• kozy138@lemm.ee
    0·
    7 months ago

    I totally get the sentiment, but our individual effects are miniscule when compared to the devastation caused by a few wealthy elite.

    Even if the entire world’s population went vegan overnight, that would still only reduce emissions by 10-15%.

    Solar panel tech has exploded over the last 10 years, yet CO2 emissions and power consumption have grown faster still.

    Considering this is very much a time sensitive issue, I’m beginning to believe that the most effective use of resources would be direct action against the fossil fuel industry and military industrial complex. Things such as monkey wrenching, blockades, and other more radical means of force.

    Of course not everyone is willing to personally go and cause damage to physical assets of corporations, fearing arrest and punishment. But some people have very little to lose and are willing to put their personal safety on the line.

    For the others with more to lose (families, etc…), they can still help by identifing targets, keeping watch, donating tools/equipment, and even providing funding for more action, bailouts, legal fees, etc.

    There is a reason the word punk is used in SolarPunk.

  • Sabre363@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    0·
    7 months ago

    While this is certainly a valuable mindset and I agree with it wholeheartedly, it does necessitate being in a somewhat privileged position in life. Sometimes it’s all we can do to make it through the day, pay our rent and bills, or keep a desperate hold of our shit jobs. Growing gardens, installing solar panels, or changing diets aren’t always at the top of the priority list when there are other more basic needs that are still unmet.

    • i_dont_want_to@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      0·
      7 months ago

      As a disabled person and caregiver, I agree. I still do what I can but some days it is incredibly difficult to even do the bare minimum.

      It’s hard not to get discouraged when my body betrays me, but for me I have to remember that my best will usually fall far below a non-disabled person’s best… And this is ok. (I’m still not completely convinced that it is ok but it’s what I tell myself.)

    • winterayars@sh.itjust.works
      0·
      7 months ago

      It also won’t solve the problems we have with the environment and such. Not even if everyone did this. Go nuts, don’t let me stop you, but more is needed.

    • stabby_cicada@slrpnk.netOP
      0·
      7 months ago

      Those are examples, not requirements. Do what you can. Anyone who judges you for not doing enough while you’re struggling to merely survive is a shit person.

      If there are small changes you can make to live a more sustainable life, do them. If there’s nothing you can do, that’s okay too. And if you’re so weighed down by the struggle of mere existence that you don’t have the mental energy to think about ways to change - that’s okay too. We who have the privilege to act should act, and when we do, we carry the aspirations of those who wish they could act but can’t.

      If I meant to criticize anyone by this post, it would be the people in wealth and privilege, who could change their lifestyle to be more sustainable, but who choose not to, because they believe personal sustainability is irrelevant when political and corporate actions have so much more impact on the world.

    • MrMakabar@slrpnk.net
      0·
      7 months ago

      The thing is that the people who can not do it, mostly live a very sustainable lifestyle anyway. Subsidence agriculture is basically organic and a lot of permaculture is just repackaging that for a Western audience. Diets are also fairly vegan as meat and other animal products tend to be expensive and if they are not they are usually raised at home.

      The people who need to change as their lifestyle is unsustainable have the means of actually changing it to a fairly large degree. Maybe not solar or gardening, but going vegan is certainly possible and even for the two first there are usually ways of finding a workable solution.

  • Danileonis @lemmy.ml
    0·
    7 months ago

    We need more noob-friendly systems in this direction. Better sharable guidelines to get started into this approach.

  • Uranium3006@kbin.social
    0·
    7 months ago

    If you want to use more solar power but can’t put up panels, get a power strip and a light timer and setit to be on from 8 AM to 4 PM and off otherwise and see what you can do with it. I use it to charge ebike batteries and I’ve found that if you don’t ride every day it works well enough that I still always have a full charge when I ride

    • 𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒏@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      0·
      7 months ago

      I had an ebike for a month and it cost almost nothing to recharge, so this would be a really good fit for home solar as you mention.

      Miss that thing a lot, it made going out even for mundane things or just even exploring so fun. Now i’m back to my manual bicycle 😢 still fun but much more tiring lol

  • kglitch@kglitch.social
    0·
    7 months ago

    If going vegan is too much for you, just stop eating beef and switch to soy milk.

    The emissions per calorie from beef are way way higher than any other form of meat.