With so many seemingly urgent issues crowding in our already busy daily lives, is listening to the Earth or speaking for it something many of us have the luxury of doing? 

Start here: What are the Environmental Issues? 

Which of them affect you the most, or have the most impact upon you personally?

Next, try some of these approaches to reducing your carbon footprint.

Go outside. Camp, hike, bike, and spend time outdoors - in most cases* it benefits your health, gets you in touch with nature, and can give you perspective on the natural environment.

*unless the air quality is poor, or the area is toxic or contaminated

Get involved in activities already set in motion. 

Create or join a local Meetup group that supports conscientious activities.

Donate it, don't dump it. It's surprising what can be reused and re-purposed. Post it on online forums such as Craigslist, Freecycle, Offerup or Nextdoor, or take it to Goodwill.

Make your own compost.

Use the back side of a used piece of paper for grocery lists and notes.  

Line dry your clothes, at least the ones you won't be needing right away. 

Avoid fast fashion / cheap clothing.

Eat local, buy local. Eat Organic.

Visit your local planetarium. Sometimes, looking at what is beyond our world can stimulate wonder and awe, and can make us appreciate what's in our own backyard.

Let it mellow. If you only go number one when you're in the bathroom, resist the urge to flush. One flush

can use from 3 to 7 gallons of water, and most people flush up to 10 times a day. Replace old, larger bowl toilets with water-efficient varieties. 

Register to vote. Know your Congressperson and Senator. Be vocal. Be aware.

VOTE.

Plant a community garden to promote interconnection, empowerment and knowledge. Plant trees to cleanse the air. Plant flowers to support the local pollinators. 

Provide mason bee houses, bat houses and bird houses. 

Know your invasive species. They can be plants, animals, insects and even fungus. Extinction events are happening all over the world at an alarming rate, and invasive species are in part responsible. 

Educate, empower and establish compassion in children and young people. They are the future, and the habits and mindsets they  in their early years will have massive impacts on the world later on. 

Upgrade old windows in homes and structures to diminish heat loss and waste of energy.

Learn about SOLAR PANELS. Discover the many ways they can be utilized, at home, at work and on the move.

Educate yourself on energy efficient vehicles: Electric cars are still significantly powered by coal.

Change your lighting to the energy efficient variety. There are numerous options.

Buy rechargeable items that prevent disposable battery waste.

Turn off lights and unplug electric items when not in use. 

Support companies, businesses and corporations  that prove to be environmentally aware.

Support other Activists. There are thousands of worthy Environmentalists out there, but here is  a list of individuals making a difference on Earth. 

Protest. Stand up to wasteful practices, capitalist monopolies, corporate regimes and greedy government.

Rethink forestry. Learn the difference between select cutting and clear cutting. Investigate your local chapter at Forestry USA or internationally at Global Forest Watch  Prevent destructive and deadly wildfires with new conservancy laws and controlled burns.

Start your own grassroots movement : What is it you notice - what bothers you? Trash? Smog? Budget Cuts? Planned obsolescence? Act on it. Speak up. Every little bit helps. 

Examine and rethink the current methods of agriculture, which are the leading cause of dead zones, algae blooms and the release of carcinogenic chemicals in lakes, rivers and oceans. 

Be an educated consumer - select products that last, are built well, and produce less waste : Buy Me Once

Boycott the big corporations controlling food, altering the genetics of crops, dumping chemicals illegally and harming small organic farmers. A list of companies is available. 

Ride your bike to work, walk more, take public transportation. 

Recycle. If your town doesn't offer curbside recycling, find your local drop-off center. There may also be a local reuse center or scrap arts supplier in your area. 

Go vegan if you can, or eat less meat - animal agriculture has the second largest impact on the environment worldwide, next to CO2 emission. Visit Cowspiracy.com. Learn more about going vegan here.

Eat less fish - the fish and sea life populations in all oceans of the world are showing dramatic decline;

Read this National Geographic Article or visit The Washington Post.

Reduce our use of plastic and our production of waste : with most plastics becoming more difficult to recycle, see if a facility near you accepts plastics. Or visit this site

Consider Overpopulation. In a human world that is growing exponentially, sustainable systems, reuse of existing resources and clean energy are not just essential - such practices may determine our survival as a species. Consider adoption instead of children of your own. 

Learn about Ecoregions and their importance. There are almost 900 of these regions across the globe,

each with unique conditions and species. A shifting climate may see these regions negatively affected. 

Take shorter, cooler showers - avoid filling up the bathtub when bathing. 

Use products without harmful chemicals, dyes and additives (sites and links yet to come)

Reuse gray water - collect rain water for use in the garden. 

Be aware of where you buy your garden supplies. Home Depot and Lowes are 'phasing out' items developed with neonicotinoids; Home Depot claims to have done so 'by 2018', but Lowes will not remove the products entirely until 2019.  Neonicotinoids are chemicals proving deadly to pollinators, and may be part of  the Colony Collapse plaguing many bee communities.

Avoid malls and shopping centers for housewares and clothes; shop your local THRIFT store.

"71 percent of all commercial textiles and household goods now end up in landfills."

- Celeste Malvar, Designer - Masters in Textiles Technology

Shift our perception about having 'the latest and the greatest'. Don't support planned obsolescence. 

STAY POSITIVE - as discouraging as it can be to feel overwhelmed, and as depressing as some of the major issues may seem, optimism can go a long way. Apathy and indifference are catchy, but so is positive thinking.