As the new year dawns, this is the perfect time to reset and rethink.
As you make your New Year’s resolutions, keep the environment in mind.
“The amount we consume to meet our needs and live our aspirations is increasing exponentially for some. Yet many do not have enough to survive. We need to rethink how to live better and lighter,” says United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Sustainable Lifestyles Officer Garrette Clark.
“Why not take this new year to reboot what you want out of life. Consider what is really important to you, what you really want and need. Think about experiences, being close to family and friends, and buying products that contribute to these goals and that may last longer, can be used multiple times, or enhance everyone’s well-being.
“Young entrepreneurs are showing the way. Inspired by creativity and available resources, they are creating new business models to change the world.”
If you don’t know where to start, don’t worry. UNEP’s change-maker community is happy to lead the way. Read on for inspiration so that you can kick off 2020 as a more sustainable global citizen!
Think about what you’re buying
Be conscious of what you buy. Be aware of how and where your purchases were produced by checking supply chains. Ask where your food is sourced if you are not sure. Speak up if you are served with unnecessary plastic cutlery when washable options may be available. Ask for paper and leave behind that plastic coffee lid!
These are small things you can do. But sometimes it can be hard to keep track. What can help you with this is the app Evocco, founded by Young Champion Hugh Weldon. The app aims to educate the user on the environmental impact of their food purchases. Take a photo of your food shopping receipt to receive instant information on the environmental impact of your purchases.
Specifically be aware of fast fashion—go slow
“Fast fashion” describes the process whereby clothing is created quickly to adapt to trends, often using materials that can be harmful to the environment. These clothes don’t last long and quickly end up in landfills.
The fashion industry produces 20 per cent of global wastewater and 10 per cent of global carbon emissions. This is more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned. If nothing changes, by 2050 the fashion industry will use up a quarter of the world’s carbon budget.
Luckily, there are alternatives. Consider an option like the 100 per cent sustainable clothing line Green Hug, founded by young change-maker Jorge Eduardo Lomeli Carrillo. He makes clothes out of garbage, consisting of 50 per cent PET bottles and 50 per cent recycled clothing. Compared to conventional clothing, the environmental impact is reduced by up to 90 per cent.
Treat yourself to plastic-free personal care products
Each year, an estimated 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean. Did you know that personal care products are a major source of microplastics? They get washed away into the oceans through our bathrooms. Look for plastic-free facewash, day cream, makeup, deodorant, shampoo and other care products in 2020.
There are many eco-friendly sustainable alternatives to the traditional plastic-polluted products. Batoul El Hakim, finalist for Young Champions in 2018, founded Savvy Element. Her company aims to design safe and green chemical solutions while reducing the use of harsh substances that contribute to emissions and hazardous waste. The active ingredients and materials are native to their country of origin, extracted and produced using eco-friendly, low-energy and with low-water intensive techniques.
Carry your own reusable bag if you go shopping
Many shops and supermarkets provide their customers with single-use plastic bags to carry their goods. However, these bags end up harming the environment as a major source of plastic pollution. By bringing your own bag, you decrease your plastic waste.
Young change-maker Alhaji Siraji Bah found his own way to fight single-use plastic bags. He creates eco-friendly biodegradable paper bags from banana leaves to tackle plastic pollution. He has produced more than 250,000 eco-friendly bags already.
Bring utencils when you travel
Whether you eat out or order in, you will probably get disposable utensils with your meal. Around the world, one million plastic drinking bottles are purchased every minute, while up to 5 trillion single-use plastic bags are used worldwide every year.
An easy solution is to turn down plastic cutlery and plastic bottles when eating out or travelling. Pack your own utensils kit and water bottle when you travel or know you will be eating and drinking on the road.
You can also ask for sustainable alternatives at restaurants. Ipsita Gupta, regional finalist for Asia and the Pacific, started Project Patradya which provides 100 per cent bio degradable bio-edible bowls and cutlery.
Do you have what it takes to be a Young Champion of the Earth? Applications open very soon! Pressing submit makes you part of our change-maker community – get involved and be part of the conversation on environmental change.
The Young Champions of the Earth Prize, powered by Covestro, is UN Environment Programme’s leading initiative to engage youth in tackling the world's most pressing environmental challenges.
