ONCE AND FUTURE COLLUDER

What Can We Do to Support Climate Recovery?
 
Become a More Eco-Savvy Traveler

As expats, travel is part of our lifestyle, and we’re learning how to take our environmental awareness on the road.

If you’re renting a car, ask for a hybrid. Hertz, Budget, and many other rental agencies now offer hybrids, which can reduce your carbon footprint from 74.9 pounds (34 kilograms) to 51.6 pounds (23.1 kilograms) per 100 miles. And you save on fuel costs.

Choose accommodations with showers, not baths. Showers use just 10 to 25 gallons of water, while baths use up to 70 gallons. Feeling frisky? Shower with a friend and save even more water!

Avoid using the hotel laundry. It’s not only expensive but each guest’s clothes are washed separately in small loads, an inefficient use of water. When you can, wash clothes in the sink and hang them to dry.
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Rich doing laundry in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo by Karen McCann

Leave the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door when you go out. Unless your room really needs refreshing, skip the maid service to cut down on chemical cleansing agents, electricity used in vacuuming, and the washing of bed linens. Added bonus: if thieves are around, they’ll avoid your room thinking it’s occupied.

Source: 40 Green Travel Tips: The Ultimate Guide to Sustainable Travel

By Karen McCann
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In the 1850s, women’s rights activists briefly adopted a new style in an effort to liberate themselves from heavy dresses. Photo: Originally from The History Project, UC Davis.
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STOP, LOOK, LISTEN! by Kathy Sherretts

Once and future colluder
I really tried to make a Trump-free list of recommendations this week—there are so many better things to occupy our time! But this was too much. First the George Stephanopoulos interview on ABC News: Trump says he may not alert FBI if info is offered by foreigners on 2020 candidates (video, 5 min). The Federal Election Commission Chairwoman felt compelled to respond: “I would not have thought that I needed to say this.” Finally, exasperated FBI Director Chris Wray: “This is potentially encouraging criminal activity and undermining federal law.”
Oh, and one other thing--a quiz in honor of Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ departure from the White House.
NOW on to the Trump-free list.
--Kathy Sherretts

Video:
The Atlantic: Women After Prison/Sister Hearts (16 min)
“When I got out of prison, they wouldn't allow me to open a bank account. I could not rent an apartment. I could not get a job. So I started just selling stuff out of a suitcase on the street corner. The first day I made $40. And I just kept doing that. Three years later, I have a 15,000 square foot thrift store and transition housing facility for other female ex-offenders.” 

Article:
Smithsonian: Amelia Bloomer Didn’t Mean to Start a Fashion Revolution, But Her Name Became Synonymous With Trousers by Lorraine Boissoneault
Chafing against clothing norms was not quite the same thing as rebelling against the patriarchy, but the two issues frequently overlapped.

Article:
BBC: The plastic packaging paradox by Tim Harford
Are shrink-wrapped cucumbers really so silly if it means they stay fresh for 14 days rather than three? 
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Plastic waste vs. wasted food?

Ready to do more?

 
Learn about the Green New Deal. If you missed our roundtable discussion, you can read the presenters' notes here. 
Read the Indivisible Guide 2.0, a new strategy for a new congress. 
Check out the weekly action plan from Progressive Action, Global Exchange (PAGE) which mobilizes progressives living overseas. 
Sign up for the Americans of Conscience Checklist, a weekly action list that also provides encouragement and good news. 
Learn more about solutions and actions at ClimateRecovery.org, a new group organized by members of American Resistance Sevilla and other community activists. 
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