Climate Emotions Conversation

IMPORTANT! For some odd reason, the music formatting has changed on these Blogger posts sites.. To listen to the song, first click on "READ MORE," and then click on the small box with the arrow in it that is in the upper right corner of the post screen. When you hover over that little box, it will say "pop-out." That will open up another window with a box in the middle of the screen. Click on the "play" arrow and the song should start. Please let me know if this does not work. Sorry about this!

I made this recording of Leaving On A Jet Plane on my Yamaha P-515.  So many fond memories tied to the song! It was the first song I learned on the guitar and the only song I have memorized for the guitar. When I am feeling lonely or a little sad, this song does wonders for me!

The pictures are of the world famous Tokyo Tower. What a gorgeous site, especially at night!

In just a few minutes, I am going to be joining my first Climate Emotions Conversation. This is a climate change support event that goes for 90 minutes and is an opportunity for people to listen to and express concerns about climate change. The sign up link is https://app.voicevoice.com/register/climateconversation?emci=2c39475c-79c4-ee11-b660-002248223197&emdi=f5e8632d-86c4-ee11-b660-002248223197&ceid=44863 

In preparation for this session, I would like to summarize some of my latest climate change thoughts.

RESOURCES

The following are some of the resources I have found related to climate change.

1. The Climate Optimist Handbook by Gennari
2. The Plant Based Diet by Frazier and Cheeke
3. Never Too Late To Go Vegan by Adams
4. Not The End Of The World by Ritchie
5. Climate Optimism by Biabani
6. Crucial Conversations by Patterson
7. High Conflict by Ripley
8. Drawdown by Hawken
9. Being The Change by Kalmus
10. Facing The Climate Emergency by Salamon
    

CONCERNS

The following are some of the concerns I have at this point.

1. There are so many conflicting opinions when it comes to climate change and related solutions. It can be challenging to know what to believe!
2. Climate change is not discussed much by the people I come in contact with. This makes it difficult to process this important topic.
3. Very few people I know are willing to reduce air travel. Many people seem unwilling to take other important steps to reduce the impact of climate change. This makes me feel at times like I am one of the Lone Rangers!
   
4. As Salamon suggests, there is that never-ending question, am I doing enough? Am I doing the right things?

STEPS I AM TAKING

1. Attend meetings and support groups that give me the opportunity to process my thoughts and feelings and listen to others and learn from others.
2. Ride my bike and walk and take public transit as much as possible.
3. Read and conduct as much research as possible so as to gain a better understanding of the issues and solutions.
4. Continue to work on effective communication skills so I can have those difficult conversations in a respectful manner.
5. Take specific actions to address climate change, such as contacting government officials and representatives. 
6. Reduce dairy and beef consumption and work towards eliminating those from my diet, due to the impacts those have on the environment.
7. As much as possible, purchase produce grown locally and organically. 
8. Spread the word by sharing my thoughts and feelings and concerns with others in a way that is as effective as possible.
9. Maintain a positive perspective and hope that with our efforts, we can make progress in this area.
   

Please feel free to contact me at reedrobert77@gmail.com to have more conversations about this pressing topic. I would love to connect with you!

All the best,

Bob Reed