Climate Change & You

What Can We DO?

Earth's climate is changing and there are already impacts to us here in Milwaukee and Wisconsin. But there are also things we can do because we know this.

Your work this summer is part of a larger strategy.

Green stormwater infrastructure helps manage rainwater on site. When we have storms, this helps reduce risk of floods and wet basements. Keeping green infrastructure like bioswales and rain gardens clean and well tended is important work that collectively contributes to our whole society’s resilience.

Planting trees adds shade and reduces urban heat island. So, taking care of those trees through watering, pruning, and other actions is important.

Promoting activities and modes of behavior that minimize energy consumption — like walking or biking or taking the bus versus driving is another choice that you and we all face in daily decisions as well as societal policies. Supporting systems (through our actions, choices, and what we pay money for) that use less or eliminate single-use plastic is another lever that makes a difference because plastic is also a product of fossil fuels.

Learning about the interconnections and jobs and career pathways that make a difference is also a real part of the solution — so that whatever you end up doing with your life helps more than hurts everyone else. Learning about what people are doing right here in Milwaukee is also an important step. We are part of making change. We learn not only to learn but to do.

Climate change is not an isolated challenge. The planet is undergoing a biodiversity crisis due to human impacts, and we have both a responsibility and amazing opportunity to better understand this living planet we share with so many other forms of life. We are not alone. You are not alone, either.