While many families and friends may choose not to discuss politics at the holiday dinner table, many others will see it come up anyway.
Below are some topics that may come up during your holiday meal with friends and family. We know this list isn’t exhaustive, but we hope it’s at least a good start to help you. Above all, we encourage you to stay patient, listen, and to continue to educate yourself (and your friends and family) on all these important issues.
We’ve seen a number of good “holiday discussion” guides come out this year, so we’d urge you to check those out as well. Here’s one from ThriveGlobal, here’s one from the American Psychological Association, and political commentator Sally Kohn made a great illustrated tip list on her Twitter feed!
RACISM, SEXISM, XENOPHOBIA, HOMOPHOBIA, AND TRANSPHOBIA
We completely agree that these are important conversations to have with friends and family. As we’ve stated before (and will continue to state), “We believe that all people deserve a healthy planet with clean air and water, a stable climate, and safe communities. That means all people deserve equal protection under the law. We all have the right to a life free of discrimination, hatred, and violence.”
We encourage you to seek out resources from The Task Force and Showing Up For Racial Justice.
CLIMATE DISRUPTION
Trump is the only major world leader who denies the science of climate disruption. His response to the recent terrifying climate report from the UN was more denial and conspiracy theories. We’re already seeing the effects of climate disruption both worldwide and here in the U.S. -- from massive hurricanes to devastating wildfires and drought. What used to be 100-year floods are now happening every year. The science shows that climate disruption is real and that we must take action!
COAL
Coal is not coming back, no matter how many times Trump tries to prop up the industry. Local grassroots community action has helped retire more than half of the remaining coal plants in the United States. Dirty coal plants are continuing to retire quickly under Trump, and the biggest single day of coal plants retiring occurred in 2018!
Meanwhile, clean energy is rapidly increasing -- wind and solar are the fastest-growing energy sectors because they’re cheaper than coal. Coal is too expensive and dirty, and many cities and companies are seeing that, so they’re investing in clean energy. Check out how many cities and countries across the U.S. are committing to 100% clean energy! The decline of coal has meant fewer cases of deadly asthma, less mercury poisoning in our food, and many healthier communities. Even if we could stop coal's decline, why would we want to go backward on public health?
DRILLING AND FRACKING
The oil industry’s drive for bigger profits is increasingly threatening our coasts and public lands. Although Trump and his cabinet picks may love the idea of more oil and gas drilling, people have made their voices loud and clear for years: We want more clean energy and less fracking and drilling. We will continue pushing against any expanded drilling or fracking off our coasts and on our public lands. More drilling and fracking equals more spills, more poisoned waterways, more air pollution, and more severe impacts on our climate. Instead, our country should lead the transition to clean, renewable energy by focusing on reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. We can do that by increasing mass transit, electric vehicles, and clean energy.
Above all, we encourage you to stay patient, listen, and to continue to educate yourself (and your friends and family) on all these important issues.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Phew, first we had Scott Pruitt and his scandals and rollbacks -- and now we have Andrew Wheeler! He’s following Pruitt and Trump’s lead on rolling back as many clean air, clean water, and climate protections as he can. He doesn’t seem to realize that the EPA is charged with protecting our air and water and setting standards that defend public health. We’re paying for fossil fuels with our health already. Coal pollution triggers asthma attacks -- especially in kids and senior citizens -- and can lead to other respiratory issues, too. We need the EPA to make sure the fossil fuel industry doesn’t prioritize profits over people.
PARKS AND PUBLIC LANDS
For many families and friends, a holiday visit will include some type of outdoor activity -- maybe even visiting a national park. It's worth noting for anyone who may not know, that the current administration is engaged in the largest attack on parks and public lands in our country's history. President Trump and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke continue to attack national monument protections and are putting into motion massive oil and gas lease sales on public lands and waters. It's important in the face of all this, that people stand strong for not only the preservation of public lands but also for everyone's ability to enjoy them.
I AGREE, BUT WHAT CAN WE DO?
Maybe some people at your dinner table are disheartened but don’t know where to start trying to help. We understand that -- things can seem pretty overwhelming right now. But together we can all take steps to fight back against those who want polluters to be in control. It’s pretty easy to start off by taking online actions. Or you can even take action with your phone by joining our texting team! From there you could try attending some local environmental group meetings. You’ll meet more like-minded people who will inspire you to act more (and with whom you can commiserate)!
NO POLITICS, JUST ACTION
If someone wants to stay out of the political arena for a bit, there's still plenty they can do to go green and make a difference. Sierra magazine’s lifestyle section includes tips and green crafts all the time. They even have a great Ask Mr. Green column where people can submit tough questions about various green issues -- such as whether plastic shopping bags can be recycled. Or maybe you’re great at raising funds for a good cause? Check out Team Sierra to see some awesome ways to raise money for the Sierra Club!