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Tackling climate change one bubble bath at a time

My kid’s shampoo claims to be carbon neutral. I might be wrong, but such a claim makes me think every claim on the bottle is bunk, and that I should’ve just bought the cheap stuff.

My kid’s shampoo claims to be carbon neutral. I might be wrong, but such a claim makes me think every claim on the bottle is bunk, and that I should’ve just bought the cheap stuff. The cheap stuff, the Spider-Man bubble-bath (yes I returned the $30 bottle of kids bubble-bath I accidentally purchased at Whole Foods and opted for the $2.99 bottle at London Drugs) claims to be gluten-free. When I saw this, I had to actively stop my eyes from rolling into my skull and staying there. If I didn’t need some incentive to get my kids in the bath in the first place (bubbles) or some kind of soapy agent to get the snot out of their hair, I would absolutely concede to my husband’s minimalist dream and buy none of it.

All this marketing geared towards helping us make “good” decisions induces a fatigue, I think. When I see these things I get why so many people lack the energy to actively engage with environmental issues. There’s just too much to worry about, and the solutions seem out of reach.

I say all this as a preface to the acknowledgment that in past weeks, I have dedicated considerable space to issues of energy consumption and our Community Energy Emissions Plan. It has been said that “climate change” is a notoriously boring subject, tough to tackle for storytellers of all stripes. I don’t suppose I have the remedy for that, but as this community is so highly engaged and has taken on the task of setting targets in the first place, I’m hoping that I won’t lose too many of you.

Furthermore, we’ll only find solutions if we bother to understand the problem in the first place. The solutions, as a number of commentators on the subject have noted, actually serve us better by improving our quality of life.

While buildings are not one of the major sources of emissions here on Bowen, improving the efficiency of homes will impact affordability.

Creating a walkable Cove, and better on-island transportation alternatives would improve our health, save us money and mean I have to sit through fewer conversations about parking at
council.

And while eliminating the ferry is clearly not an option, making it easier to stay on-island can maybe ease our reliance on it.

I look forward to your feedback on all of it. The Undercurrent welcomes your perspective.

 

editor@bowenislandundercurrent.com