2008: Top Ten Ways To Make A Better World

2008 is here. Happy New Year!

All over the net there are thousands of blogs wailing about the state of the world, and how bad everything is. They're telling us it is too late, and the US is heading for a depression big enough to make the so-called Great Depression look like nothing more that a break in the party while someone called for more drinks.

I'm hearing horror stories about arctic ice and polar bears and whaling by the Japanese, and I don't want to hear it any more. Who does?

I'd like to be an optimist. So I will now stop the gloom and doom, and point some ways out of the madness. Here are my 'Top 10 ways to make a better world'. See how many you can manage this year.

1. Eat less meat. In particular, avoid all sea life (fish and seafood), as most of the world's fisheries are on the brink of collapse. Also avoid beef, as cows are a huge contributor to greenhouse gases. If possible go vegan (ideal) or vegetarian (a close second), or choose organic chicken, pork, and lamb. Other less environmentally-damaging options include kangaroo (for Australians) and venison (for Americans). I hear rat and racoon are tasty.

2. Choose to walk, use public transport, or cycle, instead of the car. When you must use the car, ensure you never travel alone, and always car pool. Plan journeys, so that you do several tasks in the one trip. When replacing a car, choose the most petrol-conservative model (usually the smallest and lightest) possible. If you have a 4 wheel drive / SUV and do not live out bush in impassible terrain, SELL IT. This weekend!

3. Have 2 or fewer children, and plant trees for the next generation. Two children is actually lower than replacement level for the human population, and there is plenty of evidence that the earth has exceeded carrying capacity. Two children replaces yourself and your partner. Fewer is even better. If you are at the stage in life where you are considering having children, please consider the world that they will inherit if resources are even scarcer than present, and if the water and air quality continue to degrade. And no matter how many children you have, don't have, or are thinking of having, plant trees for now and for the next generation - a good start is to ask your local council for advice on what to plant in your local area, or to plant useful fruit and food trees.

4. Learn permaculture, practice it in your own backyard, and pass on what you learn. In fact, you don't even need a backyard - a windowsill will do! Start by reading Bill Mollison's Introduction To Permaculture, and a whole new world of ethics and sustainability will be opened to you. If you are already familiar with permaculture, your task will be to pass on what you learn, and share your knowledge with others.

5. Learn about a belief system other than your own, and attend religious services of that belief system. The more different from your own, the better. If you are Christian, find a Pagan community and join with them, learn about them, and take time to worship with them. If you are Pagan, join with a Mormon community and learn their beliefs and become friends with them. If you are Jewish, get involved with the local Hindu community. If you are Hindu, get to know a Pentacostal Christian. The purpose of this is to understand that diversity can be wonderful, and our differences can make us special and worthwhile.

6. Practice Ecotarianism. Eat as locally as possible, and as low on the food chain as possible, with as much of your food organic as possible. Support local growers, local small business, local sustainable industry, and eschew globalisation.

7. Think before you buy. Grab a copy of Your Money Or Your Life from the local library, read it, and use it. It will change your life! Learn to buy quality items that are energy-efficient and last, rather than cheap, inefficient items that need regular replacement and are a faulty investment.

8. Insulate your home as best as possible. Do an audit of your home, and where heat is lost and gained, then tighten your home's heating envelope with the best insulation you can afford. It will cost little, but save you thousands in energy bills over the years. If you rent, consider options like placing quilts over wndows, weather stripping and draft stoppers at the base of doors, and using passive heating and cooling (closing the house up during the day in summer to keep it cool, then opening windows at night for cool breezes; in winter keeping the house closed and doors shut on unheated rooms).

9. Turn off your standbys! Get rid of unnecessary energy draws! Prowl around your home. If you have anything on 'standby', make sure you turn it off at the wall from now on. Replace useless energy wasters, such as digital alarm clocks and battery-powered toys, and replace them with analog wind-up and hand-powered replacements.

10. Learn frugal ways. Frugal ways are often the most environmentally sound ways of doing things. Green cleaners, for example, are cheaper and often just as effective, if not more so. Buying foods in bulk is cheaper, mending items instead of tossing and buying new, buying secondhand, selling secondhand items instead of binning them - all of these make a difference both to your hip pocket and to the world.

Lastly, learn to forgive yourself. When you become more environmentally aware it is easy to feel guilty, or to blame yourself for all the mistakes you've made, or for all the damage you might have caused the world. I know I've been through this grieving process, as I've looked on all my failures, which seem huge in comparison to my successes.

Don't do this. Its time to heal and be whole now. Instead, think that 2008 is a new year, and it brings with is many, many new chances not just to learn new, healthier, better ways to live that will make you happier and more fulfilled as a person, but that will also help to heal that world from the damage we have done unknowingly.

2008 brings the chance for all of us to be part of the solution, and no longer part of the problem. Together we can make huge changes, whereas alone we can only make small differences. Build community, talk with friends and family, make your part of the world strong and whole again.

I'll continue to fight the whaling by the Japanese, just as I'll sign petitions and lobby for the polar bears. I'll fight against my country's government, which has recently changed hands yet still seems intend on digging up and selling every bit of coal it can. And I will continue on my No More Stuff challenge, which has now lasted three years, with only a few small lapses here and there.

But I won't let it all get me down. Instead, my strength and the strength of my community will raise me to new heights, as I fight for this glorious blue planet like I never have before. And I hope you'll fight with me.

Happy New Year, and here's to a healthy world with clean air, fresh water, and a good and fulfilling life for all.