And why they deserve to be recognized
At this point, we all know Greta Thunberg. She has gained international recognition for becoming a leading voice in modern climate activism despite her young age. This has enacted a real sense of hope and action for others in the fight to reduce global warming.
A peer-reviewed article on “The Greta Thunberg Effect” by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication found that those familiar with Greta have a stronger belief that global warming can be reduced by working together and ultimately have higher intentions of taking collective actions towards this goal.
This study reveals that high-profile advocates can shape and motivate real action. And it got me thinking…why don’t we work to promote more activists like Greta Thunberg? The more attention they get for their work in the climate fight, the more the belief and action will spread.
This inspired me to seek out some lesser-known advocates doing incredible work in saving our planet.
We need to continue to share these inspiring people and stories with the masses to enact change on a larger scale.
Here are a couple of my favorite activists.
1. Edgar McGregor
On Tuesday, March 16, 2021, Edgar McGregor completed his 600th consecutive day of trash pickup in a Los Angeles County park.
That is nearly two years straight of going out and cleaning up accumulating trash that was littered by hikers in one of the area’s most popular spots.
McGregor excitingly tweeted, “I can say with confidence that Eaton Canyon, one of Los Angeles’ most popular hiking trails, is now free of municipal waste!”
This is an incredible feat.
Are you inspired? Me too.
I love reading and hearing about these stories that show off the incredible capabilities of some individuals that are devoted to making a difference. It promotes the notions of, “if he can do it, why can’t I?” and “wow, 600 straight days; the least I can do is try to pick up trash when I see it.”
This is where real change can happen. The amazing act of a determined individual inspires the masses to follow in their footsteps, even if it’s at a lower scale.
It baffles me that littering continues to be such a huge issue. I remember growing up being taught not to litter, and that was about it. Now, all the focus (myself included) is on reducing landfills, increasing composting adoption, and improving recycling rates. Maybe more needs to be on the staggering littering problem we continue to face.
I think we can all gain an appreciation of the individual work that can be done to restore our environment and ecosystem from this story. And I thank Edgar for allowing me to tell it.
2. Max La Manna
What if we were able to use every bit of the produce we buy in our cooking and daily lives?
Well, we can! And Max La Manna is showing us how to do it.
La Manna is an award-winning, low-waste chef that provides easy recipes and budget-friendly tips to waste less food. His book, “More Plants Less Waste” was awarded the Most Sustainable Cookbook in 2020 by Gourmand, a food culture awarding body for cookbooks and wine books.
The book “provides useful tips for you to utilize every part of the vegetable or every part of the fruit, whether that part of the ingredient is going into a certain dish you’re able to consume, or that piece of the vegetable or fruit is going into a house cleaner or detergent or body scrub. It covers everything, so nothing goes to waste,” La Manna explains.
One of his popular recipes makes an at-home vegetable stock with leftover vegetable tops, tails, and ends that we might otherwise throw away.
Max offers a tip to his followers to place a bowl by the cutting board every time they cook. Add any trimmings or unused parts of the vegetables to the bowl and store them in the freezer until 2–4 cups accumulate. Then, a stock is ready to be made.
It’s amazing how much creativity and utilization there can be in the kitchen. The way we cook is often an ingrained practice for us. We use only the parts of the fruits and veggies that we’ve always used and throw away the rest.
Max La Manna recognizes this disconnection and provides easy recipes and steps to putting every part of what we make and use in the kitchen to good use!
I hope these two stories of waste reduction through dedication, care, and creativity offered you some inspiration to seek ways you can make an impact. Share these stories with your friends and family, try a few recipes, pick up some trash, and gain some hope that if we work together, we can make the environment a better place to live.
See you next time.
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