Don’t you just want to wake up one day without reading any bad news for a day? You can, but not in this world.
Personally I just want news to be different but alas, nulla nova, bona nova. You’ve got some crazy president saying some stupid things again, the common public decided to do something not-so-smart together just cause we’re both and have nothing to do or worry about, it’s not as if there isn’t nothing to wonder or ponder about.
I spend my waking hours wondering mainly about three main things – how I can live my life better (and meet my retirement goals), the world’s ongoing climate problems AND how to fix it. So I want to talk about the last point – fixing it.
We knew since a few decades ago the things we do in our daily lives, regardless intentional or not is having an impact of life on earth. Here’s some examples of the impact:
Columbia Glacier, Alaska, has retreated by 6.5 km (4 miles) between 2009 (left) and 2015 (right)(Credit: James Balog and the Extreme Ice Survey)
The last of Indonesia’s tigers – the Sumatran Tiger – less than 400 today are holding on for survival in the remaining patches of forests on the island of Sumatra. Accelerating deforestation and rampant poaching mean this noble creature could end up like its extinct Javan and Balinese relatives.
It’s not that there isn’t anything being done to fix all the damages we have wrought, but it’s just that they are not gaining enough attention. Nulla nova, bona nova.
The UN established the bold 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals outlined are to simply guide the world towards a sustainable, non-destructive, balanced earth. It is not the means to the end but the end that is outlined. The means, the ways, the methods – that is up to us, and some of us, in fact of us has have made some success with ideas or businesses that are catalyzes these ideas. Though we are too late to recover, but I believe that every bit of effort counts, and it’s always better to do something rather than nothing.
We need to be less wasteful.
Most of our waste come from convenience. The convenience of having things made with cheap, easily available materials. Disposable smartphone chargers, paper cups in the office, disposable chopsticks, online shopping packaging, Microbeads in face washes (thank god we wised up), straws. Anything that is purpose-made single-use, disposable for average consumer to use – these must stop. I’m not saying to those items meant for emergencies. Sell water in reusable drums or containers, stop using disposable paper cups, plastic spoons, forks, wooden stirers, reduce packaging in goods purchase online.
3M did come up with an interesting way to replacing those oversized not efficient boxes, now they’re just waiting for companies to buy their invention
Beyond we need to start finding ways of recovering precious resouces from wastes generated. There must be a way to change the way the economy works that precious materials can be recovered from land fill at a profit. Aside from the issue of hyperconsumerism, we have a opportunity to make a proper profit (USD 63b!!) while cleaning the earth.
Integrate efficient tech seamlessly without additioanl cost.
I’ve compiled a list of tech and new ways of doing things that can replace current energy/resource consuming services and conveniences today.
Standard Air-conditiong
Refit current and future buildings with better building materials, smart glass and window panels and alternative cooling methods outlined here and here
Never give up hope. If you can’t AT LEAST live responsibly.
Though we can’t seem to catch a break from the constant flow of bad news, or environmental bad news (remember nulla nova, bona nova?), we cannot give up hope. Though you and I may not be able to think up solutions that can help save the world a paper at a time, but the very least one can do is to not contribute to the problems we already. Here’s my rant of list of things you, and anyone can do:
- Buy responsibly, take the time to enjoy using things till they break instead of replacing them just cause you can barely afford that new shiny phone but some fruit’s company marketing message just did such a good job convincing you so.
- Paper cups? Why MUST you use a cup only ONCE? Just use a normal non-disposable cup like a grown-up.
- Keep a tote bag in your car, or in your backpack or handbag – ALL. THE. TIME.
- Entertainment venues – stop using printed tickets already. Go with times and start using QR codes, or bar codes or emails. If you have to – start charging consumers for printed tickets.
- Big companies out there – do you really, REALLY need to print everything out? Only print when you have to sign something. If you MUST print, print on both sides at least
- Before exporting your junk to 3rd world countries – have a good look at what you’re throwing away. It’ll give you a good indication of what you should tax next.