Every June 5th, World Environment Day is celebrated. In this framework, the specialist in sustainability and circular economy Dafna Nudelman offers a series of tips that go from consuming less to using the bicycle and that the whole family can take advantage of.
In How We Broke the World and How We Can Fix It, the author and activist offers an introduction to environmental education. Here are some of her most notable recommendations.
Let’s do the exercise of not buying unnecessary things. When we consume anything we are consuming nature. On a large scale, our consumption is consuming the planet.
When we talk about reducing consumption we talk about consuming consciously, what is necessary, responsible and aware that our choices have consequences. Avoid waste, waste and extravagance.
Not everything that is technically recyclable can be effectively recycled. If recycling is not a true solution for managing recyclable waste, then it is better to take a step back and reject it altogether.
The easiest way of controlled decomposition in which we can guarantee the natural decomposition of our organic waste is to make home compost.
In houses that have gardens you can directly dig holes in the ground and bury organic waste. In cities, living in increasingly smaller apartments without a patio, what we can do is use a balcony composter, in which we will simulate the natural conditions for decomposition. This type of composting can be done with or without worms, with a homemade or purchased composter.
If we want a healthy and sustainable planet with food for future generations, we cannot continue eating as much meat as we have eaten until now.
If we want to reduce the environmental impact of our food from our role as consumers, the biggest difference we can make is to opt for a plant-based diet, eat more plant-based protein sources and strongly reduce meat consumption, especially red meat. .
If we are going to base our diet on plants for environmental reasons, then it is also essential to choose foods produced locally in an organic or agroecological way, from producers who avoid the use of pesticides as much as possible, who respect the cycles of nature, take care of the fertility of the soil and biological activity, preserving ecosystems and promoting biodiversity.
Movements such as slow fashion, sustainable fashion and minimalism come to counteract the maelstrom of unbridled production and consumption. The approach is to use durable garments, more neutral and timeless designs, that can be combined with each other, to have less clothing that lasts longer.
Sustainable fashion prioritizes recovered plant or textile fabrics, natural dyes, artisanal and transparent clothing, made with fair and inclusive work.
An alternative for sustainable fashion is to revalue used garments. Another is to empower ourselves as consumers and be more creative: intervene in our clothes, shoes and accessories to renew them and learn to repair them when they break to extend their useful life.
The footprint of our digital technology is given both by the infrastructure that is put into operation when we consume some information, and by the use and impact of the production of the device itself, so it is essential that we seriously commit to replacing our devices less frequently.
In a world where a new electronic device appears every day to replace even the simplest tasks, the first thing we can do is critically observe which of these innovations are really necessary, and which are a demonstration of the level of disconnection we are from. origin of electronic devices and the energy that powers them.
It is worth highlighting the long list of benefits that the bicycle has as a means of transportation. It is good for the environment, its use does not generate emissions. It also does not pollute the air, harming our health. On the contrary, cycling is a physical exercise that benefits you.
The bicycle is an accessible means of transportation: it does not take up space, it does not weigh much and it is cheap. Furthermore, it allows us to interact with the city on a human scale, which allows us to have another relationship with our environment.
