when you wake up in the morning, what is the first thing that you think of?  the errands you have to run; a report that is due at work; who is going to pick up the kids of soccer, etc.  it might be how you’ll pay the mortgage this month or what you are going to cook for dinner.  the small parts of your day-to-day life are what occupy your mind the most. the impact of climate change is low on everyone’s list.

but it doesn’t have to be.

there are tons of little things we can do in our day-to-day lives that help fight against the human impact of climate change.  it takes a little knowledge and some curiosity.

we wanted to see what the average person focuses the most on during their day and see if they have any curiosity about what they can do to help the environment.  we went to washington dc’s historic h street corridor, a diverse and rapidly changing area of the washington dc area, in order to find out what matters most to people. 

what we found out is that just asking the question can get people thinking.  it’s a small step that can lead to conversation and eventually, action in our daily lives.

gabe salkin and mel mcintire are seniors majoring in journalism and mass communication at the george washington university.