Opinion: DL woman on road trip around U.S. finds people are no longer turned off by climate action

I’ve been on a year-long road trip around the United States shooting video about inspiring people and communities driving change for our planet.

I started from Detroit Lakes and will be ending in Detroit Lakes at the end of December.

It’s called, “What Fuels You? An Electric Road Trip” and was inspired after attending an electric vehicle demonstration in town put on by our local Izaak Walton League Prairie Woods Chapter and West Central Climate Action.

I’m driving a Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid EV and pulling a custom-built tiny house on my journey. It’s been a ton of fun, and I’m looking forward to sharing my trip with my hometown when I get back.

I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is that when I began this venture, I felt I needed to tap dance around “climate action,” not wanting to turn anyone off.

That didn’t turn out to be the case. Many people are opening up to talking about it now, especially after our crazy, in-your-face summer with smoky skies from wildfires, low lakes, and drying up rivers.

I’m hoping we all make the connection between climate change and what it’s doing to our lovely Minnesota, not to mention the rest of the U.S. and world.

I think one of the most exciting things for climate action is the possibility of putting a price on carbon in the budget reconciliation process in Congress right now.

A carbon tax becomes affordable when the money collected from fossil fuel companies is given as a dividend, or “carbon cash back” payment, to each of us to spend with no restrictions. This protects low-and-middle-income residents who otherwise might not be able to afford the transition to clean energy.

Ultimately, it is the hope that companies will find alternative, cleaner ways of doing business which is a win for clean air, clean water and healthier communities like ours.

If you’re up for it, you can mail the Biden Administration before the end of October at cclusa.org/white-house and encourage carbon pricing.

I’ll be back to Detroit Lakes at the end of December with my PHEV. As electric vehicle prices fall and charging infrastructure rises, we’re going to see more and more people on the roads driving EVs. Exciting! It’s one of the big ways we can take climate action in how we drive. It was fun to use the new charging station in Detroit Lakes this past summer!

If you’d like to follow the last couple months of my road trip, search for “What Fuels You USA” on Facebook and Instagram!