris and have given up unfortunately on humans -- polar bears, pollinators, trees, wolves, songbirds, wildflowers, elephants, and so many others should not be the victims of our folly.  We Homo sapiens who are the primary cause should be the ones responsible to rectify or diligently become dedicated to minimizing the damage.

15. Initiate a new mindset of giving back to the earth, to Nature, what one would call reciprocity.  Nearly everything that we in modern, “developed” societies do from almost day one of our birth is spent taking from the earth or again more specifically the biosphere, but seldom if ever reciprocating.  To put it simply, you come home and there's a fridge of some sort there.  We take it for granted.  So much so, that now we are faced with the only viable solution being to do far more reciprocating – giving back to the biosphere – than taking.  Again, look around from wherever you are…everything around you and the energy systems that humans used to construct or grow or kill came from the earth.  Indeed, through our human-centered rather than nature/earth-centered ethics, we actually began thinking that having lots of material stuff and luxuries was central to happy living on the planet and indeed carried it further with the myth of striving for the “American Dream” which was more of a misleading capitalist concept than a dream.  Many indigenous peoples for hundreds and even thousands of years have understood the concept of reciprocity, meaning not taking more than what you need,  not disturbing the ecosystems that sustain us and others, and indeed being more like the frog by not drinking up the water upon which it depends.  The consequences of ignoring and indeed often attacking indigenous thinking and ways are now in front of us, and cannot be rescued by technology-emphasis but rather new ethical realization that we must be giving back to our provider, the biosphere...the earth.

16. Divest from fossil fuels if you have retirement or other investment accounts. And if you like most youth and adult citizens don't, still join others in urging individual, family, and business abandonment of fossil fuel support.  Instead, urge investment and vocal support for renewable energy such as solar and wind.

17. Create new future-friendly daily/weekly habits There are dozens you can think of such as more cold water laundry vs hot; less running water into sinks;  get recycled toilet paper even if more costly (use less):  buy less stuff -- ask yourself do i really need this? is this really a fit for a healthier planet/future?;  get biodegradable trash bags;  work/live with less or permanent down-sizing and fill in any material cravings and such gaps with simple experiences in and with Nature.  There's no way you won't feel good about being on the side of nature preservation and future well-being.

18.  Become a native tree/forest advocate, much like trees were your brothers and sisters, the way many indigenous peoples have felt.  

         This would mean supporting and even leading calls for the planting of more trees in urban neighborhoods;  the expansion of park and forest lands;  planting trees on your own if you own or have permission on properties, especially by working through groups like the Arbor Day Foundation (https://www.arborday.org), which will actually provide you seedlings and how and where to plant them.  Recent studies including a major one from ETH University in Zurich, led by scientist Tom Crowther indicated that the equivalent square miles of the United States and China is actually available worldwide for tree planting, indeed even hundreds of billions of trees.  The comprehensive analysis concluded that land restoration based on massive tree planting would greatly reduce the major negative impacts of the rapidly growing climate disruption in that such a number of new trees would, as they mature, remove and sequester large amounts of carbon for photosynthesis and then store carbon for long periods in the tree structure, roots, soils around the roots (rhizosphere), and the symbiotically associated mycorrhizal fungi. You as citizens can grasp the deep potential of such re-foresting and ecosystem recovery and become not only an advocate on the grand scale  but be a tree-planter and advocate on a local/community scale.

19.  Calculate and then respond appropriately to your carbon footprint.

          One of the better more practical ones is from the Environmental Protection Agency, https://www3.epa.gov/carbon-footprint-calculator/  It is from a couple years back and may have been altered during the current anti-science regime, but worth checking out, and if not there are several others to pick from on-line.  The idea is to get a ballpark of how much your daily and monthly deleterious contribution to the climate crisis is so the you can make bold new commitments such as many of those mentioned above and others.

20.  Actively foster essential green-minded school curriculum and facilities changes -- whether you are a student, parent, teacher, administrator, or simply a community citizen of any age.  

         The current and growing youth movement worldwide involving leaving school on certain days ("strikes for the future, strikes for the climate") is leading the way and very signifiant.  But, in a sense we also need such a focus directly in the schools.  What happens education-wise in public schools, for example, should prioritize knowledge, ideas, solutions, evidence and actions that recognize the War on Nature and the climate crisis.  Schools as learning places, as essential institutions must quickly evolve and implement its green new deal and allow students, parents and teachers to lead the way.  Major societal changes are always much more difficult when schools and school systems keep divorced from evidence-based issues that are threatening the surrounding communities and beyond.  A personalized green new deal must include  a kind of "reverse strike" mentality wherein issues and voices out in the streets/the public should be reflected responsibly in the school learning environment and curricula.