‘The Little Book of Going Green’
‘The Little Book of Going Green’ by Harriet Dyer
How Harmful are Plastics?
1. Around 300 million tonnes of plastic is produced worldwide each year. Of that, approximately ten percent is recycled.
2. Approximately one million sea birds and a hundred thousand marine mammals die each year because of plastics in our oceans.
3. Harmful plastic chemicals, which can alter hormone balance and contribute to a number of negative health effects, are absorbed by the human body.
4. Look inside the recycling symbol (Mobius loop) for a number one to seven. Here is what they mean:
1) PET/PETE — — mainly clear drinks bottles, recyclable but not reusuable.
2) HDPE — — bottles for washing-up liquid, cosmetics, etc. Recyclable and reusable.
3) PVC — — shower curtains, toys, etc. Difficult to recycle.
4) LDPE — — bags to package bread, carrier bags. Difficult to recycle.
5) PP — — bottle tops, crisp bags, straws. Reusable and sometimes recyclable.
6) PS — — packaging for fragile objects, take-away cups. Not reusable and difficult to recycle.
7) Other — — Not reusable and difficult to recycle.
5. Tattooing avocados instead of labels to display the barcode of goods can save glue and label and backing paper. Also, use recycled plastics for packaging.
How Harmful is Industrial Agriculture?
1. One-third of global greenhouse emissions come from our worldwide food production.
2. Only 33–50% of fertilisers are absorbed by plants. The rest is either absorbed by soil or washed into streams, rivers, lakes and eventually the sea. This increases the growth of algae, which in turn depletes the oxygen level in water and kills marine wildlife.
3. Pesticides comprise 1600 different chemicals and only 0.1% of those successfully control the target pests. The other 99.9% harm the birds and beneficial insects and increase mutations in marine life.
How does Palm Oil impact the Environment?
Palm oil is used in about 40–50% of household items, from cooking oil and cosmetics to soaps. This substance brings deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia.
How can we make Medicinal Production Sustainable?
An estimated 67% of the medicinal plants drug companies use are harvested from the wild. We should research ways to use all of the plant instead of a small part, or harvesting and cultivating without degrading the natural environment.
How can we reduce our carbon footprint?
Businesses
1. For companies, redesign and repackage products to minimize plastic waste.
2. Use recycled toner cartridges and send empty ones back for recycling.
3. Phase out physical magazines and bulletins and circulate them electronically instead.
4. Buy second-hand furniture and equipment.
5. Use drinking glasses and mugs instead of plastic cups.
6. Invest in high-quality, longer lasting equipment.
7. Attend virtual meetings instead of travelling long distances.
8. Integrate a car-sharing scheme into the company.
9. Install motion sensors to efficiently manage electricity use.
10. Set computers to energy-saving mode.
11. Increase the number of work-from-home days per month.
Individuals
1. Make a conscious effort to buy items which come in cardboard boxes, as they are easier to recycle.
2. Reuse the cleaner bottles once empty.
3. Always take your own bag out if you are going shopping.
4. Choose to buy on the high street rather than online.
5. Join a car-sharing scheme.
6. Eat less meat, especially red meat.
7. Hang your clothes out to dry rather than use a tumble dryer.
8. Buy less — — only purchase items you need.
9. Switch to paperless billing.
10. Keep electronic devices for longer.
