If you care about the air you breathe, the water you drink, stopping climate change, and reducing your family’s exposure to toxic chemicals, it is absolutely essential that you vote in the 2020 election. But with Coronavirus raging, the U.S. Postal Service under assault, and record turnout expected, many of us wonder what is the best way to vote in 2020 so we also stay safe and make sure our vote counts.

The absolute best way to vote in 2020 is actually pretty simple for most of us:

BEST WAY TO VOTE IN 2020? VOTE EARLY

Here’s how:

REGISTER: Make sure you’re registered to vote. Use this site to check your registration status if you’re unsure or need to register. In most states, it is quick and easy to register.

PLAN: Vote early in person, or vote at home using an absentee ballot. Find out how to vote early in your state here.

IF VOTING EARLY IN PERSON: Find out when your state’s polls open and pick a day to vote. Several states have already begun in-person early voting. Others will open in October. Choose your day and time. Probably mid-day during the week when others are working or homeschooling would mean fewer crowds.

IF ABSENTEE VOTING AT HOME: Request an absentee ballot NOW. Each state decides for itself how it handles absentee ballots. You can find out how to do it in your state here. This map shows early voting options state-by-state.

DROP YOUR BALLOT IN AN OFFICIAL BALLOT BOX: If possible, vote early and put your ballot in an official ballot box. You can also mail in your ballot. If you choose to mail it, mail it as soon as possible.

Why is Voting Early the Best Way to Vote in 2020?

Beat the Crowds. Presidential elections are always big events. But this year, so much is at stake, voter turnout is expected to be particularly high. Voting early will help you beat the crowds but also help state elections boards handle the huge influx of votes they expect.

Avoid Coronavirus. Voting early also could help you avoid exposure to the Coronavirus. Especially if you vote at home and then drop your ballot off at an official drop box, you will minimize your contact with other voters and limit your chances of getting COVID-19.

Help the Post Office. If you decide to mail in your ballot, voting early gives the U.S. Postal Service more time to deliver your ballot (though the USPS says it is fully committed to delivering all ballots in a timely way).

Inspire Others. Once you vote early, you can turn your attention to helping others vote. Use your social media to share links to websites in your state that help you register, get your ballot, or vote early in person.

How to Stay Safe If You Vote in Person

If you decide to vote in person, wear a mask and use hand sanitizer.

Don’t Miss:

6 Best Non-Toxic Hand Sanitizers That Kill Coronavirus

5 Plastic-Free Reusable Cotton Face Masks To Outlast Coronavirus

Stand 6 feet away from the person in front of you and behind you.

Know if advance who you plan to vote for, so when you get to the ballot box, your can quickly make your selections and leave. You can find out what’s on your ballot here.

Do not linger at the polls and around crowds of other voters. Minimize contact with other voters.

Vote For Candidates Who Support Protecting the Environment and Our Health – But Not Third Party Candidates!

No matter when you vote, choose candidates for every office – president, governor, Senator, Representative, mayor, local statehouse office holders – who are committed to protecting the environment, stopping climate change, and safeguarding our health.

Don’t miss this “open letter” to voters who might be inclined to vote for the Green Party, the Libertarian Party, or other third party candidates. This is not the year to cast a “symbolic” vote. Too much is at stake!

How Do You Plan to Vote in 2020? Please go to the Big Green Purse Facebook page and share your plan!

The post Here Is The Absolute Best Way to Vote in 2020 appeared first on Big Green Purse.

When it comes to protecting the environment and promoting a clean renewable energy future, where do Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump stand? Yale Environment 360* pulled together this very useful comparison, which shows a sharp divide between the two candidates, especially when it comes to climate change, renewable energy, and the value placed on scientific research.

Please share this post on your social media! As the comparison shows, the progress we’ve made in curtailing climate change, protecting the air we breathe, and increasing our access to solar and wind power is at stake in this election! Just use our social media share buttons above, or cut and paste this link to send out. Thank you.

* Reprinted with permission from Yale Environment 360.

The post Clinton, Trump, the Environment: Where Do They Stand? appeared first on Big Green Purse.

I’m in neither camp.

Though I still canvas, and phone bank, and vote for candidates I support, I’ve come to terms with the limitations our political system imposes on any candidate who is “lucky” enough to be elected. The reality is, we live in a polarized world run by people who are convinced that creating more polarization is more important than creating civil society or protecting the planet. Yes, it would be grand if our political leaders could collaborate and compromise, not in the name of power, but in the name of the people. But is that going to happen? As we have been reminded, ironically, ever since the last major “candidate for change” was elected two years ago — and repudiated yesterday — not any time soon.

Nevertheless, we are not helpless. If anything, yesterday’s elections have reinforced how important it is for you and me to continue to make meaningful changes that offer direct and measurable benefits. I’m talking about turning off our own lights, or insulating our own homes, or buying products that save energy or contain no toxic chemicals, actions which may seem insignificant, but are not.

Can we make a difference, even if our elected officials don’t?

In a 2009 interview with National Public Radio, Harvard University Professor Michael Vanderbergh reported that the individual actions we take, like weatherizing our houses, changing the way we drive, moderating thermostat settings, and focusing purchasing on the greenest products available, can significantly help reduce climate change.

The co-author of “Household Actions Can Provide a Behavioral Wedge to Rapidly Reduce U.S. Carbon Emissions,” Prof. Vanderbergh noted, “Household behavior in the U.S. makes up about eight percent of the world share of greenhouse gas emissions. It’s larger than any country other than China. We estimate that [consumer behavior changes] could reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 123 million metric tons or seven percent within 10 years…That’s equivalent to the total emissions of France. It’s also equivalent to the emissions of the petroleum refining, iron and steel and aluminum industries combined.

“One of the largest problems we face is getting over the presumption … that individual behavior or household behavior doesn’t matter. But when you aggregate it across 300 million individuals and 100 million households, it has a very large impact on total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.”

In other words, whether politicians take action or not, what we do matters, and in a big way.

Don’t get me wrong. I would love to see Congress pass sweeping climate change legislation and the Safe Kids Act while building more mass transit systems and transferring agricultural subsidies to organic farmers rather than those who douse their fields with pesticides.  And I’ll continue to lobby my Congressional Representative and Senators to tow those lines.

But  on a grand scale? If significant legislative achievements didn’t happen when a sympathetic political party controlled both houses of Congress and the White House, they’re sure not going to happen now.

I’m going to keep doing the things I can do because I know they make a difference to me, my family, and my community.

I hope you will, too.

The post Politics Shmolitics. You Can Still Make a Difference Based on How You Live and What You Buy. appeared first on Big Green Purse.