World Environment Day
Friday 05 June
World Environment Day should be every day really... however this day specifically is for us all to focus on the importance of our planet's diverse environments. The message is simple, if you wish to care for your own health as well as the health of every other being and creature on this planet then we must become more aware and show more care for our environments.
In society these days, many of us lose touch with nature and the environment. What many of us don't realise or put much thought into, is what impacts our lifestyles and decisions have on the environment because we don't see the immediate effects. Just something like choosing a more sustainably sourced product can make a huge difference and if we all keep the environment in mind when we are making small decisions like these it will have a huge impact.
Some of the factors which effect our environment in a built up society (and how to reduce your footprint) include:
-What we eat: Reducing meat consumption and avoiding unsustainable palm oil products.
-Where our food comes from and how it is produced: buy locally from sustainable sources!
-The products we buy: Think about it... what impact does this product have on the environment? Do I really need it or is there a more sustainable alternative?
-The clothes we wear: As I am sure many of you know already these days most of our clothes are made from plastic or at-least contain some amount. This becomes a huge problem at their 'end of life' but also the production of the plastic, the oil that is mined etc. This year I challenge you to buy only preowned clothes or new clothes made from sustainable materials such as bamboo, organic cotton or hemp.
-The way we travel: Walk, bicycle, catch the train or bus to work or at least fill the seats of your vehicle each trip to multiply the efficiency. Looking at buying a new vehicle? Go electric! Planning your next holiday? Go somewhere local by ground transport etc. All these things have a huge impact on the environment.
-Electricity consumption: Is your household at the benchmark consumption? Set yourself and your family a goal/challenge to reduce your household consumption. Are you with a green energy electricity provider? This means your provider offsets your households consumption by investing your bill into green energy! Do you have solar panels installed? If you can afford it this is a great investment for you and the environment!
-Litter: What do you do if you see a piece of rubbish out on the street or littering the natural environment? You pick it up! It may not be your rubbish but its your planet, if everyone does this it could save many animals lives and reduce the chances of microplastics polluting the soil or water.
-Waste separation: Do you separate your rubbish at home? Make sure you know what goes in which bin as this is very important. Save up and take your soft plastics back to your local supermarket. Set up a home composting system for your garden to save your fresh produce going into landfill and producing methane for no purpose. If your local council provides you with a green bin, learn what you can and can't put in it and use it! The way we separate and process our waste has a huge impact on our environment.
-Financials: That's right your financials have a part to play on the health of our environment too! How you ask?
Well... Many banks and superannuation funds invest your money into the fossil fuels industry. Do some research and you will find that there are some options that will instead invest your money into renewable energy and other ethical practices. An example in Australia is: Bank Australia & Future Super
-Offset: The best way we can reduce our carbon footprint is to change our lifestyle, like some of the ideas suggested above in the previous points. You can start by changing one small thing at a time and you will hardly notice. We now also have the opportunity to offset our carbon footprint by simply paying a monthly subscription to have trees planted on your behalf! There are many organisations offering a service like this, here is the one I use Offset Earth and today only, to celebrate world environment day Offset Earth will plant 100 additional trees just for you to sign up!
-Social: All these things may not seem like they make a whole lot of difference but they really do! If we all start to make these small changes we will begin to create a much more sustainable future, one that cares for our environment like our lives depend on it! Literally. Once you start making these small changes, share it on your social media or simply bring it up in conversation with your friends, family and colleagues you will then be helping create the new 'normal' for society.
The year is 2020, the year where we seriously begin to take action on reversing global warming to preserve our natural environment as we know it before it is too late. This year marks the beginning of:
'The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed To Reverse Global Warming.' World Environment Day is not to be taken lightly this year so please share this article with your friends and family and post it on your social medias, because together we can make a huge difference!
Written by Joel Courtidis
If you would like to comment on this topic, please click here to go to our 'World Environment Day' Eco-Blog post.
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