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A Revelation in the Smoky Haze

“Oh my God. What have we done, we humans?”

That’s what I silently asked myself as the hazy, smoke-filled horizon offered up just a faint outline of the mountains… a normally gorgeous view of the Rocky Mountain Region.

I had been so excited for my teenagers to see - for the first time - the wide-open expanse of what is the magical landscape of Utah, while we were on a road trip in our electric car, coming home from the Western Colorado Rocky Mountains - through Utah - to San Diego last week.

With its rock formations normally bathed in an array of golds, reds and tans, I wanted so dearly to hear what they had to say about the awesome view of the castle-like peaks and the deep, grand canyons of this majestic region.

Sadly, as soon as we set out on our way, it was obvious they would not be able to experience this spectacular grandeur.

At that moment, on what was supposed to be a memory-making ride through the stunning landscape, I felt overwhelmed by the scope of the devastating fires afflicting the region… and climate change in general.

Even more overwhelming, it’s not just that scenic route that was affected. Currently, it’s only the middle of July and the Northwest is experiencing record heat, with nearly 70 large fires burning in 12 states and reports that “thick density smoke” covers Southern California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and West Texas… affecting tens of millions of people.

It’s obvious, the impacts of climate change are everywhere. Everywhere.

The next thought that came to mind was how to discuss this with my kids? The reality is there, but I didn’t want to totally ruin the moment. This is supposed to be a fun-filled trip.

So, I decided to stick to the positives… count our blessings. We’re in an electric car… so we’re trying to do our small part. And happily, so are many others. When we pulled into an EV charging station, I said, “Kids, look at all the people also charging their electric cars? Isn’t this great?” There were dozens of cars charging. I felt I was amongst kindred spirits!

It’s wonderful to be around others who are concerned about the environment… trying to do something to help reverse climate change.

People are doing whatever they can. Some are eating less meat. Reducing the length of their showers. Cutting back on airplane flights. Every little bit helps.

But, there’s something else that’s even easier than those… with more impact. Actually, 27 times the impact. Yes, TWENTY SEVEN times the impact to help create a cleaner and greener tomorrow.

And it’s something we all do… every day… banking! Yes, the way we bank can make a huge difference… 27 times the impact of other environmental actions like installing solar power panels, showering for a shorter time or going vegan.

Banking with Ando means that all your hard-earned money will only be invested in clean, green technologies for a sustainable future, as opposed to those old-timer big banks that finance industries that negatively impact the environment, like oil and gas.

And by banking with Ando, you now have a superpower in your wallet and on your phone. You can help reduce climate change with every deposit and every purchase.

You can rest assured — and be empowered — that by banking with Ando, you have a much greater impact on climate change than all means of conservation combined.

When banking with Ando, every dollar we put in our accounts is used to build a sustainable world… one without record-breaking temperatures, crazy forest fires and smoky pollution blanketing the many places we know are breathtakingly beautiful, full of majestic wildlife and home to people we care about.

When climate change seems out of control, take heart because you + Ando = a superpower building a better world.