WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2022
#OnlyOneEarth | 5 June 2022
For World Environment Day 2022, the United Nations have developed "A Practical Guide to living sustainably in harmony with nature".
From the guide, I share with you here the importance of the crisis, and what we can all do as individuals to help.
"Climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste - evidence that Earth is "code red" is all around us and growing more ominous every day. At the same time, billions of people are short on income, food, shelter, health care and education. Energy and food crises on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic and a spike in conflicts around the world are further causes for concern.
The way out of this dilemma is to transform our economies and societies to make them inclusive, fair and more connected with nature. We must shift from harming the planet to healing it. We must protect what we have and bring back what we lost to advance to a better, more sustainable future, where everyone can thrive."
Raising our voices, and making sustainable choices
Individual choices taken together have the power to reshape local and national economies towards transformative change.
- Finance
- Investing - Check your banks to see what they are doing about the future. Swap your investments away from companies that are implicated in deforestation, water pollution, fossil fuels
- Energy - Simple habits like turning lights and electronics off when not in use, or adding a layer before reaching for the thermostat all make change. Insulate your homes and push for insulation in the workplace. This will reduce emissions and save you money too
- Food
- Balance - Enjoying a balanced diet means you'll get a variety of nutrients from various resources, and not just one source which could be dependent on natural resources to produce
- Seasonal & Local - Eating local and in-season produce reduces emissions in transportation, and mean more tasty fresh ripe produce for you
- Reduce waste - Only buy what you need, and use it all up. Get recipe ideas online to use up leftover produce, or freeze what you can to use at a later date
- Grow - Growing your own produce reduces transport, packaging, and waste. You appreciate the growth as you nurture, and it can also be a relaxing rewarding hobby that improves your mental well-being
- Stuff
- Need - buy what you need, don't buy so many things that you don't actually use and will go to waste
- Natural - Choose products that support local ecosystems and local communities
- Quality - Buy quality made items, or that can be recycled or repurposed. Or buy second-hand
- No disposables - Refuse bags and disposable cutlery; carry your own set with you
- Moving
- Walking - Choose to walk or cycle those short distances. It’s easy to get into a habit of jumping in the car to the local shop
- Share - can you share your ride with others going to the same place rather than take separate cars? Can you take public transports such as buses or trains that are going there anyway?
- Holidays - do you have to take a flight somewhere - could you explore your local area further, or travel and explore your country by train or bus or bike. You’ll get a much more scenic route too
- Fun
- Enjoyment - Be present and enjoy what you are doing. If you going on a long distance holiday, move slowly and absorb it all in rather than rushing around just to tick boxes. You can stay longer and do these long distances less often.
- Nature - learn about flowers and farms, and how they can help heal. Spend time to learn and nurture and see how much it does for us. You can also visit organic farms
- Experiences - spend time together with loved ones doing things where you can all learn something new together without leaving a heavy footprint. Whether its a local volunteering group, cultural event or a team sport, have fun together
Most importantly, Stay Curious! - Embrace learning and stay open to all opinions and all choices. We have to make choices that suit our individual lifestyles, and not just because we feel pressured to keep up with others.
Use your voice to open up discussions, and advocate for change. Join existing campaigns that have a particular interest to you. Get involved and spread the knowledge!
We highly recommend you take a look at the guide for further information and specific links for further reading. It can be found via this link: https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/40017/WED2022.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y
Every bit you do for the environment helps. Let's all help together!
World Environment Day 2022