Milky Change A band's systemic change towards a better future.

Just like everyone in the music industry, we are still working out how to respond to our entire world changing so rapidly around us during these last couple of weeks. These are strange times indeed and the fight against the Covid crisis is right to be a priority at the moment. Nevertheless, it isn’t the only crisis that needs to be tackled and the climate crisis can’t go into lockdown. So, if you are enjoying the privilege of being able to self-isolate in your home with a functioning internet connection, this might be a good time to take climate action online. Here are 5 ways how...

1. Keep up the conversation.

Even during lockdowns, people all over the world have continued to make a mark for climate justice, showing their commitment to the FFF cause by striking online. “We will stay inside but we won’t stay silent.” says one of many #climatestrikeonline signs posted to social media platforms on Fridays. We might not be able to take to the streets striking side by side but nevertheless, striking indoors with a sign and hashtag still counts. The science is clear on both coronavirus and the climate crisis: we need to act now in order to save our own health and that of our planet. Keep up the conversation and protest online together with us and millions of other people: Create your climate strike sign, take a snapshot and post it to social media. It’s as easy as that. #digitalstrike #climatestrikeonline #fighteverycrisis 

2. Embrace change.

Signing a petition or donating to a good cause is another way of supporting our planet online. This slactivism - refering to a form of activism that doesn’t require much time or effort - is an early-stage political tactic that helps build a broader campaign and is a good first step to bring public attention to an issue. A healthy amount of scepticism is advised before putting your signature under anything though, so make sure you trust the organization and only sign sensible petitions with a realistic target. I can recommend checking out the Fridays for Future actions section. 

3. Make the switch.

A huge part of the music industry's carbon footprint comes from electricity usage. Powering a live show, let alone a whole festival uses up loads of kWh’s, so switching to eco-friendly renewable energy is one of the easiest ways to decrease the environmental impact. Got a little extra time on your hands right now? Why not use it to switch your energy provider towards an eco-friendly one. There's lots of websites that rank energy companies based upon their usage of renewable sources (example for the UK market).
And while you’re at it, why not email your local concert venue demanding they do the switch to clean power as well?! 

4. Let (your) money talk.

What’s true for energy providers, applies to your bank as well. Switching to a bank that doesn’t fund shady businesses like the fossil fuel industry might be the single biggest thing you can do to lower your impact on the environment. There's plenty of helpful tools to find out how sustainable your current bank is. I can recommend checking out the earthdayswitch.org site to get a first idea.

5. Get rid of dead freight.

Got a full inbox, overflowing with spam, unwanted newsletters and emails from years ago? Well maybe now is a good time to do a digital cleanup! Trust me, it’ll feel good to get rid of dead freight and in the meantime, it’s also good for the environment.Old junk on your devices uses up storage space, which then again uses up energy. Did you know that every spam email, even unopened, releases an estimated 0.3grams of CO2 into the atmosphere? Let’s start cleaning up.

psssst… next week I will announce our upcoming Milky Change project!
So tune back in on Monday to find out how you can help us contribute to protecting our climate and boost up that tree number.