Blog Action Day 2009 - Climate Change

It’s possible that climate change will end up being the biggest issue that our generation will face one day, and it also happens to be the topic of this year’s Blog Action Day. Climate change has the potential to affect almost all aspects of our lives, from the food we eat to the weather outside. Whether it’s our fault or just the grand scheme of nature isn’t really the issue any longer, as much as it is the acknowledgment and acceptance that we all have the ability to change what’s happening for better or worse.

If you’re still a little confused about it all, climate change basically refers to the warming of Earth’s atmosphere and the effect it has on the planet. Today, most scientists believe that we excessively emit harmful gases (think carbon dioxide) that thicken the atmosphere. This thickening serves as insulation and traps excessive heat and energy within the atmosphere, like an oven. Trees normally play the important role of converting these harmful gases into oxygen, which is great, but as the world develops more, we have fewer and fewer trees. The effects of climate change can be seen far and wide in the melting of the polar ice caps, changes in rain patterns, or a rise in the sea level, and its continued impact on plants, wildlife, and humans will only increase in the future.

The good news is that there is a lot that we can do to decrease our impact. If everyone did the basics we hear daily – to recycle, turn off your lights, carpool when you can, shop for local produce – the impact worldwide would be enormous! From recycling a single plastic bottle (which can conserve enough energy to light a light bulb for 6 hours) to offsetting your own personal footprint (check out our friends at CarbonFund.org) to wearing an eco-friendly tee, we are all presented with choices and opportunities daily to make a difference. On the upside, fashion companies are are making huge strides every day to decrease their impact, so you can look great and feel good about what you’re wearing.

Want to make a difference with what you wear? Check out our Alternative Earth line. You can’t go wrong with one of our 100% Certified Organic Cotton Tees or our Eco-Heather styles, which contain a combination of organic cotton and recycled polyester.

And in the spirit of Blog Action Day, keep your eyes peeled for what happens in December at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, where our world leaders will meet up and make some pretty major decisions that affect us and the future of our planet.

Photo: Dan Crosbie