A Healthy Planet Begins with One Small Action
An environmentally, socially responsible, and low-carbon path is complex - but we can do it with your help
— Rae. Jones, GTS Lead
View page: English
A Sustainable Mindset Creates a Greener Planet
Over the last decade, the importance of sustainability has no doubt been magnified. Escalated concerns from world leaders, businesses, activists, and individuals alike about climate change, industrial pollution, food safety, and natural resource depletion to name a few, continue to be a cry on all fronts. Today, we see the reality - "we are killing our planet." A key determinant that could minimize or eliminate the impact on our natural environment is for each of us to adopt a united and sustainable mentality. This means we have to change our production and consumption patterns... period.
.png)
Be the solution - Choose Sustainability
Responding to these challenges not only requires a system-based approach that addresses the range and complexities in a holistic and sustainable manner, but also lots of small actions, every single day, by each of us. As individuals, we can play a vital role to combat global warming by living a greener sustainable life. But living a sustainable life means "doing things differently." Each of us must start to measure, monitor, and reduce our carbon footprint i.e. we eat differently, manage our waste effectively, and use products to help us preserve our natural world so we can have a sustainable future.
It's time we respect the boundaries of our natural world
There is no "Planet B"
Give Simpler, Give Greener
Sustainability measures can start with very simple tiny steps. Throughout 2024 we are advocating for each household, however big or small, to set aside some time and reflect on our daily habits, traditions, and activities to see where there are opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint and live a more sustainable-friendly lifestyle. We can come up with sensible waste-management change plans at home to create less waste in our natural environment – reduce, reuse, recreate, recycle. Give memorable non-material gifts like a massage, art class, music/dance class, or pay for someone's groceries or rent. If you have to give a physical gift, consider wrapping it with fabric that can be reused. We can develop sustainable home and workplace policies and procedures starting with products used for gifting and other everyday choices that could impact our planet positively. Giving simpler and greener contributions by choosing reusable and sustainable alternatives instead of single-use products, will have a direct and significant impact on the amount of waste that enters our landfills and oceans.
No nature – No future
The green lungs of our planet should be protected
It is estimated that more than 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere due to deforestation mainly the cutting and burning of forests every year, and over 30 million acres of forests and woodlands are lost.
Climate change is real!
Human activity since the mid-20th century is responsible for global warming with carbon dioxide from natural resources increasing more than 250 times faster than it did since the last Ice Age. Ancient paleoclimate evidence found in tree rings, ocean sediments, coral reefs, and layers of sedimentary rocks, indicate that current warming is occurring roughly ten times faster than the average rate of ice-age-recovery warming. Another reality is the planet's average surface temperature has risen about 2°F during the 20th century, a change driven largely by the increased carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions into the atmosphere. Climate change is real, it is here, it's not invisible. Our activities created it, and the solution lies within the hands of human beings to reduce greenhouse gases and halt global warming.
Credit to Earth Science Communication Team at NASA
Plant a Tree Today
Forests are vital for life, and home to millions of species, they protect soil from erosion, produce oxygen, store carbon dioxide, and help control climate but we have one big problem "Deforestation" an important factor in global climate change. Climate change is caused by a build-up of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere - the more cutting and burning of forests, the more the climate of our planet will change dramatically. Despite ongoing efforts to tackle the regulation of deforestation, these endeavors remained ignored or have had little impact. To fill this governance gap, where governments and intergovernmental institutions do not contribute much to problem-solving, small businesses, and private citizens – young and old –need to join in the fight to harness a greener, livable, sustainable world. "Plant a tree, gift a tree, save a tree" and you'll be keeping your lungs green and alive.
Credit photo Pixaby
Photo credit Pixaby
It's compelling!
At the end of the last ice age when the Northeast United States was covered with more than 3,000 feet of ice, average temperatures were only 5° to 9° degrees cooler than today.
A strong, green recovery could limit the rise in temperature to 2°C.
