When I read articles about "efficiency" in agriculture, I often hear arguments such as: how many gallons of water per pound of beef produced, or greenhouse gas emissions per pound, or other measurements like that. They compare those numbers of ranching "efficiency" to gallons or emissions per lb of vegetables, or compare feedlot beef to grassfed beef, etc. By this logic, feedlot beef may be more "efficient" than grass finished beef because grain finished beef finishes sooner, at 18 months, rather than older, at 24-30 months, there may actually be less methane emissions from the rumen for example per lb of meat produced. It is this same logic that makes “lab grown meat” look better. You need less water to grow beef in a petri dish than to feed a living breathing animal per lb of meat produced.

On September 25, Families for a Livable Climate stood in solidarity with families across the country who are suffering the devastating effects of wildfire and hurricanes, and in solidarity with the Fridays for Future Global Day of Action. We created a shoe strike, handed out copies of The Changing Times, and a pledge to act for in-person participants to take with them, and use to get involved. I was lifted by the symbolism and solidarity, and also I questioned it: Was this worth our time? Do climate demonstrations even matter?

“Decarbonize Your Transportation” was the second panel in the “Systems Change Series,” put on by Families for a Livable Climate and co-sponsored by Climate Smart Missoula. The panel is composed of informed and inspiring individuals working on a broad range of goals to reduce carbon emissions in our transportation systems and support individuals making choices to reduce their own footprint. Read on for a short synopsis on the various modes of transportation discussed on the panel, and please watch the entire recording

Guest post by Mary Mulcaire-Jones

“Something big is starting to shift,” said Bill McKibben. “After years of effort from activists, there are signs that the world’s financial community is finally rousing itself in the fight against global warming.” McKibben, the founder of 350.org, shared this piece of good news in a New York Times opinion piece a couple of years ago. In light of this trend, he advised, “It would be wise to follow the dollar to see where the future of energy is headed globally.”