Tips to « save your planet »
1. REDUCE YOUR OWN CARBON FOOTPRINT 👣
This is an easy one! We can all reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by turning off the lights when we leave a room (it actually does make a difference!), using energy efficient appliances, turning down the thermostat, carrying out an energy audit for our homes and businesses, shifting to compact fluorescent light bulbs, taking public transit whenever possible, buying fuel efficient vehicles, vacationing close to home, and flying less.
2. OFFSET YOUR CARBON EMISSIONS 🍃
You can also neutralize all or part of your greenhouse gas emissions by investing in carbon mitigation projects. The idea is to pay an organization that will tangibly and verifiably curb its own GHG emissions to neutralize yours and make you carbon neutral. The process is known as carbon offsetting. The offsetting is achieved through the purchase of carbon credits. Each credit represents one tonne of carbon dioxide.
3. MIND YOUR SEAFOOD 🎣
One of the easiest things you can do to help take pressure off of over exploited fisheries is to learn about which seafood items are “ocean-friendly”. You can download and print a seafood guide from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Want a quick guide for what is safe to eat? Click here for a list.
4. NO MORE PLASTIC 🚯
Let’s be the generation that rejects the unnecessary use of plastic. There are so many avoidable uses of plastic and we need to speak out, write to companies, request stores downsize their packaging, and take every opportunity to avoid single-use plastics.
5. SUPPORT MARINE PROTECTED AREAS 🌊
Did you know that barely 5% of our oceans are protected? According to the UN, we need to protect at least 10% by 2020 if we want to maintain our planet’s ecological integrity. Click here to learn more about Marine Protected Areas and how to support new proposals.
6. SHIFT YOUR DIET 🍖
The beef industry is one of the main causes of climate change. Just a simple shift from eating less or no beef, to a more vegetarian or low meat diet can have a huge impact on how rapidly our oceans cope with carbon inputs and warming trends.
7. AVOID PALM OIL 🌴
Palm oil may be the ultimate icon of globalization – an ingredient directly responsible for some of the world’s most pressing environmental problems that has nonetheless permeated our lives so stealthily we barely noticed. Because palm oil is literally in almost everything we buy, it takes a lot more resolve to educate ourselves. You can download a list of what to buy and what to avoid here.
8. SUPPORT A CARBON TAX 🏭
Carbon is present in every hydrocarbon fuel (coal, petroleum, and natural gas) and is released as carbon dioxide (CO2) when they are burned. A carbon tax is usually defined as a tax based on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) generated from burning fuels. It puts a price on each tonne of GHG emitted, sending a price signal that will, over time, elicit a powerful market response across the entire economy, resulting in reduced emissions.
9. USE YOUR INVESTOR POWER 💰
If you are lucky enough to own shares in companies, you have the option of investing in companies whose climate change policies you approve of and you can also divest (sell) shares of companies whose climate change policies you disapprove of, and most importantly, you can use your voice and vote on company policies as a shareholder.
10. BE MINDFUL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 🛢
Motor oil and other hazardous materials often end up washing into coastal areas because they aren’t disposed of properly. This pollutes the water and hurts the overall health of our oceans. Be sure to dispose of hazardous materials in an environmentally-safe way.
11. STICK YOUR HEAD BENEATH “THE THIN BLUE LINE” 🐋
From home, you can explore beautiful visual stories by collective photographers. And when you’re out and about, take every opportunity to stick your head under the thin, blue line and spend time in the ocean. You might hear whales singing or see a gathering of bioluminescent creatures.
You can also observe different animals and creatures on the ground. The important is: wherever you are, whatever time you have, take every opportunity you have to look at this beautiful nature, because some of it might disappear one day.
12. MAKE A DONATION TO SUPPORT SOME ORGANIZATIONS 🙌
100% of your donation makes a difference. Even if it is only one dollar. Support different organizations such as SeaLegacy, WWF-Canada, Greenpeace Canada, and more!
Create your own posters
There are multiple ways to protect you planet and your environment. One of them is to create some posters and thus inform people about what is happening to our planet. A lot of websites on which you can publish your own posters and print them exist. I am currently using Piktochart because it’s easy & simple to use. But there are plenty of other websites that you can find, it’s your choice!
Here are the posters that I designed (you can print it or use it as an example, it’s FREE to use!): OUR CLIMATE IS CHANGING or CLIMATE CHANGE IS HAPPENING NOW. I hope that it will be useful!
Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns in the « contact » section of this website!
L'Écho-Logique 