From environmental concern to action Why and where to start
i viewed sustainable living
as something incredibly difficult i
thought it required an enormous amount
of time and
money it seemed like this living would
not take into account
my problems so why would i care
it just seemed like i need to sacrifice
too much
i also didn’t know what kind of effects
climate change has
even the name global warming did not
sound
threatening to me climate is changing so
what yes i was aware of hurricanes and
wildfires in america
heat waves in europe food and water
shortages somewhere else
however all of that has nothing to do
with ukraine
seems like it’s a safe zone in here will
it always be a safe zone
of course not but i still didn’t act
you see anywhere i heard about climate
change
i only heard yelling blame doom and
gloom
it seemed like i as an individual
could make no difference so i would like
to feel at least
some level of positivity it’s been
proven that people who are hopeful
not worried are more likely to act
but to me so far there was nowhere to
start and no reason to
until 10 months ago when i tried
something
that got me into sustainable living
that is when i watched a documentary
about
veganism only because the description
said it was about
vegan bodybuilders which was insane to
me
yet it turned out to be so inspiring
that i became a vegetarian along with my
mom
who watched it too and you know what
it turned out to be easier than i
expected
the only preparation it requires is just
recipes to cook
and loads of those can be found on the
internet
and the best part is it doesn’t have to
be expensive
you don’t need artificial meat to be a
vegetarian
you don’t need to eat only grass
you can go on eating ordinary products
that is
rice buckwheat mushrooms eggs
and all the greens and vegetables in the
world
once i stopped eating meat i truly
discovered all the fruits and vegetables
out there
as it turns out milk fish and mate are
not as crucial to us
as we were told for i feel better than i
did
and my mom too
now how did this documentary make us act
it was the approach it proved that
even by improving my health i helped the
environment
and that’s easy it also mentioned
what effects the livestock industry has
for example did you know that animal
agriculture
accounts for more greenhouse gas
emissions than all the planes trains and
automobiles put together
also 13 000
liters of water are needed to produce
just
one kilo of beef for the same amount of
wheat it’s just one thousand liters
and okay let’s say you drink two liters
of water per day
you would drink those 13 000 liters
for 18 years 18.
so a plant-based diet is largely
beneficial to the planet
and animals but most importantly
to ourselves and
here is the thing once i started with
the intention to make
my life better i later wanted to do
more to learn and contribute more
it became a lifestyle i want to follow
and then i researched what else i can do
is there another simple option as a
plant-based diet turned out to be
the answer is yes and that is slow
fashion
when you buy less but better quality or
sharp secondhand
and i think this is an underrated
solution
because the fashion industry is the
second
largest polluter in the world
just after oil and it’s much easier
effect fashion isn’t it another shocking
fact 10
000 liters of water are needed to make a
single
pair of jeans
these are my only genes and i wear them
all the time
but seriously ten thousand liters
that’s enough for you to take shower
every day for six months
or drinking that water for 14 years
this is just crazy for a pair of jeans
and the production process is pretty
dirty too
just to show you how much water it
pollutes
that that is the river in china
they even say that you can predict the
color of the next fashion season
just by looking at the river and so
overall slow fashion turned out to be
pretty easy too
it just saves you time and money i can
say that for sure
and so these two solutions veganism and
slow
fashion are not only simple
they benefit both me and the environment
it’s a win-win that’s how they got me
into sustainable living
and i don’t stop on that i dive more and
more into this lifestyle
and i love it that
all is great but as my friend asked
do you really think you make a
difference
now researching climate change not only
have i found solutions
but i also understood one important
thing
about this global issue the one that
made me act
it is enough to start by doing something
simple from a single individual
as they say think globally act locally
start improving your lifestyle then
the chain of consequences will go up and
up
until it reaches the global level and
there
industries are going to change
and here is the thing about these
so-called giants
it is up to us customers to decide
how powerful that industry is
and on that global level
your action improves not only you or the
environment
but it can also resolve many other
global issues
as for example food and water shortages
low air quality
and poverty because
global issues are interconnected
their solutions are too
improving living conditions in
developing countries
automatically means fighting climate
changing
we see places with patterns of extreme
weather
experience and hunger the fashion
industry
impacts the lives of people in
bangladesh india
and china and not for good
but we can change it so
as it turns out there is so much we can
do about climate change
and and we have so many reasons to do it
and that’s easy because we don’t need a
handful of people doing it perfectly we
need millions
doing it imperfectly we can make earth a
better place for
all of us improve ourselves
isn’t it beautiful to participate in
something like this
thank you