PATRIA QUERIDA

What Can We Do to Support Climate Recovery?
 
Use Water Like a Californian

Growing up in California, I can scarcely recall a time we weren’t in a drought. I’ve had discussions with friends and family about how much water you really need to moisten a toothbrush, whether it’s ethical to eat pasta because it involves boiling so much water, and how shocking it is to see someone order water in a restaurant and not finish it. Like many from the Golden State, I have adopted a “no water left behind” policy, draining my glass after every meal. That’s a tiny save, I know, but it just feels wrong to discard water as if it wasn’t an endangered resource.

Only 3% of the water on earth is freshwater, and until now 75% of that freshwater has been stored in glaciers. During warmer months, glacier runoff is the primary source of water for more than one sixth of the Earth’s population. In the past, glaciers were replenished by winter snow, but now they’re melting so quickly that by 2100 we expect to lose somewhere between 15% and 55% of the Earth’s freshwater supply. We’ll start feeling the shortages soon; estimates suggest that by 2025 “two thirds of the world will be living in stressed water conditions,” notes Spela Kunstelj in her TED Talk, Save that Drop.

How can we help? 20 Ways to Conserve Water at Home lists simple tips, such as turning off the tap while brushing your teeth, washing the dog outdoors so the lawn gets the runoff, and reusing the pasta water (after it cools) on your plants. (Or try my favorite new recipe that doesn’t require boiling pasta in water: smoked salmon pasta cooked in a skillet.) Remember, when you cultivate better water habits, chances are those around you will, too.

By Karen McCann
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Photo by CNN

STOP, LOOK, LISTEN! by Kathy Sherretts

Patria querida
After 7 days of some pretty rough walking from León to Oviedo, I emerged from the trees like Grizzly Adams and ordered a menú del día. I saw some occasional NYT headlines during the trip, but other than that I’ve been largely disconnected for a week. What follows is a collection of the first few things to grab my attention on my return to civilization, along with a couple of items suggested by friends from our Resistance group. (Thanks to the Steves for helping us out!)
Thanks!
--Kathy Sherretts

(and a big thank you to Sílvia for coming along on the walk and keeping me from getting lost!)

Article:
CNN:8 key takeaways from the European election 2019 results
Whether is the Greta Thunberg effect or not, around one in three people under the age of 30 voted Green, and "the Green Party alliance posted its strongest ever performance in European elections."

Article:
HuffPost: How Postwar Ads Got Us Hooked On 'Disposable' Single-Use Plastic by XiaoZhi Lim
Marketing began to persuade people that returnable or reusable items were an inconvenience that they had never noticed before.

Vídeo:
The Guardian: 'The planet is on fire': Bill Nye driven to F-bomb rant by climate change

Article:
The Atlantic: An Imperfect SAT Adversity Score is Better Than Just Ignoring Adversity by Richard D. Kahlenberg
The adversity score is not just a disguised racial preference; admissions officers who take “adversity scoring” into account are more likely to give consideration to disadvantaged students who do fairly well despite the odds.

Article:
Washington Post: The Trump coverup no one is talking about: The emperor has no money by E.J. Dionnne
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More than 400 million people were eligible to vote in the EU elections. The Greens won 19 more seats than in the 2014 election. Here are their gains and losses. (Photo: European Parliament and CNN)

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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