Environment
My Plan
+ Create a Humanity and Environmental Impact Rating (HEIR)
Implement a Humanity and Environmental Impact Rating (HEIR) on all products sold or manufactured in the United States. The HEIR would provide consumers information on two points:
1) The degree to which humanitarian standards were adhered to in the production of the product. Was child labor involved? Was a living wage paid to the workers? Was a safe working environment provided?
2) The impact of the manufacture of the product on the environment. What types of waste were produced? Were single use plastics produced? Were environmentally responsible methods used to harvest, mine or produce components used?
+ Create a Fee for High HEIR Producers
Impose a tax on American products and a tariff on imported products that have an unacceptably high HEIR. This creates market pressures for the production of responsible, sustainable goods globally.
+ Reenter the Paris Climate Accord
Immediately rejoin the Paris Climate Accord.
+ Economic Transition to Renewable Energy
Transition all subsidies, research money, and tax incentives given to fossil fuels to renewable energy.
+ Improve Fuel Efficiency
Require all new passenger vehicles to get 45 mpg by 2025.
+ Invest in Research and Development
Invest in infrastructure for renewable energy to be used in all public transportation.
Invest in research to develop biodegradable products to replace plastics.
+ Run a Low-Waste Campaign
To ensure my campaign is not wasting any natural resources or polluting our local environment, I plan not to clutter your door or yard with paper literature. This means my campaign will focus on phonebanking and block walking whenever possible.
More Background
It is undeniable that the 7.5 billion people on earth today are having an impact on the environment and adding to the unprecedented high level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causing a global climate change. In addition to global climate change, we are also burying ourselves in plastic. We must significantly reduce our dependence on plastic. Pointing at other countries that are worse offenders than we is no excuse for not doing better; we are the greatest nation on earth, and we should always be leaders in doing what is right. We owe it to ourselves, our children, and all future generations to do our best to protect and care for the earth we live on. To accomplish this, we need to concentrate on passing legislation to support the Green New Deal.
