Thirty Positive Actions For A Sustainable Earth
By Simon Mitchell, Fri Dec 9th
There are many ways we can use our human energy to lighten theload on natural resources and tread lightly on our home planet.Check how many of these you do already:
1. Recycle and re-use Wherever possible, separate waste intocompost material, bottles, tins, paper, clothing etc and makesure that these get recycled. See if your local council has apolicy for recycling, food reclamation to fuel or even methaneextraction from waste. If they don't - start one. Ask yourneighbours to contribute to a local composting station.
"The UK has one of the worst recycling records in Europe (12.4%)compared with 64% in Austria, 52% in Belgium, 50% in Germany and47% in the Netherlands. In the UK we bury 80% of our rubbish inlandfills, compared to the Swiss who only landfill 7% of theirrubbish." (The Observer 2004)
2. Shop locally or order a veg box Give your local farmers aboost by buying direct - either by visiting farms, farmer'smarkets or through vegetable box schemes - which are usuallyorganic. This saves transport costs in 'food miles' andguarantees, fresh, local, un-polluted and healthy, in-seasonfood. Try and avoid supermarkets and shop locally when possibleto enhance your own local micro-economy.
"The average household [in UK] spends £470 a year (or one sixthof its total food budget) on packaging. In a typical Asda orTesco shopping basket only 26% of the cost is accounted for byfood; the rest is packaging, processing, transport, storeoverheads, advertising and the mark-up of supermarkets which issometimes as high as 45%." (National Farmers' Union)
3. Make more of your own food from fresh Stop buying ready-mealsand throw away your microwave. Take the time to make healthy,balanced and delicious meals and condiments from wholesome rawingredients. Be like the French and live to eat - rather thaneat to live ! Eating food is the only activity apart from sexthat involves all of our senses.
4. Promote community exchange If you can exchange skills, itemsor energy direct with other people without the use of money -this makes your activities more efficient. If you can shareresources with people around you - then you don't have to earnso much to buy things and you don't have to work as much.
5. Improve local diversity of nature See what you can do toprovide the right ecosystems to promote local biodiversity.Bring butterflies, moths, birds, wild flowers and so on intoyour local environment by providing the resources they need.
6. Review domestic energy use Check whether you can save energyby cutting down consumption or being more efficient. There aregovernment schemes in the UK to help with heating efficiency andinsulation. Even switching off at the plug at night saves power-those little red 'power on' lights add up to over £4 million ofelectricity used in the UK each year ! Look at how your homeuses energy and where it can be saved, even if it means puttinga jumper on occasionally.
7. Start a local investment scheme If you want to save for afuture - doesn't it make sense to invest in something you cansee and touch - like a local investment system that brings areturn on your money and improves your own locality ? Investmoney where you can see what it is doing - and where you canlend a hand if needs be. Community companies, localco-operatives and credit unions are a growing resource forsustainable local investment. What better way is there than toinvest your energy directly into your local micro-economy whereyou can cherish it ?
8. Use an ethical banking system Just what does your money dowhen you invest it a bank? Do you invest in the land mines thatblow off children's legs ? Do you support armamentsmanufacturing, the over-exploitation of rainforests, globalisedcartels intent on raping the planet ? Does your defaultinvestment in a bank endorse child slavery and prostitution,international drug running and money laundering ? Check theinvestment policies of your bank to see just where they areputting your energy as an investment. If you don't like what yousee, at least consider using an ethical bank that might investin things you want in the world. Even better - reach for alifestyle that doesn't include a bank account at all.
Did you invest in this ? "Japanese physicist Professor Yagasakicalculated that the 500+ metric tonnes of depleted uranium (DU)that the US unleashed on Afghanistan was the radioactiveequivalent of 51,875 atomic bombs of the size dropped on theJapanese city of Nagasaki. During the 2003 Gulf War the amountof DU used was the equivalent of 103,750 atomic bombs the sizeof that dropped on Nagasaki. DU fallout will travel from theMiddle East to the UK, US and parts of Asia." (InternationalPhysicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War)
9. Review car use and petrol consumption The real price ofpetrol, if you apply economic principles to its production -that includes the time the earth has taken to make it - comes inat over £1 million per gallon. Its use produces awful chemicalpollution and extreme noise. Most internal combustion enginesrun at an incredibly low efficiency (usually about 20%). Thelogic of having something that weighs over a ton to transport asingle person defeats me. Yes, I know they're incrediblyconvenient compared to the alternatives and that many motorshave cult status but - come on - there has to be a better waythan this ! Boy am I looking forward to hydrogen / oxygen fuelcells. Cycling is great!
10. Start a local energy collective Your roofs are a resource !Take a look at some of the rooftop energy panels availabletoday. Chat with your neighbours about a collective approach tolocal energy needs. Sell your excess energy back to the grid !Intermediate technology combined with modern technology in wind,solar or water power has come of age so start your own powersupply.
11. Learn more about the nature in your local environment Whichwild animals and plants live in your environment? Share sometime with them and see what they can teach you. Become a direct'friend of nature' and explore how other species see the worldwe share. You could even adopt some wild nature near you and'look out' for it.
12. Make things from found or recycled materials Do you rememberthe fun you had whittling wood when you were younger? Keep aneye out for interesting wood you can prepare to make usefulthings. So much stuff is just thrown away or destroyed thatcould be useful again given a little T.L.C. Wild wood can makeattractive coat hangers, boxes, shelves, even furniture. Wasteskips often have objects that can easily be given a 'new life'.Working with your hands to make things 'new' can be a deeplysatisfying experience.
13. Make your own Christmas and birthday presents Take time outto make things that you enjoy and give them away to people youlove. These have a value way over anything you can buy. If youhave a creative hobby - use it to make gifts instead of buyingthem. If you don't - find a hobby or activity that puts you intouch with natural things.
14. Stop using pharmaceutical drugs and chemicals and go naturalWe are in a culture where medical consumerism is the norm.Explore some of the alternatives like using your food aspreventative and curative medicine, or learn about the herbs andspices that have traditionally boosted mankind's health formillennia. There are many gentle ways to find, promote andmaintain health and you will find some excellent examples at theStarFields Network.
15. Join an environmental group Express your energy in acollective way by joining a group that voices your concerns. Putyour energy into changing the situation for the better bydirectly sponsoring a specific environmental cause.
16. Use natural materials from a sustainable source oversynthetic materials The more natural a product is - the lesspollution is usually incurred in its production. Support yourenvironment by valuing natural materials over synthetic, forexample (organic) cotton over polyester. Think about wherebuilding materials or other resources have come from
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