Nature is sending us a message.
“To care for ourselves we must care for nature.
It’s time to wake up. To take notice.
This World Environment Day, it’s Time for Nature.”
June 5 is the United Nation’s World Environment Day and this year’s theme is ‘Time for nature’. With the current global climate, we think there is no better time to be reminded that our livelihood is dependent on our environment!
The United Nations (UN) and its partners are launching a global initiative called the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) that strives to restore the relationship between humans and nature. This is in addition to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that consist of 17 Goals. These goals aim to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and opportunities for the global population.
What can we do?
To help restore nature, individuals are being encouraged to rethink what we buy and what we use.
Below are some things that we try to do as a company, as well as some suggestions on how making small changes can create an impact.
Reduce waste and recycle
In 2018 we recognised that purchasing water bottles was a big contributor to the waste we produce in the office. Last year we moved offices and introduced a cold water tap to reduce the amount of plastic water bottles we purchase.
Some of the things we continue to do include:
Reduce use of single-use items
One of the biggest things we can do is reduce the use of single-use items (like plastic cutlery) and get the most out of things like our clothes and cleaning products.
Slow Fashion
The fashion industry contributes 10% to yearly global carbon emissions. To help curb this, we can:
- Buy less and get more wear out of your clothes
- Do things to make your clothes last longer like hand-washing and/or drying them in the shade so they don’t fade
- Fix things like holes in socks instead of throwing out all items and replacing them
- Buy from ethical / sustainable fashion brands
Cleaning & Self care
We use cleaning and self care products almost every day, and luckily there has been an emergence in re-usable products that help us reduce waste.
Many people are also turning to natural and eco friendly cleaning products, that reduce the amount of harmful chemicals that are released into the environment.
These suggestions are all realistic things individuals can do in their daily life to take better care for the environment. They may seem like small changes, but ultimately, they all add up. Most importantly, implementing these changes now will help teach younger generations about habits we can form to be more mindful about our impact on the environment.