Says Brenda Chavezjournalist and researcher specialized in sustainability, consumption and culture, that one of the first steps that a citizen must take to contribute to to save the planet is to go from being a “conventional” consumer; to a “conscious” one. This evolution implies make consumption a political choicenot only economic, through which those brands and companies are penalized or rewarded based on their ecological footprint and their labor standards.
To do this, however, “it is essential that the consumer is informed, and this means that they have all the information available,” the author of books such as ‘Your consumption can change the world’ (Península, 2017) and RDquor; explains to UNDERSTAND MORE. ‘On the verge of a shopping attack’ (Debate, 2019). Another key aspect of buy consciously is that consumers have responsible consumption alternativesand this should be done above all by governments, through regulations, and by companies, by creating sustainable productsand lasting ones that put an end to the disastrous throwaway culture to consume again.
The Christmas holidays are traditionally a period of unbridled shopping that manifests itself in multiple forms, from copious feasts until the discards of dry fir trees and “old” objects after receiving brand new gifts. In one of his latest climate newsletters of the year, the ‘New York Times’ has described these dates as “the season when we buy more than we need and then throw away”. But it is also a period of good resolutions for the new year, and therefore UNDERSTAND MORE proposes some measures to reduce your carbon footprint and minimize the environmental impact of our everyday needs. Ten pieces of advice that are perfectly doable, affect various sectors, and revolve around three basic concepts: proximity, temporality and responsibility.
Getting around on foot, by bike or by public transport
The sustainable mobility It is one of the central aspects in the fight against climate change and reduction of air pollution. Transportation, whether for everyday tasks such as going to work or for leisure purposes such as vacations, is intrinsically linked to our dependence on fossil fuelsthat is why our way of moving can have a big impact on our carbon footprint.
“You have to walk more, use the car less and especially the plane,” he explains to UNDERSTAND MORE Celia Ojeda, biologist and activist Greenpeace Spain which is in charge of responsible consumption campaigns. Walking is a perfect option in cities where you can access shops and services in less than 15 minutes, while for more distant trips (with a radius of up to 5 kilometers, whether in a rural or urban area) the best alternative is bike.
“When you can’t go by bike, the best thing is public transportation,” says Ojeda. At the time of plan vacationan effective way to reduce environmental impact is to travel to proximity and seasonal destinations by train, since air transport, which represents nothing less than a 3% of total global emissions, has not yet found viable alternatives to burning fossil fuels.
Give up impulsive consumption
Compulsive buying encouraged by low prices or by habit, instead of necessity, has a deep environmental footprintly shoots up our carbon footprint. Perhaps no other industry better exemplifies this short-term culture than fast fashion. It is worth keeping in mind that, as Greenpeace’s Ojeda explains, he has listed the evils of this industry, “7,500 liters of water are needed to make one pair of jeans“, which is what an average citizen of the Global North consumes in seven years.” An enormous figure if one takes into account, Ojeda recalls, the serious drought in parts of Spain and the high risk of desertification that hangs over extensive areas of the country. That is why Chávez, who has recently conducted research on what is hidden behind the fast fashion supply chain, suggests thinking carefully before purchasing new clothes. “Studies indicate that we only use 30% of our closet.”
Buy used, repair, mend
Reduce meat consumption
Fight against food waste
Almost a third of food production is never consumed and is wasted or wasted. That wasted food – that box of ‘ugly’ pears that the wholesaler undone, or the half plate of sea bass that we throw away because the child hasn’t eaten it – in addition to being a challenge to a world where 700 million people suffer from hungerproduces emissions in the form of methane when rotting in landfills. That is why one of the great subjects of citizens of developed countries (such as the United States, where between 30% and 40% of food is wasted) is to completely tackle waste. Begin to measure portions per personlearning recipes that use discards from other dishes, and using applications that connect us with businesses and restaurants that fight waste are good ways to do our part.
There is no better way to reduce in the short term the emissions from our heating and our air conditioning must insulate our home well by installing valuminum windows or insulated panels on the roof and the walls that allow heat or cool to be preserved. It is a small investment that improves the energy efficiency of our home and increases its value. If the budget allows it, the perfect complement is to install solar panels or join a green energy cooperative. “Especially in rural areas it is very feasible to be a producer of your own energy, through solar panels on the roof of your house,” says Ojeda from Greenpeace Spain.
Replace the old boiler with a heat pump
Heat pumps are an opportunity to disconnect our home forever from fossil fuels. They run on electricity and can becouple to solar energy production systems or, in the case of rural farms, even wind power. Replacing a gas boiler with a heat pump can cut the home’s carbon dioxide emissions by 40%.
Turn off, disconnect and switch to LED
Another way to reduce energy consumption of our apartment and house and, incidentally, save on the electricity bill It is to adopt habits that allow you to avoid electricity losses and optimize consumption. LED lightsFor example, they have a consumption of up to 90% less than incandescent bulbs, making them a good investment, while lLaptops are more efficient than desktop computers.
Finally, it is worth taking a couple of minutes to disconnect the devices in sleep mode before going to bed or when we leave the house, as they are responsible for no less than between 5% and 13% of electricity consumption in the home. the homes of the countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an organization of which Spain is a part.
Start our own composting
The waste we generate They are one of the great evils for the planet. The sustainability expert Ashlee Piper, author of the book ‘Give a Shxt: Do Good. Live Better. Save the Planet’, proposes to those who have a second residence in the countryside or those who live in rural areas to start their own composting, since about a quarter of our waste is food waste. Thus, instead of fish skins and banana peels becoming methane as they decompose in landfills, composting makes it possible to avoid these emissions and, at the same time, produce biological fertilizer for our fruit trees.
Mobilize and vote thinking about the planet
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