Be a difference-maker
Credit photo: Piixabay
If we are to create change in our world, we need to first have an intimate awareness of the issues that plague our planet, and a belief that the ability to change is within each of us. What follows is the desire, and then the knowledge of how to affect that change. in our everyday life, for example, we are consumers of energy, and the majority of this energy comes from burning fossil fuels resulting in carbon emissions that have devastating environmental consequences. We must actively engage in ways to stop the cycle of over-consumption and be a part of the solution to reduce the waste of energy that would help to build a better and more sustainable world. It starts with us — we have the power to create this change, and that change needs to start now.
By GreenTalkSolutions Ambassador Ryma Leonidas ATYBACY
Households switching to renewable electricity could curb carbon by some 1.5 tonnes per capita (Credit: BBC Science Matt McGrath)
Glaciers have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes are breaking up earlier, plant and animal ranges have shifted, and trees are flowering sooner. Big deal! In fact, 2°F sounds minuscule, right? Wrong! It's an unusual event in our planet's recent history. Earth's climate record, preserved in tree rings, ice cores, and coral reefs, shows that the global average temperature is stable over long periods of time. These small changes in temperature correspond to enormous changes in the environment. If we don't curb our lifestyles and consumption patterns significantly, we will continue to contribute to an already fragile planet. We should all care!
Who cares?
We use way too much energy
Photo credit Pixaby
Credit photo: Pixabay
Credit photo Pixaby
NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland lost an average of 279 billion tons of ice per year between 1993 and 2019, while Antarctica lost about 148 billion tons of ice per year. Credit: NASA Global Climate Change
Credit photo: Pixabay
Credit : dassel Pixabay
Without sustainability,
our food security is threatened
Sustainability is an integral part of food security planning
A range of pressures including rapid population growth, changes in consumption patterns, weather events associated with climate change, land degradation, biodiversity, and the most recent COVID-19 pandemic, are contributing to food insecurity. Today, more than 800 million people in the world are hungry, 2 billion people are suffering from micronutrient deficiencies, and 2 billion people are overweight or obese (UNEP.org). The pressure that food systems place on the environment is a huge problem. According to the UN Environment Programme, food systems are currently responsible for 70 percent of the water extracted from nature, cause 60 percent of biodiversity loss, and generate up to a third of human greenhouse gas emissions. Evidently, by producing food, we contribute significantly to climate change, which in turn is threatening food security. Perhaps, one of the most pressing issues our world faces, is how we will feed our growing population of 10 billion, anticipated by 2050, with a healthy and sustainable diet. Scientists and experts agree that feeding a growing population with a healthy sustainable diet will be impossible without transforming our eating habits, improving our food production, and reducing waste. But, perhaps the most immediate and pressing problem is 'climate change' – if unaddressed, food prices could continue to rise, availability could drop, and the consequences could create limited access to food globally. In spite of some progress between farmers and scientists working together to mitigate the effects of climate change, the pressing concern is moving us toward a more sustainable food system that would make our farms more resilient while keeping our food supply secure, affordable, and reliable. (Read more ...)
The adoption of healthy diets from sustainable food systems would help our planet and improve health
Credit: Healthy Diets From Sustainable Food Systems
According to the UN Global Humanitarian Overview 2021, hunger is rising and COVID-19 will make it worse. This is alarming, and it should be! The pandemic has only magnified what we continue to ignore – global food systems. Indeed, the pandemic has disrupted livelihoods across the globe causing food insecurity to increase dramatically; some regions could experience a 135 percent rise in food insecurity by 2021. Moreover, the cost of a basic food basket rose by more than 10 percent in 20 countries during the second quarter of 2020, and with other pre-existing vulnerabilities such as conflicts, extreme climate events, water scarcity, pollution, economic downturns, food insecurity is set to get much worse unless unsustainable global food systems are addressed urgently. Another crisis is that soils around the world are being depleted, with an estimated 33 percent already being degraded; on top of that, food production and the provision of vital ecosystems are being endangered along the way. Sadly, the pandemic may have also unraveled nearly 15 years of hunger reduction in Latin America and the Caribbean alone, along with a 269 percent jump in 2020 for people who are acutely food insecure (CFR.org). Experts are now warning that food insecurity will persist even if economies recover in 2021. While the world waits on "divine" interventions from governments, aid groups, and other organizations, we each can create our own short-term intercessions until long-term reforms are put in place to make our food systems more resilient. We can start by turning old habits into new sustainable actions.
