How to Make the U.S. a Better Place:
- Apply the principles of permaculture in agricultural practices (Open Source Ecology)
- Have affordable DIY industrial machines available that allow communities to be self-sufficient (Open Source Ecology)
- Make our decisions with the benefit of 7 future generations in mind (Oren Lyons)
- Resist fracking in our communities (Lori Babbey)
- Stop subsidizing the overproduction of corn (Curt Ellis)
- Halt the use of environmentally destructive, cancer-causing pesticides/herbicides like atrazine in our industrial agriculture (Curt Ellis)
- Stop putting high fructose corn syrup in food (Curt Ellis)
- Learn about the environmental challenges we face. (Yolanda Kondonassis)
- Recycle. (Yolanda Kondonassis)
- Make sure our tires have enough air in them. (Yolanda Kondonassis)
- Replace our standard light bulbs with energy-saving bulbs. (Yolanda Kondonassis)
- Avoid buying products in lots of packaging. (Yolanda Kondonassis)
- Take a slightly shorter shower – heating water uses a lot of energy! (Yolanda Kondonassis)
- Adjust our thermostat – down 2 degrees in the winter and up 2 degrees in the summer. (Yolanda Kondonassis)
- Turn off all our lights and equipment when not in use. (Yolanda Kondonassis)
- Take our own reusable bags to the grocery store. (Yolanda Kondonassis)
- Switch to reusable water and drink bottles. (Yolanda Kondonassis)
- Plant a tree (or several!). (Yolanda Kondonassis)
- Talk to our family and friends and encourage them to be part of the solution. (Yolanda Kondonassis)
- Institute a systematic screening and diagnosis procedure for people affected by oil spills (Cherri Foytlin)
- Create stricter oil drilling standards and greater oversight (Cherri Foytlin)
- Stop disproportionately putting waste transfer sites in low-income and minority communities (Rogers-Eubanks Coalition)
- Help families have their own food gardens in food desert areas, such as Native American reservations (Aubrey Skye)
- Set up reservation farmers markets with traditional, wild & edible foods (Aubrey Skye)
- Establish community gardens for kids to give them a sense of purpose (Aubrey Skye)
- Sponsor weekly, free CSA shares to low-income families in food desert areas (Rev. Robert Jeffrey)
- Circulate community-owned agriculture into local community establishments (Rev. Robert Jeffrey)
- Use healthy, local food in schools (Rev. Robert Jeffrey)
- Stop mountaintop removal (Mark Utley)
- Establish a national strategy that focuses on youth development, international development and diplomacy, sustainable energy and sustainable agriculture (Capt. Porter and Col. Mykleby)
- Totally overhaul our economic scheme; focus on clean energy and green jobs (Marshall Herskovitz)
- Institute full disclosure with communities in industrial practices (Wilma Subra)
- Clean up polluted air (Cherise Udell)
- Ban coal-fired power plants and freeways near schools (Cherise Udell)
- Retrofit diesel city buses (Cherise Udell)
- Have idle-free zones (Cherise Udell)
- “Green” open-pit mines (Cherise Udell)
- Continue/support the Clean Air Act (Cherise Udell)
- Clean up our polluted rivers (Earth Conservation Corps)
- Mentor teens/provide training & certification for green jobs (Earth Conservation Corps)
- Use environmental art to build communities and foster collaboration (Daniel Dancer)
- Enact zero discharge water pollution policies for companies located near communities (Diane Wilson)
- Hold company CEOs liable for pollution (Diane Wilson)
- Lift oil companies’ damage liability caps (Diane Wilson)
- Adopt shelter animals instead of going to breeders (Ashley Owen Hill)
- Stop automatically regarding pit bulls as vicious creatures (Ashley Owen Hill)
- Use discarded plastic bottles to create PET (Earthtec)
- Use organic cotton & organic wool in clothing (Earthtec)
- Shorten chains of production (Earthtec)
- Don’t allow gas drilling in parks (Jen and Jim Slotterback)
- Enact stronger regulations in the natural gas industry (Jen and Jim Slotterback)
- Have a system to help citizens harmed by the fracking process (Jen and Jim Slotterback)
- Support small, local economies instead of big-box corporations (Rev. Billy and the Church of Earthalujah)
- End our reliance on credit cards (Rev. Billy and the Church of Earthalujah)
- Resist forming our identities by our consumption practices (Rev. Billy and the Church of Earthalujah)
- End dolphin captivity and performances (Ric O’Barry)
- Allow communities to ban fracking locally (Jodi and Jeff Andrysick)
- Stop using dangerous chemicals in fracking fluid (Jodi and Jeff Andrysick)
- Use sustainably sourced materials in the fashion industry (Summer Rayne Oakes)
- Make human health the bottom line in all manufacturing decisions (Theo Colburn)
- Divest corporate interest of government decision-making (Theo Colburn)
- Use alternatives to fossil fuels (Theo Colburn)
- Form green energy sectors in former manufacturing towns (Mayor John Fetterman)
- Start urban agriculture in former manufacturing towns (Mayor John Fetterman)
- Do grassroots community building through art (Mayor John Fetterman)
- Stop using helicopters and snowmobiles in the winter sports industry (Jeremy Jones)
- Use our people power (voting power) to convince our Congresspersons to take climate change seriously (Jeremy Jones)
- Establish another wolf safe zone in the U.S. (Doug Smith)
- Buy less stuff (Annie Leonard)
- What we do buy, get better quality (Annie Leonard)
- Demand more from our tax dollars (Annie Leonard)
- Be engaged citizens first (not consumers) (Annie Leonard)
- Increase our social connections in our communities (Annie Leonard)
- Use alternative energy sources, green building practices, and reduced waste at schools (Portsmouth Abbey School)
- Bring bear pepper spray any time we’re hiking in bear country (Casey Anderson)
- Live small (Jay Shafer)
- Change housing codes to allow smaller dwellings (Jay Shafer)
- Buy sustainable seafood (One World One Ocean)
- Reduce plastic pollution (One World One Ocean)
- Expand the ocean’s protected areas to 10% (One World One Ocean)
- Keep chemicals out of baby’s feeding routine and household cleaning (Beth Shea)
- Use cloth diapers and reusable baby wipes (Beth Shea)
- Buy wooden, non-toxic, handmade toys instead of plastic ones (Beth Shea)
- Use chemical-free bath products, bath tubs and bath toys (Beth Shea)
- Remove your shoes at the door to avoid bringing in pesticides, lead dust and pollutants (Beth Shea)
- Become informed about unconventional hydraulic fracturing- the new “fracking”. Know all the risks. (Dr. Anthony Ingraffea)
- Eat sustainably caught fish and follow the recommendations of the Marine Stewardship Council and the Monterey Bay Aquarium (Bamboo Sushi)
- Have dialogue with people who don’t agree with you (Leilani Münter)
- Consider your meal’s carbon footprint (Leilani Münter)
- Use reusable shopping bags and energy efficient light bulbs (Leilani Münter)
- Oppose trapping on all public lands (Trap Free New Mexico)