A Tired Mom's Guide to Climate Justice

I have no excuse for not doing more for climate justice to reverse climate change. But like many middle aged, middle income moms (and dads, and, well, everyone), my fight with fighting for climate change is mostly about exhaustion and ignorance. However, the creeping guilt of my inaction is becoming harder to quell. Life is a constant hustle, and I’ve been slow to put climate change on my priority list. I don’t have time to untangle all that I can do. I can’t go cold turkey on some things I know I should (e.g., fast fashion: guilty as charged!), but I am in enough of a privileged position to do more. I think I can do better in my daily life to break habits, start new ones and move forward to do my part to help save the most tired mother of them all, Mother Earth. Awwww.

My tiptoeing into this massive issue is based on the well-established adage: Reduce Reuse Recycle. I’m adding caveats and cheats. It may read more like Reduce-ish?, Reuse – sure?, Recycle – is this really happening? However, like diet and exercise, I hope my caveats and cheats can lead to the holy grail of behavior change and impact.

To start, I made my own scale:

💚 DO IT – Take immediate action! Feel good! 

🧡 DEBATE IT – Action is not quite in the “do it” column, but at least you acknowledge you need to make a change. Maybe you need more information or more time and a nudge. Or, maybe you just can’t get to it right now. 

💙 DON’T GO THERE – You know you need to make a change, but you…just…can’t…do…it. Time/money/life prohibit you from making the change. 

❤️ DEMAND IT – It’s time to move outside the realm of personal responsibility: take collective action and/or advocate to those with the power to do something.