from PAULA DiPERNA

You Ask: What Can I Do?

Well, Here’s What

To the Editor:

I am often asked by people “what can we do?” about this or that, so I’ve begun a personal program called “Resist, Reject, Rebel.”

Below is a list of simple acts we can all undertake that would ameliorate an assortment of problems we face as a society.

1) Plastics in the ocean: Reject all drinks with a plastic straw. Send back the straw and ask the
restaurant to stop using them.

2) Racial divide: Stop shopping in stores that have all-white mannequins in the window, which is most. All-white mannequins insult people of color, since a shop window not only shows you what’s inside, but who is welcome. In nature, only diversity is stable and is a source of all of nature’s vivacious energy. Ask the store manager to use mixed color mannequins.

3) Climate change and energy waste: Delete all unneeded photos and other digital messages. Anything on your computer is using energy, even if obsolete. Data centers are huge consumers of energy, as well as water, and the internet is one of the fastest growing sources of energy use in the world.

4) Local economy:  Buy local and shop local whenever possible.

5) Politics: Re-read the Constitution and review our democracy’s system of checks and balances. Attend local meetings on issues you care about.

PAULA DiPERNA
Cooperstown