My name is REDACTED
As a young adult I learned about the many social and environmental problems facing our world today. This knowledge disturbed me greatly, and I became determined to do something about it. In 2011 and 2012 I attempted to cycle across Canada, failing both times. This Earth Day, April 22 2016, I've decided to walk across Canada for peace. I am beginning at Mile Zero in Victoria and ending at the UN headquarters in New York. I am departing April 21st at 10am. This journey will be very difficult for me, as I have collapsed arches, shin splints and a knee injury. However I am determined to make it.
The goal of this walk is to rally support for an Earth Year on 2018, in which we will enact a simple five year plan. What is Earth Year? Earth Year is an idea that we should have not an Earth Hour, or an Earth Day, but an Earth Year, a year to solve our social and environmental problems on earth.
1: Reduce military expenditures by 16% a year for 5 years globally, to achieve an 80% reduction by 2023.
2: Release non-violent criminals and drug users from jail within 1 year.
3: Achieve a 16% greenhouse gas reduction per year for 5 years. That's a 80% cut by 2023.
4: Adoption of a more vegetarian diet, for example seafood once a week.
5: Begin techniques to cool the earth and restore the Arctic sea ice.
6: Begin carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere.
7: Deploy methane control measures.
8: End pollution.
9: End overfishing.
10: End deforestation.
11: End erosion.
12: End poverty.
13: End violence in relationships.
14: End Aboriginal segregation.
15: Decriminalize all drugs.
16: Education and contraception for all
17: Peace among the religions.
If you are not yet convinced of the need to act now on climate, see An Essay On Climate Change. If you are still not convinced, see climate books quotes.
If you would like to help, please sign the Pledge To Mobilize, and join 350.org. If you would like to help rally for an Earth Year, consider printing an Earth Year decal for your car's back window. Or if you prefer, a bumper sticker.
The exponential function: If each person that reads this letter shares it with just two other people, and asks them to do the same, within thirty-three passes all seven billion people will be aware of the need to act now. So go ahead, share this letter, and ask your friends to do the same!
Sincerely, REDACTED.
Note: I am entirely self funded. I will not be accepting any donations for the cause of Earth Year. However, if you would like to donate, consider the Victoria Women's Transition Home, a society dedicated to helping women escaping domestic violence. If you would like to know what you can do, see here. If you would like to follow me on my walk, see here.
A complete repost of this letter can be found at http://www.earthyear.ca.
