Tomorrow is Earth Day, designated to raises awareness of the climate crisis and encourage people all over the world to take action. One expert at the George Washington University says we can often feel powerless in our fight against climate change, but there are so many small, simple things we can do – individually or together – to address the climate emergency.
Sabrina McCormick is the co-director of the GW Climate & Health Institute and an associate professor of environmental and occupational health. McCormick has studied how well cities are preparing for climate change and extreme weather events. She was a scientific producer for the Emmy Award winning Documentary Series for Showtime on climate change, Years of Living Dangerously. In 2020, McCormick and her colleagues launched the Climate Media Lab, a project aimed at motivating action on climate change.
McCormick says getting involved in addressing climate change is as easy as taking small, simple steps at home.
“I think when it comes to making any changes in life, we should start with very easy first steps so we know we can do something. One of the biggest things and one of the most important things is to simply change the source of your energy in your household. It’s super simple. People have not been well educated about this, unfortunately.”
“Most utilities across the United States now allow you to select renewable energy sources as your source of energy and it used to be more expensive, but it’s not anymore. It’s basically the same price in every state, some states it’s even cheaper. You can go to your utility website – it’s generally pretty easy but if not, you can call their 1-800 number – and select renewable energy and this is voting with your pocket book for a renewable future.”
WATCH: McCormick can also address the public health impacts of climate change and the urgency needed to address the climate crisis. Hear from McCormick in this video below.
If you’d like to speak with Prof. McCormick, please contact GW Media Relations Specialist Cate Douglass at [email protected].
-GW-
