How to Save the Planet by Sharing Ideas on Climate Action

Think about this—

Every business. Every #1 song. Every nonprofit, book, volunteer organization, presidential campaign, Michelin star-winning restaurant, and fashion design. 

They all started with an idea. 

Ideas can change the world. And that’s a good thing, because our world is changing. As the last generation that can prevent global warming, we are the first to notice the effects climate change has on our environment, the Earth, and our lives.

We now have 11 years left to prevent a climate change catastrophe, according to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). During that time, we must not allow temperatures to increase by more than 1.5°–2° C, or we’re in for a world of hurt: extremely hot days, more forest fires, increased poverty, coral reefs disappearing, and far, far more. However, there’s still hope—and you can help. 

To start, all you have to do is share an idea. And, until the end of 2019, Goodwall will plant a tree in partnership with the Trillion Tree Campaign (up to 5,000!). Oh, and there’s a $1000 award, as well!

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Here’s how to take climate action by pitching ideas:

What Kind of Climate Ideas to Pitch?

Imagine you promise yourself you’ll become healthier. That’s a great goal, but you work on items which will ultimately lead to a healthier you, such as eating better and exercising more.

Solving climate change is similar. It’s a broad umbrella spanning dozens of sub-issues. To reach a future in which climate change is no longer a problem, we have to tackle the various contributors which make it up. These include climate change causes and climate change effects.

Here are 13 topics to get your gears turning on climate action:

1. Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions (including CO2)
2. Forest Coverage & Deforestation
3. Rising Sea Levels & Melting Ice Sheets
4. Increasing Global Temperatures, Droughts & Forest Fires
5. Ozone Layer Depletion
6. Overflowing Landfills, Ocean Waste & Unnatural Debris
7. Disturbances of Ecosystems & Biodiversity
8. Air, Water, and Soil Pollution
9. Non-Biodegradable Plastics & Other Materials
10. Acid Rain & Ocean Acidification
11. Resource Depletion (e.g., Overfishing, Mining)
12. Overpopulation & Urban Sprawl
13. Food Waste

These are some of the most visible climate emergencies we’re facing. Fortunately, there are countless ways to beat climate change and tackle these problems, and it all begins with sharing ideas. For more climate change topic ideas, check out the USDA’s Climate Change Resource Center.

Related Read: 15 Ways to Save Water at Home Easily

Where to Share Your Ideas?

You could share with your siblings, friends at school, coworkers, or people sitting next to you on the metro—

And you should! 

And, you should also pitch your idea on Goodwall.

One of Goodwall’s new post features is specifically designed just to share ideas and help them get the visibility, traction, and support they deserve. Dubbed the “virtual elevator pitch,” it allows Goodwall members to pitch ideas to the Goodwall community as a 30-second video. 

After sharing the idea, the Goodwall community—over 1 million members in 150+ countries—is invited to give feedback, offer assistance, and challenge the idea. It takes the old school elevator speech, turns it on its head, and gives you a diverse audience from all walks of life. Your climate solutions will be seen by a crowd of students, entrepreneurs, and young professionals, exactly the podium it needs to effect meaningful change.

As my fearless leader and Goodwall’s cofounder puts it, “We’ve got big problems and small problems, from climate change to finding a dog sitter. We’ve also got many solutions. But most of those solutions are trapped as ideas. For an idea to become a solution, that idea needs to be shared, it needs feedback and it needs support. You don’t need to be an entrepreneur, all you need is an idea to improve something and the courage to pitch it.”

Your climate idea could be huge, like finding a new source of cheap, clean energy, or smaller, like spreading the word about an upcoming climate strike. If you think your ideas on reducing greenhouse gases or cleaning the beach are too small to be effective, think again. When you give even the smallest idea a platform with the scale, size, and membership Goodwall has, it really does change the world.

Related Read: 15 Tips for Earth Day to Support the Environment & Stop Climate Change

How to Get Started?

If you’re ready to pitch a climate action idea on Goodwall, it takes just half a minute.

Sign up or log in to Goodwall from your mobile device (iOS and Android apps are available). Then, simply hit that “+” icon at the bottom of your screen, and upload your idea as a video to share with the Goodwall community! If a video doesn’t suit you, post your ideas as text, and use the various options (e.g., title, keywords, location, images) to ensure it gets found.

If you want a more detailed tutorial, visit our guide on how to pitch ideas on Goodwall.

Let’s start effecting change for a changing climate, one idea at a time!

And one last thing:

If you’re looking for a college to attend or support taking climate action, don’t overlook the University Of Dundee!

The University of Dundee is one of the UK’s top 20 universities (The Guardian University Guide 2021) and is classed as top in the UK for climate action (Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings 2021). Their core purpose revolves around transforming lives and working locally and globally through the creation, sharing, and application of knowledge.