On June 5th of each year, ‘World Environmental Day’ brings global leaders, governments, businesses and people from over one hundred and fifty countries together as part of a United Nations Programme to learn, share knowledge, and develop lasting solutions to create a more sustainable and regenerative world.
Each year, the event focuses on a different theme - raising awareness and bringing attention to the ever-increasing threats to our natural world.
This year, the event hosted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia focuses on land restoration, desertification and drought resilience.
“Governments and businesses have a leading role to play in reversing the damage humanity has done to the Earth” - Bruno Pozzi, Deputy Director of the Ecosystems Division of the United Nations Environment (UNEP). “But every day people also have a vital role to play restoration which is crucial to our future as a species.”
Here are seven ways to get involved in ecosystem restoration and World Environment Day as outlined in the practical guide #wearegenerationrestoration
1. Make agriculture sustainable.
2. Save the soil.
3. Protect pollinators.
4. Restore freshwater ecosystems.
5. Renew coastal Marine areas.
6. Bring nature back to cities.
7. Generate financing for restoration.
You may be thinking, ‘Yes, but what can I personally do?’
Sadly, many have the mindset that ‘individual and small change will have little or no effect’, which is often followed by a ‘so I won’t bother’ attitude, so changing that mentality and limiting belief is one that can be changed through education and a unified and combined effort of individuals and businesses.
Change has to start somewhere, and it can start small.
As individuals at home as well as at work, we can make small changes to bring awareness, be and engender positive change –
- Education – There is a wealth of knowledge out there; it just takes time, effort, a little interest, and the want to change for the better.
- Buy Organic food – Apart from the fact that it’s better for you, it supports better farming procedures, one which works in harmony with nature. As demand increases, more farmers will become organic and in time, the price of Organic produce will decrease.
- Eat seasonally and locally – eating food produced locally and in season reduces the carbon footprint of how the food was transported to your plate.
- Buy sustainably grown cotton clothing.
- Recycle and reuse – Don’t throw away and buy new; paint, mend, fix, swap and reuse furniture, clothes and household items to stop unnecessary waste and the constant production of new items.
- Support and become a member of charities that are already committed to creating a more sustainable world, such as the Soil Association.
- Change to a renewable energy supplier such as ‘Octopus’.
- Change to electric/heat pumps and energy-efficient storage heaters instead of using fossil fuels such as Gas or Oil.
- Use Biodegradable Household Products that do not return toxic and poisonous chemicals back to lakes, reservoirs and streams.
- Use energy-efficient lighting – Switch to LED lightbulbs, which last longer as well as use around 80% less energy than conventional lightbulbs.
- Choose suppliers who demonstrate a commitment to sustainability - such a B-Corp Companies
- Reduce water and energy consumption – Turn off lights, heating and other electrical sources when not being used and have shorted showers instead of baths.
- Compost and or ensure the use of the food waste service provided by your local council to reduce carbon monoxide emissions from landfills.
- Ensure your house is sufficiently insulated to avoid losing heat and using the heating unnecessarily.
- Plant Bee friendly plants and flowers to encourage more pollinators to your garden.
Business-specific Improvements
- Support and encourage remote working to reduce car emissions.
- Reduce waste.
- Recycle
- Become a B-Corp Business
- Choose suppliers who are B-Corp and demonstrate a commitment to sustainability.
- Encourage and support commuting schemes.
- Go paperless.
- Reduce water and energy consumption – Turn off lights, heating and other electrical sources when not being used.
Many companies have undergone rigorous and challenging tasks and investigations to become fully sustainable and regenerative businesses and achieve the globally recognised B-Corp certification. However, you don’t need to go whole hog to be able to do your bit.
There is a wealth of knowledge out there to educate and learn the ways in which businesses and individuals can have a lasting impact on improving environmental sustainability. - Start today!
References
Websites
UN Environmental Program - Seven Ways to restore land, halt desertification and combat drought
Available - https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/seven-ways-restore-land-halt-desertification-and-combat-drought
Environmental Resource Management
B- Corp – How to certify as a B-Corp
Available - https://bcorporation.uk/b-corp-certification/before-you-certify/how-to-certify-as-a-b-corp/
UNEP – Seven ways to restore land, halt desertification and combat drought
Available - https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/seven-ways-restore-land-halt-desertification-and-combat-drought
Decarbonise your Home
Scholar Articles
Green Human Resource Management in Practice
Zihan, W.; Makhbul, Z.K.M.; Alam, S.S. Green Human Resource Management in Practice: Assessing the Impact of Readiness and Corporate Social Responsibility on Organizational Change. Sustainability 2024, 16, 1153. Available - https://doi.org/10.3390/su16031153
Disclaimer – I am not affiliated or connected to any of the companies I have written about. The recommendations are solely my own opinion and are not being advertised for profit.
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