The word ‘environment’ didn’t actually take on its modern meaning until around 1956. Before that, it was just a way of describing the conditions in which we live, but it wasn’t associated with ‘nature’ or ‘ecology’ until the mid-twentieth century. Experts now wonder if this is part of the problem: We think of ‘the environment’ as something separate from us, “outside” in ponds and forests and oceans.
Therefore, on this World Environment Day, we invite you to try and think of yourself as part of the environment. This can really change what it means to care for our environment and can help you to feel more motivated to make the little changes in your life that it needs. At Kortext, we’ve been running our own internal Environmental Challenge, seeing what our staff do to make a difference on a daily basis – and we’ve listed four creative steps below that can get you started on your own environmental challenge!
What can you do for the environment?
Go thrifting!
This sounds like fun – and it is – but it’s also a great way of getting your summer looks sorted without damaging the environment. Believe it or not, the global fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world: from manufacturing to transportation to waste products, fast fashion looks good, but at a serious price. Instead of throwing away your pre-Covid fits, take them to your local charity shop, and pick up some funky bargains while you’re there! You never know when you might find those cowboy boots you’ve always dreamed of…
Build a mini pond in your garden!
You don’t have to be an avid gardener or DIY enthusiast to boost biodiversity in your own backyard. You can even use a big old pot if you’ve got one – but make sure to build a little ramp so it’s accessible. Then just add a few layers of gravel, stones, and sticks, wait for it to fill with rainwater, and start planting! Great starter pond plants include a miniature waterlily or a starwort. Check out this site for more info: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/actions/how-create-mini-pond
Reduce your meat & dairy intake
This is the single biggest step you can take to reduce your impact on the environment, and it might even expose you to new foods you never knew you’d love! Meat and dairy account for around 14.5% of the world’s greenhouse gases, and red meat is the worst offender: some experts say that cutting beef from our diets would have a bigger impact than ditching cars. So swap that beef burger for a tasty vegan “beef” burger and enjoy the taste of doing something good for our planet!
Invest in reusable products – and actually use them!
Reusable shopping bags, groovy water bottles that’ll keep your drink ice-cold, reusable sandwich bags, wooden toothbrushes, metal straws: the more you use them, the bigger impact they’ll have! So buy those products once and commit to them. You’ll be reducing landfill waste and looking cool as you do it!
Do you do any of the above for the environment, or do you do anything that we may have missed in the post? Back in April, we shared ten top tips that may help!
Let us know in the comments below!
