James Greenhall

I will choose to spend that money on a down payment on solar panels for my home followed by a down payment on an electric vehicle.

Along with environmental benefits, smaller portions directly improve the health of the individual. I have more energy and feel better when I eat smaller portions. In addition less energy is wasted to grow, harvest, transport, refrigerate and then cook the excess food you don't really need. That is a lot of wasted energy.

Black carbon emissions directly effect the health and well being of those who breath them in. It is hard to enjoy life during respiratory distress. This is also a social justice issue because the poorest individuals and communities are the ones who have no other choice than to cook this way or can only afford to live in areas saturated with black carbon.

Tradition. We learn our dietary habits from our family and usually repeat those habits without question. Perpetual advertisement encourages over-consumption of unhealthy food choices which may be profitable for the meat industry but are ultimately detrimental to the health of individuals. North America does not put much thought into our food choices - we just eat what we always have (tradition) or what looks desirable in advertisements (mindless consumption). We need to change our tradition to intentionally mindful food choices focusing on  both health and sustainability.

I am inspired by all those in our global community (particularly young people) who are following the tradition of peaceful protest to draw attention the destructive nature of using fossil fuels to produce energy.