April 11, 2024
News
Are you concerned about the climate crisis and feel like there is nothing you can do about it as an individual? Everyone can protect our planet. Especially when a few simple steps can save not only the environment but also our money.
1. Don't waste food
Did you know that up to a third of all food in the world is wasted? That's about 1.3 billion tons a year. In addition, when organic waste is dumped in landfills along with municipal waste, its decomposition without access to oxygen releases methane, which is not only harmful to human health but also contributes to climate change. Food waste causes up to 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Yet there are many simple steps that can help us limit the food waste.
Leftover vegetables can be used to make stock. Old bread can be turned into breadcrumbs or croutons for soup. Food waste can also be prevented by proper storage, such as preserving or fermentation.
Composting organic leftovers not only prevents food waste, but also provides a valuable substrate for plants. Living in an apartment doesn't have to be a barrier to composting these days; all you need to set up an earthworm farm is a box, organic scraps and a few earthworms. You can practice composting in small quantities and use the home-made substrate for balcony planting.
2. Save energy at home
The energy industry is by far the biggest polluter of our planet. It pollutes air and water, contributes to global warming and produces huge amounts of waste. Small steps in our lives can save a lot of energy, and therefore a lot of money.
For example, if you turn down your heating by just a few degrees, you can significantly reduce your heating costs each year. You can also save money when cooking. For example, by always boiling only the amount of water you use and nothing extra. A simple lid is also a great help - using it reduces cooking time by up to four times, which means four times less electricity consumption on an electric cooker.
You can save energy by placing the fridge away from the stove, which would heat it up unnecessarily. Replacing conventional light bulbs with more efficient LED lighting will save money, too.
3. Eat less meat and more vegetables
Did you know that 14.5% of greenhouse gases are caused by meat production? The greenhouse effect caused by their accumulation is one of the main reasons for global warming.
Small steps can make a difference. If you cut out one portion of beef a week, you'll save the planet the same amount of pollution in one year as if you cut out 500 kilometers of driving. A greener and cheaper alternative may also be to choose chicken or turkey, which produce significantly fewer emissions.
But meat can easily be replaced in the diet with vegetables and legumes. For the least impact on the planet, choose local vegetables that are in season and therefore do not need to be imported.
4. Travel green
Car and air travel are the least environmentally friendly choices of all. This is because fuel production creates huge amounts of greenhouse gases and requires large amounts of energy.
In cities, you can choose cycling or public transport instead of a car. Today, you don't even need to own a bike. Many cities offer a bike-sharing service. In Prague, for example, bikes can be rented on a public transport card.
For longer journeys, you can take the train instead of a plane or car. Tickets that you buy in advance are often significantly cheaper than a plane. Most companies also offer a flexible ticket that allows you to cancel or change the date of your journey. Another option is the Interrail Pass, which offers a bulk discount on international tickets.
5. Bring your own coffee cup
Plastic cups have been largely replaced by paper ones. That is still not a win for the planet though. In fact, paper cups are often coated with plastic and come with a plastic lid. This makes them almost impossible to recycle.
Many cafés already offer a discount on purchases if customers bring their own cup or use a returnable cup for a deposit.
6. Leave plastic bags at the supermarket
Around 160,000 plastic bags are used every second globally. Only 9% of plastic waste is recycled. Tons of plastic end up in landfills or in the oceans every year, where it threatens the health of animals, plants and even us humans.
Plastic bags in supermarkets are already mostly charged for. So it is better for your wallet and the planet to carry a cloth bag you already have at home, or to reuse bags from previous purchases. Vegetable and fruit bags are no longer a necessity in the supermarket. You can buy loose groceries completely without them, or in cloth bags.
7. Choose eco-friendly fashion
The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of greenhouse gas emissions and uses more energy than aviation and shipping combined. Clothing production uses a huge amount of water - a staggering 2,700 liters of water is needed to produce one cotton T-shirt. In addition, the dye from the clothes pollutes the waste water with toxic chemicals.
The biggest problem of all in the fashion industry is excessive shopping. If we want to protect our planet, we need to reduce the purchase of unnecessary clothing. Shop wisely and choose pieces that are of good quality - for example, from brands that produce timeless clothing made from natural materials. You will not have to replace clothes as often because they won't go out of style and will last a long time in your wardrobe.
You can also find interesting pieces in second hand stores. Or you can organise a clothes swap with your friends and save a lot of money and protect our planet.
8. Delete spam and bulk emails
We all know from childhood that waste has to be sorted and recycled. But we often forget about our virtual waste. All data, such as emails, is stored in data centers, which consume huge amounts of electricity and produce carbon dioxide that is harmful to our planet.
You can help our planet easily. Unsubscribe from emails you don't read, regularly delete spam emails, and delete emails you don't need after reading them. This will save you time in the future that you spend deleting emails every week. It also gives you an opportunity to stop the subscription to emails with new product updates that may tempt you to spend money unnecessarily.
9. Support organisations that care about our planet
Choose an organisation that is dedicated to protecting the environment and support them to continue their work. Whether it's planting trees, fighting plastic waste in the oceans, or teaching farmers in poor regions how to grow crops in the face of climate change, each of these activities deserves our support.
While financial support for these organisations won't save your wallet right away, it is a good investment in the long run. You are supporting the life of our planet. You can also support these organisations by volunteering or by sharing information about their work on social media or with friends. This will introduce their "mission" to more people and help you find new supporters.
What does Caritas Czech Republic do to protect the planet?
At Caritas Czech Republic, we care about our planet. Our help to people is closely linked to the protection of the environment. In Iraq and Zambia, we support farmers in adapting to climate change so that they can grow crops in spite of the changing climate. In Moldova and Georgia, we are introducing the benefits of composting, and in Mongolia we are helping to prevent plastic waste from flooding the beautiful countryside.