Each of us can support environmental sustainability if we rethink and redefine the way we eat, and how we produce food by making little adjustments along the way. For instance, plate portions have a direct correlation to food wastage; so in practical terms, when adopting a sustainable diet, plate portions can make a big difference for a sustainable food system. Also, moving to a new dietary pattern will require substantial dietary shifts causing global consumption of less healthy foods such as red meat and sugar to decrease by more than 50%, while our consumption of nuts, fruits, vegetables, and legumes must be doubled, according to Professor Walter Willett MD Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Setting targets for healthy diets and sustainable food production and actions can support and speed up food system transformation. Find out more in the EAT-Lancet commission report .. (Read more ...)
The UN suggests embracing a vegetarian lifestyle can curb carbon emissions by half a tonne per person.
 Bowl of Grains |
|---|
 Coriander Seeds |
 Varieties of Grain |
 Barley Grains |
 Pumpkin Seeds |
 Potatoes and Roots |
 Potatoes |
 Potatoes |
 Seed Delivery |
 Peeled Corn |
 Almonds |
 Seed Delivery |
 Super Health Food |
 Pistachios |
 Stalks of Wheat |
 Meet with Vegetables and Bread Crumps |
|---|
 Vegetables and Herbs |
 Green Salad |
 Vegetables |
 Tropical Fruits |
 Freshly Picked Food |
 Artichoke Spread |
 Veggie Poke |
 Fresh Green Dip |
 Carrots |
 Healthy Diet |
 Healthy Green Smoothies |
 Green Goodness |
 Rocket Salad |
 Okra Basket |
Did you know that consumption trends can increase pressures on land, water, and genetic resources? Did you also know, that adopting a more sustainable and healthy diet is not only protective, but it's respectful to our biodiversity and ecosystems if we simply optimize our natural resources? As climate change worsens the threat to our global food security, and scientific projections become even more daunting, we have to do better to prepare for what lies ahead. It means, we have to manage our natural resources effectively and adopt healthy diets from a sustainable food production system that operates within planetary boundaries for food. The Eat-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health report demonstrates why diet and food production must radically change to not only improve health but also avoid potentially catastrophic damage to the planet (Read more ...)
The lack of response towards more sustainable living at multiple levels suggests a lack of social and moral responsibility. We have to respond! Without action, we risk failing to protect our future and so we must have an urgent and radical approach toward the transformation of our global food supply. (Read more ...)
With a holistic approach, it should help move us to a more sustainable food system.
The significance of the sustainable development of our planet should be treated with urgency — so also is improving the world's agriculture and the overall transformation of the global food system. Food production, climate change, the deterioration of biodiversity, and other environmental issues are not the only challenges confronting us today — sadly, we have some 3 billion malnourished people. As we adapt to agricultural change, humanity has to also address the fact that at least one billion people do not have access to sufficient calories (FAO 2014) and two billion-plus people lack sufficient nutrients (WHO and FAO 2014), while at the same time, over 2 billion people consume too many calories (Ng et al. 2014), So how do we balance this under-and-overconsumption? With the human population anticipated to reach 10 billion by 2050, and food consumption patterns changing rapidly, the average wealth increases will lead to the consumption of more food overall, and particularly more meat (Kearney 2010). Of particular concern, is the dietary change leading to overconsumption, a disproportionate impact on consumption per person. Ironically, experts believe we can already feed 10 billion people; however, to combat this challenge we need to urgently manage, rather than meet demand starting with a more balanced consumption and production approach in which agriculture plays a key part in the overall global food system.
 Vegetable Garden |
|---|
 Bees at Work |
 Picking Weeds |
 Net Covering Crops |
 Wheat Crop |
 Greenhouse |
 Harvest Work |
 Urban Gardening |
 Irrigation System |
 Free Range Poultry Farm |
 Harvesting |
 Seedlings |
 Dairy Farm |
 Farm Field |
 Organic Vegetable Farm |
