Bold School Lesson 9: Some say we broke the Earth. Let’s help fix it. ~ INFO IMAGES

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Approach life after 50 with curiosity and enthusiasm.

(Alla Dreyvitser/The Washington Post)

By Vicky Fogg

Bold School Lesson 9: Some say we broke the Earth. Let's help fix it.

Do young people get frosty with you about climate change? OK, boomer, guess what? The older we get, especially from 70 on, the more energy we use. It could be that older people don't maintain their residences as well, or don't use energy-efficient appliances. Whatever the reason, it is all the more incentive to look for bold ways to help the environment. And while our individual carbon footprints don't amount to much when compared to those of corporate giants, we can all do our part.

Post science reporter Sarah Kaplan explains it this way: "Individuals possess a form of power that governments and corporations don't: People can transform culture. They can reduce the demand for unsustainable products, and they can inspire those around them to take action. Change is the cumulative effect of many individuals opting for a different, better path."

A few years ago, my husband found his different, better path: He stopped eating meat. He learned about cows' enormous carbon footprint and, encouraged by a vegetarian daughter or two, quit meat "cold turkey." Kaplan writes that "individual dietary choices, when combined with more sustainable agriculture policy, can have a profound effect on the global climate outlook." I understand the argument, so I tearfully kissed bacon cheeseburgers goodbye.

Reducing the amount of meat you consume is just one way to make an impact. Another is to modify, reduce or completely avoid travel. And another is to produce less trash.

The zero-waste movement advocates buying furniture and clothing second-hand, avoiding single-use plastics and sending nothing to a landfill. I tried the zero-waste lifestyle for a few nanoseconds, but it was hard and felt strange. For one thing, I had to take my own containers to the grocery store to buy anything that usually comes in its own package, like oil or rice. It was nearly impossible to eat at a take-out restaurant: I brought my own container, but the food servers didn't want to use it.

The good news is there are promising innovations underway to recycle trash we produce. In the meantime, consumers can adopt a few of the simpler practices, such as:

Taking reusable bags to the grocery store and reusing plastic or zip-top bags
Using a handkerchief or rags instead of tissues and paper towels
Drinking tap water instead of bottled water
Refusing handout items such T-shirts, pens, flyers, food samples in single-use plastic cups, magnets and other freebies that inevitably become garbage
Using captured rainwater to water houseplants
Buying clothing and household items second-hand
Taking your own mug to the coffee shop
Learning how to recycle properly

It doesn't have to be a lifestyle overhaul: One of the most effective ways to save energy is to wash your clothes in cold water. Brian Sansoni of the American Cleaning Institute explains that "about 90 percent of the energy your washing machines use goes toward heating water. Just by switching to cold-water washing, your household could eliminate about 1,600 pounds of carbon dioxide a year." An added bonus? Clothing manufacturers suggest it's better for your clothing too, and helps it last longer.

And speaking of clothes: Did you know that it can take 2,700 liters of water to produce the cotton for one T-shirt? Another way to reduce our carbon footprint is to wear our clothing longer, and avoid buying fast fashion. Next to oil, the clothing and textile industry is the second-largest polluter in the world, according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development.

To cut down on packaging waste, you can make some everyday items, like toothpaste and mouthwash, tomato sauce and bread, yogurt and granola. We make batches of granola and mouthwash and keep then in mason jars and longneck bottles with a cork. We've even given those as gifts.

My hope is that the Bold School community can come up with a long list of things we can all do (or stop doing) to help out. If we put our many heads and years of experience together, we can do our part to help the environment.

Your assignment

Refuse to accept any free handout items for a month (you'll be amazed how often you will have to say "no thank you") and don't use paper towels for a week. Go meatless one day a week. For help in that regard, try one of food editor Joe Yonan's Weeknight Vegetarian recipes such as Ginger Turmeric Chickpeas With Roasted Cherry Tomatoes or Roasted Carrot and Cashew Soup. If you are inspired, sign up for our 12-week plant-forward cooking newsletter series.

Tell us

What are you doing to reduce your carbon footprint? Or, even simpler, what is your favorite meatless meal? Submit your response to be featured in Friday's newsletter here.