Is eating healthy important to save environment?
Agriculture is a major contributor to the climate crisis, and the rampant expansion of agricultural land to meet the insatiable demands also makes it the biggest culprit behind biodiversity loss.
Scientists are now warning against raising concern about what we put on our plates. While animal products are under scrutiny for their impact on the environment, the fact that we rely majorly on just 15 of the over 9000 edible plants available to us is worrying.
This dependence on selected few crops leads to an unhealthy diet due to a lack of variation and it also burdens the regions which produce these crops. The global popularity of highly processed food - like confectionery, soft drinks and fast food - is to be blamed for skewed preference as these food items rely on those few crops which are abundantly grown, easily available and cheap.
The changing dietary habits are worsening this crisis as it was noted that Americans - who consume the most processed food in the world - get more than 57% of their dietary energy from such highly processed items!
It couldn’t be more obvious, for a healthier world we need to get healthier ourselves.
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#vegan #meat #food #animal #ethical #fastfood #sustainable #agriculture #climatechange #globalwarming #veganfood #zerowaste #beef #cakes #recipe #ecofriendly #environment #nature #organic #sustainableliving #slowliving #health #fitness #farm #ecofriendlyproducts #environmentallyfriendly #biodiversity #vegetablegarden
Is lab-grown meat sustainable?
Lab-grown meat is often seen as the sustainable future for the meat industry. But if we look closely, lab-grown meat could create more problems than it solves.
While it is true that these initiatives used substantially less land and water compared to traditional animal farms but in contrast, the ‘cellular agriculture’ of meat is highly energy-intensive.
Though leading lab-meat companies claim this technique produces lesser emissions, a few estimates state the CO2 emissions generated could be up to 5X higher than chicken farms or 10X higher than plant-based processed meats.
Lab-grown might also not be as ethical as we expect it to be as the cells to be cultured are harvested from fetal bovine serum.
It is too early to state whether or not lab-grown meat is an effective alternative to farm-grown animals. The lab meat is also too expensive at this stage to make it an immediate replacement but if we don’t tread carefully, it might have no positive impact to speak of.
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#vegan #veganfood #meat #food #animal #ethical #science #sustainable #innovation #climatechange #globalwarming #veganlife #zerowaste #beef #veganrecipes #recipe #ecofriendly #environment #nature #organic #sustainableliving #slowliving #health #fitness #farm #ecofriendlyproducts #environmentallyfriendly
This organization is solving plastic waste problem by teaming up with kids!
Started by Quinette Goosen, Glinise Howard and Olive Grimsel, the Uitenhage Recycling Mula Swop Shop program has removed tonnes of plastic waste from the community by teaming up with the most active and curious members of the society - the kids!
This program encourages kids to collect, sort and deposit recyclable wastes like plastic and cardboard in exchange for “Mulas” or points. These ‘points’ could then be spent on daily necessities like toiletries, stationery, or even toys!
With this, Uitenhage Recycling Mula Swop Shop also provides food and other necessities, supporting 300 households a week!
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Climate Crisis is getting more and more expensive
2021 was already marked as the 2nd costliest year on record, with insured losses due to climate disasters totalling around $120 billion.
According to the first report by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), these losses could mount up to a staggering $2 Trillion a year by 2100 if no notable actions are taken to curb the climate crisis now!
The report also states that USA’s GDP could fall by 10% by the end of the century as the disasters ensue.
But it could actually be worse than this.
These calculations do not include the entirety of the damages and risks caused to national security, effects on ecosystems and costs for infrastructure, public health and businesses outside the federal government.
Climate Crisis is bound to get ever more expensive globally as we transition while facing the climate mitigation and adaptation challenges. According to the latest IPCC reports, we still have the time and resources required to prevent the worse if only we act now.
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#GlobalWarming #USA #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #economy #agriculture #sustainable #conservation #ecology #Nature #biodiversity #earth #innovation #sustainableliving #recycle #slowliving #plastic #environment #zerowaste #Vegan #design #ClimateAction #invest #business #urban #ecofriendly #tech #architecture
Here is how Austria is leading the movement towards Organic Farming!
