Letter from Flight Free USA cofounder, Ariella Granett
I helped launch Flight Free 2020, 2021, and 2022 in the US with the support of the incredible campaign leaders in Europe and local volunteers and friends. Our time to act on climate is running out so I frequently ask- how can I be most effective? There are so many important climate solutions to fight for it can be overwhelming knowing what to do - but it helps me to reflect on how I was sparked to be engaged in climate activism in the first place. My spark was my teenage son who came home from 7th grade science and told me that the world was ending unless we acted quickly. I was devastated to hear this from my child and only began to feel agency when I learned about and took ownership of my own carbon emissions. I found joy and relief in choosing a lower carbon lifestyle, which then emboldened me to share and talk about the climate emergency, which has further led me to demand system change.
There are frequent debates about the importance of individual action vs. system change. For me they are clearly two sides of the same coin. I wouldn’t be able to show up for one without the other.
Since my family gave up flying two and a half years ago to reduce our carbon footprint I have had a thousand conversations about climate change. I’ve gone on to help start www.stopOAKexpansion.org in opposition to my local airport expansion. Aviation is only one climate focus but I am equally interested in others so I follow many climate campaigns and participate in actions whenever I can- making phone calls, letter writing, and attending rallies. Keeping engaged keeps me hopeful.
More than ever, we need congress to go big and bold with climate policy in the Infrastructure Bill and Reconciliation Bill that are currently being held up by fossil fuel corporate interest politics. Biden is going to COP 26 in a week with little to show. Many incredible environmental justice groups are mounting pressure on our elected officials, and I hope you can participate in one of their campaigns at this pivotal moment. Here are some links: Citizen Climate Lobby, Sunrise, Build Back Fossil Free, Greenpeace USA, Call4Climate.
As for what’s new in 2022 I’m interested in continuing to raise awareness about greenwashing in the aviation industry, expose how Frequent Flier Programs are a profit center for airlines paid for by the general public which reward and incentivize climate harm, and rally a friendly Flight Free Pledge competition between States. Welcome Flight Free Vermont and California chapters!
I've chosen to not fly for the sake of the climate - I'm not waiting for climate policy to tell me this or tax me for it. Many of us are already embracing the cultural shift that needs to happen to transition off of fossil fuels and we have good stories to share in the Flight Free 2022 gallery. Please join us at www.flightfree.org and pledge to fly less this year for the sake of the climate, together we can change the norm!