ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
2022 Theme: Invest In Our Planet
Personal Habits To Save The Planet
Empowering The Young To Save The Environment
The theme of this year’s Earth Day is “Invest In Our Planet.” The theme reflects our founder Ingrid M. Evans’s personal commitment to environmental causes through legal efforts and community and personal initiatives. As the world slowly starts to return to “normal” we know we can’t go back to business-as-usual. The coming disasters of climate change and environmental destruction demand urgent action. It really is a matter of life or death for future generations. Ingrid M. Evans and the rest of us here at Evans Law Firm, Inc. know that saving our planet requires joint action and instilling the ideal in the next generation
INVEST IN OUR PLANET: IT’S THE ONLY HOME WE HAVE.
“Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world.” – Dolores Huerta
What each of us does, and how we do it, has a huge ripple effect on our ecosystems, and on the pace of corporate and government action. Gen Z is providing inspiration, with 45% having stopped purchasing certain brands because of ethical or sustainability concerns. We have the power to lobby for and support businesses that take active steps to protect our environment through their practices and climate-friendly investments, and fight against those that don’t. At a rally, a cleanup, with your vote, or your wallet, be heard however you are able. For all of us – today and for our future – let’s INVEST IN OUR PLANET!
SAVING OUR OCEANS
#take10leavenone
Ingrid’s #take10leavenone campaign encourages young and old beachgoers with a simple job every time they’re on the beach:
~~ take 10 pieces of trash when you leave a beach and leave none behind ~~
Share Ingrid’s #take10leavenone message with young people. Imagine what we could accomplish if everyone left the beach every time with #take10leavenone!
Other Good Practices
Ingrid’s friends have shared other wonderful ideas with her on good practices. Here are some practical ideas to lower your carbon footprint and reduce greenhouse emissions:
EATING:
- Consider a little less meat in the family’s diet. Raising livestock generates as much greenhouse gas emissions as all cars and trucks combined.
- Shop at Farmers’ Markets and buy only fruits/veggies/eggs/milk/cheese/chicken that are in season and local (there are major carbon emissions in transporting food).
- Shop at a coop like Rainbow Coop (also available on Instacart if you like home delivery) if you can’t find everything you need at Farmers’ Markets.
HOME HEATING AND ELECTRICITY:
- OhmConnect: If you haven’t already signed up for this, it is a NO BRAINER. Basically it works like this – when the grid gets overused, the utility company must switch to a power plant that uses dirty energy. They can foresee when this is going to happen so they text you (generally the day before) when they are going to have to turn on the plant (it’s called a OhmHour). You minimize the electricity used in your home during that hour (only have lights on in the rooms where you are, wait until later to do laundry, run the dishwasher, etc) and you earn points/cash back.
- org: Sign up to switch your electric bill for your home (and/or business) over to clean power (you can do 33%, 43% or 100% renewable energy).
- Solar Panels: Look into adding solar panels to your home.
- Lights: Use more natural light (open curtains and try to avoid using lights during the day). Check to make sure all of the lightbulbs in/outside our house are energy saving bulbs.
- Hang dry clothes when possible.
TRANSPORTATION:
- Car: if you need a new car, consider a used electric car (“used” is important because approximately 20% of a cars carbon footprint is from factory to owner – i.e. production, shipping etc).
- Ride a bike to work or use public transportation. If you can, continue to work remotely at home.
HOUSEKEEPING IDEAS
- As new appliances are needed, switch to EnergyStar.
- The City of San Francisco will switch your toilets / shower heads / faucets to low flow FOR FREE.
- Turning your thermostat down just 1 degree can make a difference.
- Consider solar panels.
- When cooking, try and have your oven do double duty – by cooking two dishes at once.
- Use a tank water heater system as a tankless system takes time for the water to heat prior to use.
- Use LED lights.
- You don’t have to use water to rinse out recyclables.
- Re-use plastic containers to keep leftovers; just add a tape label so you know what’s in the container.
- Make sure your home is well-insulated and the heat may never come on in our mild climate.
- Plant drought tolerant landscaping and consider a grey water system for watering your yard.
CLOTHING
- Shop at thrift stores or Goodwill for some things as the apparel industry is one of the biggest consumers of water!
- Consider eco-friendly clothing brands. This blog has a useful list of some brands: https://www.buzzfeed.com/whitneyjefferson/eco-friendly-clothing-brands?utm_term=.pcmBvx16gk#.ocEGQNY92p.
CHILDCARE
- Use cloth or compostable diapers like Earth Baby.
- Use compostable/biodegradable wipes by Eco by Naty or Green Works.
- Re-use children’s clothing whenever possible for younger siblings or friends’ children.
- Chocolates are available in compostable wrappers (Alter Eco) or you can buy in bulk (wrapped in recyclable foil) at Rainbow Coop.
AVOID PLASTICS!!
- Chlorinated plastic releases harmful chemicals into the ground, which can then seep into groundwater, nearby surface water sources and the world’s ecosystem.
- In addition, the amount of plastic in our oceans threatens wildlife and humans both.
- Make a pledge not to use single-use plastic! Use reusable water bottles/tap water with filtration system.
INVOLVE YOUR CHILDREN IN ALL YOUR STEPS TO REDUCE CARBON
- Have your child help with composting and recycling.
- Plant vegetables and tomatoes in the yard and have fun watching the plants grow and picking.
- One mother whose child felt overwhelmed by climate change worries, channeled her daughter’s anxiety into a bake sale to raise money for an organization fighting for change.
- Educate your children on the reality of climate change, the importance of recycling and the dangers of waste.
Contact Us
Ingrid M. Evans and Evans Law Firm at (415) 441-8669, or by email at <a href=”mailto:info@evanslaw.com”>info@evanslaw.com</a> represents plaintiffs in elder abuse cases, consumer cases, and environmental cases brought under CEQA and other statutes intended to protect our environment.
