Hi everyone!
Following Global Recycling day last Thursday, I thought it was a good opportunity to talk about one of the most pressing challenges our generation faces. Climate change.
Every year, the people of Planet Earth produce 2.1B metric tons of solid waste. Which 16% of that is recycled, saving 700M metric tons of CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere.
Unfortunately, 46% of that trash, enough to completely fill 368,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools, is disposed of unsustainably - meaning landfilled, incinerated, and littered or illegally dumped in the environment.
The primary purposes of deforestation and plastic production is to create new resources. If we become better at re-using and repurposing the resources we already have, we could make a huge difference to the climate emergency.
Climate change is not yet irreversible, but we’re at a tipping point. With Australia on fire, much of Britain underwater, and scientists warning of severe climate events for decades to come, it’s time to take direct action against our climate emergency.
We risk denying present and future generations the right to a healthy and sustainable planet. That is why we thought it was so important to create a book on this pressing matter.
‘No place like home’ aims to teach children about environmental issues and how they are affecting the world today. In a simplified, easy to understand way, we strive to educate the future generation in the hope of changing the world for the better!
The theme of Global Recycling Day 2021 was ‘Recycling Heroes’ - recognising outstanding individual contributions in recycling and environmental progress, even during unprecedented times.
Sir David Attenborough has been a key figure in this battle against climate change and has been talking about this for over 60 years now. His latest documentary ‘A life on our planet’ was a 90-minute witness statement of nearly 70 years in broadcasting and is a must watch. Attenborough delivers a stark warning that time is ticking for the planet but it’s not too late if we act now.
There are lots of small changes you can make to your everyday life that will help to reduce your waste, to assure the future of our planet. Below I have pulled together 5 top ways to start recycling more and wasting less…
1. Use reusable cups and bottles - Sitting in zoom lectures/meetings all day can be thirsty work, so it’s always a good idea to have a drink with you. Take a reusable water bottle with you and when you’re done, simply fill it up (for free) and use it again and again.
2. Bring your own bags - Approximately 40% of all plastic waste comes from single-use plastic such as carrier bags. So be ready to say no to a plastic bag by having your own reusable bag with you ready to carry the goods home.
3. Save the leftovers – Try to avoid the unneeded waste of food instead of throwing it in the bin, save it and eat it for your lunch or dinner the following day.
4. Recycle old tech products - In today’s digital world, technology is constantly changing, but before you ditch your old tech in the trash, think about whether it might be useful for someone else. You could try selling it second hand or the spare parts on sites such as eBay or Gumtree.
5. Go paperless - Now a days, so much is done online, and you don’t always need physical printed information in your hand. So, where you can, try to limit your use of paper.
We are at a unique stage in our history. Never before have we had such an awareness of what we are doing to the planet, and never before have we had the power to do something about that. Therefore, I hope everyone reading this is able to do just one thing today to make the planet a little greener, as the future of humanity and all life on earth depends on us to make a change!
-Hannah Mathew