There are individual-level actions that my family is doing that feel like I'm doing something. We got solar panels, we took out our gas stove, we don't eat meat, I show up at city meetings and say how important it is that we pivot to a "climate first" way of thinking. I saved 15 baby trees to give away (12 of them survived the summer!). I try to remember my reusable bags at the store, and I take my plastic ones to re-use at the farmers' market.

These feel like grains of sand against the mountains of carbon going into our atmosphere.

Are they necessary? Yes, absolutely. Every pound of CO2 that doesn't go into the atmosphere matters. Every drop of unpolluted water matters. Every watt we can get that doesn't burn coal matters. But how can we continue to have hope in the face of such enormous climate problems? Who cares that we don't drive much in our electric car when there's bumper to bumper traffic on I-26 (and around the world)? I've been struggling with how insufficient these individual actions are. How can it be worth continuing to try to do the right thing? Do I really need to search my soul before deciding whether I should get on an airplane? How about whether to order some new clothes?

Having kids is a blessing in that, they keep me from giving up and giving in. I am by no means perfect; I did order some clothes, there are airline tickets I want to get once COVID is less prevalent or my family is better protected against it, and there are a thousand things I probably don't even realize I'm doing that's hurting the environment. But my kids remind me that there's a reason I do that soul searching and most of our family trips will be taken by car or train.

My kids have also convinced me that I need to go beyond these "necessary and insufficient" individual actions. While I remain convinced that these actions are important, and would encourage anyone who can to take them, we can't simply optimize our current lives to make a real difference. We need to take systemic and collective action. I'm starting to figure out how to take A Year of Trees from idea to actuality. The frustrating thing is, it's not all in my control. It requires coalition building, time, patience, and meetings. I never took a class on how to do community organizing and convince a city that an idea is important and deserves funding. I don't have a roadmap. I am going to be depending on the people I know who understand how things in the city take place, which is, frankly, uncomfortable. I will be bumbling my way through it, and will hopefully learn how to do this kind of thing better in the future.

There's also the uncertainty of, is this the right cause to champion? Should I be investing my time in advocating for more and better public transit? Against highway expansion? Expanding solar panel access? Safer biking corridors? I've decided that the right place to start is somewhere, rather than spending all my time trying to optimize for the most effective thing. Hopefully, by getting active, I may help inspire someone else to take up a cause close to their heart. I hope to become attuned to the other projects and initiatives that are taking place, and give them my support.

The next question is, is taking this kind of collective action also insufficient? Let's say we plant 10,000 trees. That doesn't negate the tons of greenhouse gasses being put into the atmosphere still. However, it does give me more hope. Rather than just my household getting solar panels or electing to eat vegetarian in private, it helps raise the importance of doing something about climate change. It has the potential to show that a city and communities can come together to complete an ambitious goal. And, I will learn more about how to organize and take the next action to mitigate the climate crisis. I know the work will at times be uncomfortable, tedious, and frustrating, but the impact it could have would be beautiful, and lead to greater things in the future. So, onward, to a hopefully brighter and greener 2022 and beyond.