MANLIUS, N.Y. (NCC News) — The U.N. Climate Conference started its 26th annual Climate Conference in Glasgow, Scotland on Oct. 31. With world leaders converging to discuss how to avoid a climate disaster, Onondaga Environmental Institute Education and Outreach Coordinator, Amy Samuels, said there are plenty of ways Central new York residents can fight climate change.
Samuels said a major key for those looking to fight climate change is avoiding waste.
“Two of the things that people have the most control over, no matter their budget is, is what they eat and what they waste,” Samuels said. “Actually, waste is really something that contributes to carbon emissions that doesn’t need to. Particularly in wealthier countries, like the United States, people waste a lot of food.”
She said the second step people could take is by switching out meat for more vegetables.
“In terms of diet, eating more plant food and less animal food also makes a big difference,” Samuels said. “There’s a lot more carbon and water, actually, used to produce animals than plants, in general.”
Samuels said that an additional, larger step is to opt-in for using renewable energy rather than fossil fuels. It’s a step that she took at her own home — and now all of her power is provided by solar energy.
“So, your bill still comes from National Grid, so nothing changes, but you can choose a number of different suppliers,” Samuels said. “I believe if you, you can find information about it on the National Grid website.”
Tony and Martha Viglietta took that idea one step farther and installed solar panels at their own home in 2017. Over the years the Manlius couple has added to their home and now the only fossil fuel-reliant aspect of their home is their gas stove.
The couple also owns a fully electric car and a plug-in hybrid, and in 2019 they added a geothermal heater to the home.
Martha Viglietta said all of the decisions will eventually pay for themselves in the long run.
“We have not saved money yet, because we put a lot of money in on the front end,” Viglietta said. “The government, both the federal government and the state government give you subsidies when you buy solar panels, you get a subsidy — you get a tax break from the feds, you get a tax break from the state and also you get money even from the electric company when you have solar panels. Solar panels tend to pay for themselves pretty fast. But we also installed a geothermal heat system, that was pricier, and that pays back — we also got subsidies for that, federal and state, but it pays back a little slower because it was more expensive on the front end.”
Many Central New York families don’t have the means to pay for these types of changes, but Samuels and both Martha and Tony Viglietta said the biggest thing that people can do to fight climate change is to use their power to vote for elected officials with comprehensive climate plans.
Samuels said this type of climate action is needed, because the effects of climate change aren’t equally felt across income levels.
“We also have to think as a community, some people have the means to make changes and some people don’t,” Samuels said. “Generally, the people who don’t have the means or the financial capability are the ones who are also most hurt by natural disasters and flooding and problems with climate change. We need to — what we need to do is bring the policy along so the whole community lifts, as well.”
