8 good green tips and stories to inspire you to go green
With more and more people around the world making the choice to live sustainably, there’s s0o much great progress being made when it comes to conservation, sustainable policy and more! Here are some recent stories that will motivate you on your journey and some conscious tips that you can practice daily.
1.GREEN STORY: Women building a sustainable future: India’s rural energy pioneers
Salt farming in Gujarat is hard work and, for many women workers, the work is not under contract with many women paid poorly. However, a new collaboration with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), “Renew Power” - India's leading clean energy company, the Indian Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), and the western state of Gujarat, “aims to give these women the skills to build a new, more rewarding and better paid career in the renewable energy industry.”
2.GREEN TIP: Women in many industries around the world are undervalued in varying ways. When it comes to manual labor and craft here in India, it’s a systemic, decades-long norm to underpay and undervalue women’s contributions as well as afford little to no opportunities for women to climb the career ladder.
So, this first tip is simple, whenever you can, wherever you are, support working women, whether that’s through buying their craft or donating to NGOs who empower and train women in their respective fields.
3.GREEN STORY: UAE launches 4 water security initiatives to ensure sustainability
Water scarcity and waste is an ever growing issue in many parts of the world - at present, over 2 billion people live in countries where water supply is unsafe and inadequate. Recently, the UAE has launched various initiatives to do their part in conserving water including creating “a hydrogeological map project to create an accurate spatial database, and a series of digital maps of groundwater reservoirs and surface water basins. In addition, integrated management of dams and water facilities will use a smart application that generates alerts related to dam flooding.”
4.GREEN TIP: When conserving water there are a number of daily things you can do to ensure you’re using only what you need with no waste. This includes having short showers that are under 5 minutes or taking baths, hand washing your clothes when you can, turning off faucets when not in direct use, and fixing any leaks as soon as you notice them.
5.GREEN STORY: In UK, Discarded Fishing Nets Are Being Turned Into 100% Ecofriendly Sunglasses
Waterhaul, an NGO based in Cornwall, UK, lead by marine biologist Harry Dennis, dedicates themselves to reusing and recycling ‘ghost gear’ (i.e abandoned fishing equipment) into sunglasses. The effort aims to eradicate harmful plastic waste from water bodies, an enduring global issue that negatively impacts many of our ecosystems, especially marine ones.
6.GREEN TIP: ”Around the world, one million plastic bottles are purchased every minute, while up to five trillion plastic bags are used worldwide every year. In total, half of all plastic produced is designed for single-use purposes – used just once and then thrown away.” - with this in mind, it’s so important that we do our part individually to avoid such harmful waste.
Here are a few ways you can do so: aim to always carry reusables with you such as a water bottle, grocery bags, even cutlery to use at your workplace and so on; if you need to use single-use items (plates, decorations etc.) for things such as events, use biodegradable materials instead of plastic; and if you do have to throw something plastic away, recycle it if possible!
7.GREEN STORY: Maine’s forests are our weapon against climate change
Maine’s forests are home to more than 17 million acres of forest, accounting for around 25 billion trees, trees that are able to absorb a countless amount of carbon and be key in our fight to regulate our climate and temperature. Aside from acres that are reserved for commercial use, producing raw materials for items such as toilet paper, “Maine forests are more than an endless wood supply. Ecological reserves, public lands and forever-wild areas are part of the mix. The ecological value is high: Western and northern Maine provides the last big block of undeveloped forest of its kind in the world and provides some of the best remaining habitat.”
8.GREEN TIP: Caring and helping tree/plant populations flourish can be immensely helpful in creating a more sustainable, green world. We encourage you to try your hand at planting if you’re able but you can always support your local conservationists who are working towards bringing more trees into the world as well as taking heed in respecting your area’s ecosystem.
For more green stories, check out our ‘SUSTAINABILITY NEWS & STORIES’ section in our Green Journal.