Austria prioritises the quality of produce over the quantity of yield, making it a leader in organic cultivation. This is done by:
- Using organic fertilizers and pesticides and reducing the use of chemicals
- Promoting regenerative practices like crop rotation
- Improving animal welfare standards
- Avoiding biotechnological application
The European Union has set the goal of cultivating at least 25% of the total agricultural land organically by 2030. This is to help build a healthier and more sustainable food system. With Austria being extremely successful in promoting these simple practices, the rest of the countries in the EU are following in Austria’s footsteps to do the same.
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#agriculture #food #Plants #gardening #vegetablegarden #sustainable #sustainableliving #organic #farming #technology #business #greenliving #environmentallyfriendly #ecofriendly #ecofriendlyliving #innovation #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #conservation #Nature #Pollution #vegan #slowliving #recycle #environment #zerowaste #health #Europe
Your hair could help clean up oil spill?!
Hair, fur, fleece and lint - these fibres are extremely good at holding on to the oils (which is why we have to wash our hair!)
Matter Of Trust - a non-profit based in San Francisco - is using this potential to clean up oil left behind by leaky vehicles, oil spills and other accidents!
Their super-effective solution is very simple, creating mats using the hair and fibres donated to them by individuals, salons or groomers and employing these mats wherever needed!
And you can help them by either donating hair, fur or fibre, supporting their cause monetarily or even by volunteering!
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#water #climatechange #zerowaste #globalwarming #volunteer #donate #environment #community #people #pollution #greenliving #sustainable #innovation #hairstyle #diy #entrepreneur #power #nonprofit #ecofriendly #environmentallyfriendly #waste #beauty #sustainableliving #zerowaste #slowliving #natural #haircare #USA #SanFrancisco
Is Lithium the new oil?
Lithium-ion batteries are used in everything, from cell phones and electric cars to the batteries to store energy from solar panels and more! This makes Lithium one of the most sort after minerals and hence often referred to as ‘the new oil’.
Though Lithium is a major component of many sustainable solutions, it might not be as eco-friendly as you might think.
One of the biggest concerns with Lithium is its mining process. Lithium mines require an obnoxious amount of water this (teamed with other mining activities) puts the local ecosystems and communities at threat.
Lithium-ion batteries are also tricky to recycle, this means we are heading towards a future with mountains of waste batteries if we don’t set up an efficient recycling system in time.
There is no denying that Lithium is the key to phasing out fossil fuel dependency but the unsustainable use and disposal of it could very well lead to another ‘new oil’ like situation.
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Study has found plastic in blood for first time
Microplastics have become ubiquitous. Plenty studies have detected microplastics in food, water and air and now for the first time, microplastic and nanoplastic particles were observed the the blood of 17 out of the 22 participants in a study.
The true impact of plastic in blood is not known but it isn’t a good news. Besides the potential of damaging the cells in the body, plastic additives have been linked to hormonal imbalance, infertility, cardiovascular ailments and cancers.
In the past, plastic has been detected in faeces, human placenta and even in major filtering organs like liver, kidneys and spleen.
The study also found presence of 3 most commonly used plastics, which emphasis the threat plastic pollution possess on the health and wellbeing of humans.
It goes without saying that urgents measure have to be taken on a global scale to curb the use of plastics. With that, conducting a much wider study and understanding the impact of plastic in humans is a priority.
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#health #microplastic #plastic #pollution #sustainable #sustainableliving #reducereuserecycle #sustainability #ecofriendly #zerowaste #climateaction #noplastic #plasticfree #ecology #greenliving #consciousliving #slowliving #ecosystem #Reuse #recycle #entrepreneur #ecofriendlyproducts #environmentallyfriendly #economy #climatechange #parenting #fitness #organic #natural
Is cryptocurrency bad for Environment?
Crypto and NFT is all the rage and there is no stopping it. But creating and transacting cryptocurrencies take an enormous amount of energy.
This is because crypto-mining (that’s making new cryptocurrency) and transactions require powerful computers that are run 24/7. Since most of the world’s energy is generated by fossil fuels, this massive utilization of electricity exacerbates the climate crisis.
And we aren’t talking about a few kilowatts of energy!
Bitcoin alone consumes around 121.36 terawatt-hours of electricity annually! That’s more energy than the annual energy used by Argentina!
This global crypto mad-rush is the future but it has massive implications that need to be rectified NOW. Governments and organizations are recognizing this and many attempts have been made to regulate (or ban) crypto mining but that’s hardly a solution.
As technologies and crypto develop, better and more eco-friendly processing is expected and needed.
