What’s This About an Almanac?

This past Saturday, we were inspired by three contributors + Seth Godin, at a local signing for a new book called The Carbon Almanac.

If you don’t know what an almanac is, no worries. Think of it like a how-to for those who want to do—in this case, that begins with simply wrapping your mind around carbon’s misplaced place in the world. (And how that is affecting climate.)

Or think of it like a mini encyclopedia on one theme: carbon’s history and hoped-for future.

Or an annotated phone book—to get carbon’s number, wherever it’s taken above-ground residence.

In other words, consider it a jumpstart resource and not a final destination for putting carbon in its good place.

3 Ways to Use The Carbon Almanac

We don’t recommend this book for those with eco-anxiety. In that case, overwhelm, you know?

But!

We do recommend The Carbon Almanac for:

1. Classroom teachers who want a quick resource for developing their own “let’s do it” solution projects. After all, solutions first need problems. And the problems with carbon being “out of place”—which adversely affects human health and livelihood due to resulting climate breakdown—are comprehensively outlined in this almanac.

2. Entrepreneurs who are looking for OPPORTUNITIES. Again, businesses are all about solving problems. Carbon-release problems that are just ripe for entrepreneurial solutions are in this book at a convenient glance. For example, an entrepreneur could learn in this book that due to concern about the adverse carbon effects of outdoor propane heaters, there’s an expanding new market for outdoor solar heaters!

3. Individuals, communities, websites, and organizations looking for new project ideas. For example, EcoChallenge already does a Plastic-Free July. What if they added No-Mow May?—based on learning in The Carbon Almanac that mowers and other lawn care machines aren’t helping keep carbon in its place.

In the Northeast, we don’t need to mow much in May anyway, but we could jump in by sowing wildflower seeds in a part of our yards that we can edge come summer, for a new wildflower garden section of our yards!

The Most Powerful Part of the Almanac Project

The most powerful part of this project is its aim to connect people…

…to reframe a “me problem” to a “we problem.”

Every “me” contributes to the “we,” so individuals should not underestimate the power of their personal lives and influence. However, in order to prevent burnout and to make the most of communal effort, the almanac project asks us to work together and to consider how best to change systems. Working together can look like:

1. people arranging community, company, college & school projects around what otherwise might just be a personal effort

2. people asking businesses and public leaders to make systemic changes (for instance, Seth told us he called Patagonia recently and asked them to reconsider their practice of wrapping products in plastic)

3. websites, organizations, and businesses teaming up to create a network effect. There are many levels on which they can team up. For instance they could…

• embark upon projects like Plastic-Free July during the same exact time period
• highlight each other’s work on social media
• link to each other on network lists on their websites
• give a shout out to each other on their newsletter lists

These are our early thoughts on a book which hopes to be a touchstone for important conversations and change. Guided by the almanac, used in combination with the Top 80 Game Changers in Drawdown, we look forward to doing some of the above in our lives and here at Poetic Earth Month! 🙂

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For ideas of how you can take direct action on climate breakdown, especially if you aren’t suited to be an activist, check out Direct Action to Address Climate Breakdown.