By Leslie Lee
October 24 marks the International Day of Climate Action, a moment to reflect on the urgent need for collective efforts to address the global climate crisis. While there isn’t one single global theme for 2025, many organizations have aligned around “Our Power, Our Planet”—a call to accelerate the transition to clean, renewable energy and protect the ecosystems that sustain us.
At its core, this theme highlights three key ideas:
-
Collective Strength: Each of us has the power to influence change.
-
Renewable Energy: A global goal to triple clean electricity generation by 2030.
-
Climate Action: A shared commitment to tackling climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.
While plastic pollution remains one of the most visible symptoms of environmental harm, it is also one of the most solvable. Each year, an estimated 11 million tons of plastic waste enter aquatic ecosystems, threatening wildlife, water quality, and human health. Microplastics are now found in soil, air, and even our food. The good news is that solutions—such as refusing single-use plastics, choosing reusable products, improving recycling systems, and holding producers accountable—are within reach.
But plastic is only part of the larger picture. The climate crisis encompasses three interconnected challenges: climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Together, they form what the UN calls the “triple planetary crisis.” Addressing one helps address the others. Reducing waste, restoring natural habitats, and conserving open spaces all strengthen nature’s ability to absorb carbon and build resilience to extreme weather.
That’s where regional land trusts like Douglas Land Conservancy (DLC) come into the picture. By permanently protecting open spaces, wildlife corridors, and agricultural lands, DLC helps buffer communities from the impacts of climate change—preserving water quality, storing carbon in healthy soils and vegetation, and ensuring that local ecosystems can continue to thrive.
Climate action doesn’t have to happen only on the global stage. It begins right here at home. Whether through energy conservation, waste reduction, native habitat restoration, or supporting local land protection, every step strengthens our shared future.
This International Day of Climate Action, we invite you to:
-
Reduce: Reevaluate your use of single-use plastics and disposable items.
-
Restore: Volunteer for local conservation or clean-up efforts.
-
Protect: Support land conservation initiatives that safeguard the open spaces we all depend on. Volunteer, donate, whatever resources you have to help, we encourage you to use them!
Together, we have the power—and the responsibility—to care for our planet. By protecting the lands we love and reducing our environmental footprint, we can ensure that future generations inherit a world that is both resilient and alive.
photo: Brad Anderson