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#cryptocurrency #crypto #NFT #digital #virtual #energy #renewableenergy #cleanenergy #pollution #sustainable #innovation #technology #future #entrepreneur #business #economy #power #globalwarming #design #sustainabledesign #ecofriendlyproduct #ecofriendly #environmentallyfriendly #waste #climatecrisis #environment #zerowaste #renewable #climate
What is Net zero Brand?
More and more brands are announcing their plans to go ‘Net Zero’ in the coming years.
But what exactly is Net Zero? And as an entrepreneur, how can you achieve that?
Net Zero Emissions refers to a state of balance where the amount of greenhouse or carbon emissions produced by an organization is nullified by either capturing, or offsetting equal amount of emissions
This could be achieved by:
Investing and calculate the carbon footprint of the brand from production to distribution
Set up plans and targets to cut down the carbon footprint. By switching to low-carbon materials or opting renewable energy to name a few ways
Meanwhile, take responsibility for the emissions being produced and strategize to offset the carbon.
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Cement forduction produces more emissions than aviation!
Cement emits around 8% of the total carbon emissions, that’s almost 3 times the emissions generated by aviation!
What makes Cement so carbon-intensive?
Over half of the emissions associated with cement come from clinker - which is a mixture of limestone and minerals that are heated in a kiln. This chemical reaction of converting limestone into clinker emits a lot of CO2.
While the fuel used to heat the kiln also contributes heavily to the carbon emissions, switching to cleaner fuels is hardly enough.
But we have alternatives!
With the growing concern around carbon emissions, better alternatives to cement including clinker-free cement, cement-free concrete or even cement that can sequester carbon dioxide are being developed.
As we move into an age where urbanization and infrastructure will play a critical role in sustainable development, designing these new-era structures that are sound for the environment is the need of the hour.
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Climate Cardinals are helping bridge the language barrier!
Climate education is the first step towards mitigating the ongoing crisis on a global scale. But most people around the world - especially those belonging to the most vulnerable regions of the world have a hard time getting access to the information and solutions that could help with climate adaptation.
This is because of the subpar environmental education paired with the concerning fact that most research and data pertaining to climate change is only available in English - and 75% of the world does not speak English.
The global non-profit organization - Climate Cardinals - is working to remedy this situation.
Thousands of bilingual volunteers working with Climate Cardinals work deliriously to translate the research, reports and data into over 100 languages!
They are taking strides in making urgent Climate Action and Adaptation possible by bridging the language barrier and educating the people around the world!
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#Climate #climatechange #environment #education #community #languages #climateaction #english #learnenglish #sustainability #savetheplanet #nature #earth #globalwarming #zerowaste #vegan #climateaction #sustainable #climatecrisis #ecofriendly #fridaysforfuture #volunteer #zerowasteliving #nature #ecofriendlyliving #ecofriendlyproducts #gogreen #sustainableliving #donate
Waste is a design flaw
What exactly is ‘WASTE’?
Waste is the resource you failed to use efficiently.
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Whether it’s your home, your business, or the community - waste generation might seem like an inevitable part of functioning but in reality, it’s because of an inefficient system.
• This leads to the generation of 2 BILLION TONNES of solid waste every year
• Puts strain on natural resources
• Affects the wellbeing of the people and the planet
What can be done?
Design the waste out of the system, by applying Circular Economy.
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Circular economy is a model where waste generation is prevented by:
• Designing an efficient system that eliminates waste and pollution
• Reusing and reintroducing “waste” in the system hence, maintaining circularity
• By default, reducing our dependency on ‘new resources’, which helps the planet regenerate
Inculcating the circular economy model in production and consumption is the cornerstone in building a sustainable world.
Because Waste is not evitable, it is a design flaw.
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What if we had a vacuum cleaner for oceans?
A truckful of plastic waste enters into the oceans every minute, at this rate we are going to have more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050!
But how do we clean up this mess?
Hoping there was a huge vacuum cleaner that could just swipe up all the waste from our precious waters?
The Seabin Project is doing just that! (Well…kinda)
Seabins are small, submersible pumps that could be installed in calmer waters to draw the water and the nearby floating debris into a removable bag. This way, the floating waste (much of it being plastic) could be intercepted before it enters larger water bodies where the collection becomes aggravatingly difficult.
So far, Seabin Project has managed to collect 2,500+ tonnes of waste with more to come!
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