There is no doubt that wherever you turn you are asked to recycle, reduce, and reuse for a sustainable environment. Each day reminds us that we only have one earth, and that today’s actions will impact future generations.
Below are two practical steps you can take to make your impact on this earth gentle and more sustainable:
Whether it is reducing plastic waste, buying locally manufactured goods, or considering your carbon footprint, we cannot go on business as usual. The Covid-19 pandemic showed us that we could do more with less, less travel to in-person business meetings, less wastage and less buying albeit forced at the time.
The immense waste we produce from consumption itself should be enough to pivot us into some form of change, for instance, plastic straws can take about 200 years to decompose, every time we use a plastic straw it is most likely to outlive us. The next time you are offered a plastic straw at a restaurant, opt-out or opt-in for a paper straw.
Minor habit changes can have a larger effect on the collective effort as humans. In the words of Margaret Mead “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
“Inscape is actively engaging with this by educating designers within the built environment industry who design interiors from a lens of sustainability through an environmental major introduced in the Bachelor of Design in Interior Design, tackling the concept of sustainable fashion in the reimagined Bachelor of Design specialising in Fashion Design and the Higher Certificate in Fashion Design,” said Esther Martins, Dean of the Built Environment Faculty at Inscape.
Biodiversity is more than just about fauna and flora, it is “promoting healthy conditions for organisms to thrive” (Yale Sustainability, 2022) how can we practically do this? The article suggests the following:
The above are just two ways in which you can start playing your part in preserving the earth and changing the trajectory from polluted and struggling to flourishing and thriving. See, you can save the world, one small change at a time. There are more ways to learn and teach. Happy World Environmental Health Day!