What can you do?

The image below shows us many ways we can cut our greenhouse gas emissions, to slow down climate change and protect the Earth's natural systems.

Can you find them all?

Opt for Reuseable Bags

160,000 plastic bags are used globally every second! 5 trillion plastic bags are produced yearly. Side by side, they can encircle the world 7 times. On average each plastic bag is only used for a few minutes and is then tossed away. Not only are plastic bags incredibly harmful to the environment, they are also wasteful. Plastic bags take energy to produce, creating greenhouse gas emissions. Instead of reaching for the plastic bags at the supermarket, plan ahead and take a reuseable bag instead!

Grow Your Own Food

A lot of our food has to imported from all over the country or the world. This means that it has a lot of 'air miles' and it take a lof of greenhouse gases to get it from where it's grown to your plate. One way of reducing your impact is by growing your own food! This also ensures that your food doesn't have any harmful pesticides or herbicides and you know exactly where it comes from! If you aren't able to grow your own produce, try to source food locally.

Eat Less Beef and Dairy

The biggest source of greenhouse gasses around the world is from animal agriculture. In fact, there are ten times more animals kept for agriculture ont he planet, than there are actual humans that need feeding. Unfortunately, cows are the biggest contributors, creating methane, which is a very potent greenhouse gas. By reducing the beef and dairy we wat, we not only reduce methane emissions, we also reduce the amount or land, water, crops and energy it takes to rear a cow.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

We are a planet of consumers. We always want more more more. And we just must have that latest gadget, that latest trend or this season's outfit. Keep in mind that each new product we buy takes a lot of energy and resources to produce. Not only does it require the burnign of fossil fuels to create but it also means taking chemicals or raw materials from the planet. By reducing how much we use or buy, by reusing what we have or what someone else has disposed of, and by recycling everyhting else, we are minimising this impact.

Cut the car use

Driving our cars everywhere we go produces a lot of greenhouse gasses and also contributes to air pollution in nearby areas. Take public transport, ride your bike or walk to minimise your impact and (bonus) keep healthy.

Switch it off!

Turn off lights an electrical appliances when not in use to save electricity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Another was to save electricity is to take shorter showers and to not be wasteful when heating or cooling your house. If it's too hot, consider opening a window or heading outside. If it's too cold, rug up with extra layers, make sure the hous eis all close up, and run the heating just when needed.

Get Outdoors

Spending time outside not only gets us to applreciate nature, but it is also good for our mental health and our environment. The more time we spend doing activities outdoors, like skipping or hiking for example, the less time we spend burning electricity indoors on the computer, or watching TV, or using appliances.

Plant a Tree

Trees literally have the power to reverse climate change, as they suck up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. As a result, they are able to reduce net carbon dioxide emissions. They also provide crucial wildlife habitats, create oxygen, filter water, stop soil from being washed away and cool the local environment. What's not to love!

Jet Setters

Who doesn't love to go abroad?! Travel is a huge part of our modern day society and most of it tends to happen by plane. Unfortunately planes require the bruning of a lot of fossil fuels to run, which creates greenhouse gasses. Some entreupenerial airline companies like Virgin are working hard to develop biofuels, or less-polluting ways of doing things. In the meantime, we shoudl try to consider our need to travel, and think about ways that we can 'offset' our emissions for those 'can't-miss' trips. On anpther note, we can also reduce plane emissions by eating and shopping locally!

Bring a Bottle

Single-use plastic bottles of water are not only incredibly wasteful, they are also rediculous. Most of us are lucky enough to live in a country wher the tap water is not only safe to drink, but is also delicious! And yet we still consume expensive bottled water. Part with a few bucks and invest in a sturdy metal water bottle to take with you! Coffee lovers note - this is also a good idea for coffee cups - bring a thermos or reusable cup.

Pick it Up!

Whenever you see a piece of litter, pick it up and recycle it. Not only does this prevent pollution, protect wildlife, and make your locality look nice, it also reduces the amount of new products that will need to be produced. For example, if you recycle a few cans that you find littering the streets, it may mean that a few less new cans need to be made. Bonus: this also preserves natural resources and raw materials!