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Thinking about climate action and working towards global sustainability is something that always needs to involve everyone globally, no matter how old or young. As adults we are all responsible for our children’s future. Right now, their future is threatened by climate change. So we not only need to change our ways of living, but also educate our children. These changes need to be imminent but they do not have to be big changes and all at once. Step by step we can all change our habits so that our lifestyle is more sustainable. The only thing is, that a lot of us, probably all of us humans need to do this. All of us need to make little changes and start rethinking how we consume so if millions and billions of us do this, the little actions will be amplified and make a huge tide of difference. This is good news, because we CAN do this.
Why do we need to act right now?
I’ve mentioned it a few times on the blog, we have a very easily understandable tool to measure just how much do we consume globally. It’s called Earth Overshoot Day. Earth Overshoot Day is the point where scientists say we’ve used all the ecological resources the planet can produce in 12 months. But of course we can’t really say that humanity collectively achieved this, because Earth Overshoot Day is different for all countries: some have it later the in the year, some don’t reach it at all.
In 2020, the UK has reached it in mid May (even with the lockdown). The US has reached in mid March. This means, we consume 1.5 Earth every year, but… we only have one. So what is means is to reach sustainability is to bring the 1.5 down back to 1.
How can we reach sustainability globally?
Well, simply put it: we need to consume less. And as I said we adults, we must drive this change and educate our young people about the effects and the reasons why. Now luckily, there is a new program took off this year to help with this: The Anatomy of Action. It’s a global programme by the UNEP‘s One Planet Network and it aims to identify and build on opportunities to promote sustainable lifestyles for an effective and inclusive shift towards sustainability, doing so with a large and increasing network of partners from around the globe. Essentially it explores alternative models to do ‘more and better with less’. These models are all built on solutions to promote resource efficiency, less pollution and waste, together with more quality of life and well-being. Consume less, live more.
What is the Anatomy of Action?
The AoA separates lifestyles into 5 main domains:
- food
- stuff
- move
- money
- fun
It maps out top-priority actions individuals everywhere can take to reduce their carbon footprint based on scientific evidence and hopefully makes us rethinking how we consume. By making individual changes to what food we eat, the stuff we buy, how we spend our money, how we move around and what we do for fun, we can bring about new ways of living that have more positive planet impacts.
15 day social media Take Action Challenge
This is what I’m joining and hoping to help and spread the word. What we’d like to achieve is to show the next generation of consumers and change-makers – to that sustainable living is easy and it’s much more fun and fulfilling than the opposite. It also saves the planet. So let’s see what is all about:
Breaking it down to small, achievable actions what this all means is that by tackling these 5 areas of life and making changes for a more sustainable lifestyle and rethinking how we consume is simple and we can all do it.
Food
LESS MEAT – Reduce meat and animal product consumption habits and adopt a more plant-based diet
DON’T WASTE FOOD – Don’t let food go to landfills. Use what you have or compost: it improves soil fertility, and increase equitable access to fresh food
GROW YOUR OWN – Grow your own food and connect to where it comes from in order to save money and to reduce transport, packaging, and food waste
Stuff
BEYOND BUYING – Before buying ask yourself: do I really need this? Consider what you need and buy products that will last longer, be used multiple times, and are intended to be in use for as long as possible before being remanufactured or recycled
SAY NO TO FAST FASHION – Buy fewer and better clothes, stay away from fast fashion that mass produces at the cost of environmental and human justice
DITCH DISPOSABLES – Refuse everyday products which cannot be reused
Move
KEEP ACTIVE – Keep or take up walking and cycling to work and advocate for your government and local businesses to provide more sustainable and safer public transport options
SHARE YOUR RIDE – Continue or opt for public and shared transport instead of driving, and advocate for more options
GO CLEANER – Swap to options like electric vehicles, cleaner fuels, and fewer kilometres to reduce your transport footprint
Money
ETHICAL BANKING AND INVESTING – Use your principles to guide investing and consider socially and environmentally responsible options. This step makes a HUGE difference. Most big banks still invest in fossil fuels – but some are not. So find the ones that don’t and bank with them!
DIVESTMENT – Actively swap your financial institutions or services to more sustainable options
ENERGY POSITIVE HOMES – Enhance your comfort, save energy and money by adapting your home and your habits to be more efficient. Swap for a sustainable energy provider that uses renewable energy.
Fun
ENJOY THE JOURNEY – Staying local can reduce your carbon footprint, help local economies, and can be more cost effective. When you do go the distance, stay longer and choose better products
STAY CURIOUS – Embrace a life of constant learning, adventure, and curiosity, and keep an open mind
CHOOSE EXPERIENCES – Consider spending more time and resources on the experiences that add value to your life
So. will you join me and spread the word and start rethinking how we consume?