The importance of individual action.
Human activity is damaging our planet and destroying the natural ecosystems we rely on to survive. We need to change our behaviour and live more sustainably.
However, this current situation is not your fault, and your daily lifestyle is not responsible for the problems we face. You are just one person who lives in a much bigger system.
Governments and corporations are responsible for some of the most damaging practices on our planet today. They control the system we live in, and it is this system that needs to change.
You might be wondering what you can do to help. And that is what this Environmentally Conscious is for.
This website is for you, to show you how to reduce your impact on the environment. From the big stuff, to the little actions that might feel insignificant - but when they scale up can have big impacts.
More importantly, with the actions on this site, you can send a message to the companies responsible. You can be a change maker and use your money and actions as a market signal to influence up to businesses and Government.
Don't see these things as your responsibility, see them as opportunities to create change. Actions that will leverage up and challenge those who have created this unsustainable system.
We know there is a lot, but that is the point. There is so much you can do to make a difference.
A well-informed electorate can drive the conversation in the right direction, cutting through the nonsense and ensuring a serious response to climate change.
We can’t wait for elections to discuss the issues that are important to us. We need to talk to our local officials to tell them what topics we want addressed and what they should be focusing on.
Signing a petition lets your government, corporations and politicians know what issues need to be addressed and you can set the agenda for them to work to.
Companies want your money, so let’s make them work for it. Or deny it to them. We can leverage our decisions as consumers to influence for good simply by boycotting bad brands.
Switching to a green pension has an impact 27 times bigger than any other change you make. It is very easy, with most companies offering green pensions. If they don’t, make them.
Your money matters so put it somewhere where you know it will be invested ethically and sustainably. Triodos bank continually tops the list of environmentally friendly banks.
The 6 actions above are the most impactful things you can do. They will have the biggest influence on the world around you, and can lead to real change.
If you only want to do a few things, make sure you do these!
Below is a bigger list of actions that are smaller, but will still have an impact. These are all about lowering your own impact and reducing waste, and using your consumer power to challenge those responsible for the majority of emissions!
There is also a section on your diet and the food system at the bottom of the page.
While all the changes below are not for everyone - it is still good to know about them and to try them out if you want to help.
Let’s talk about food.
You may not like to hear it, but your diet has a big role to play in lowering emissions. The food system is one of the biggest areas of emissions on the planet, it is also one of the most inefficient. One third of all food that is produced is actually discarded before it even gets to the shop for you to buy. So imagine the wasted emissions associated with that inefficiency.
There is a lot to unpack when we talk about food. It is not just one thing to think about. There are roughly three things happening here - the amount, the carbon intensity of the meat, and the impacts of industrial faming practices being used to farm it.
Once again, it is time to use your consumer power to help influence the companies that are destroying these important ecosystems.
You don’t have to do anything you are not comfortable with, but even adopting some of these points could be really powerful.
The livewell principle developed by WWF lay out some fantastic steps people can take
And that is it.
You have so much power to make change. And with these actions, it is easier than ever.
The real question now is, how are you going to be more environmentally conscious?
