Heap Hope Angels

This year’s theme for World Environment Day (WED) is Your Planet Needs You! UNite to Combat Climate Change. But too often we are presented with environmental problems without being given the tools to act. WED is about taking action to be a part of the solution. And the Daily do something Tipsare a great start.

We can all do our part to protect the planet by using less and acting more. Going green is not as difficult as you might think. Here we walk you through 30 easy ways to green your daily routine, from the moment you hit snooze on your solar-powered alarm clock to the point when you crawl into your eco-washed, organic cotton sheets.

Make your WED commitment today. But don’t stop at today and don’t stop here. Try to incorporate all of these into your life as a matter of routine. Get others to do so the same. And get involved!

IN GENERAL:

• Plant a tree! Help achieve UNEP’s Billion Tree Campaign target of planting seven billion trees – one for every person on the planet – by the end of this year! Three billion are planted. Five billion are pledged. On every continent in the world trees can be planted in June, so start your efforts on WED.
• Find needy homes or charitable organizations for things that you no longer need or want rather than throwing it away.

DAILY ROUTINE:

MORNING…

Bathroom:

• It would seem to go without saying, but many of us forget that we can save water in simple ways like not letting the tap run while shaving, washing your face, or brushing your teeth.
• Insulating your water heater will help save valuable energy, and you can go the extra mile by installing showerheads with a low flow in your bathrooms for bathing purposes to help save water. You can also put a timer on your heaters to save power.
• Using an electric razor or hand razor with replaceable blades instead of disposable razors goes a long way to cutting back on waste. And plant a tree.
• Use towels for drying your face and hands instead of tissues that are used and thrown away. Also, hang your towels to dry so that they can be reused several times. You are after all clean when you use them!

Breakfast:

• Juice or yoghurt lovers can do their bit by buying juice in concentrates and yoghurt in reusable containers instead of single serving packages.
• Many of us like to leaf through the paper as we munch on breakfast, but consider reading the dailies in communal spaces like the office or coffee shops. However, if you prefer to have your own copy, make sure you recycle!
• When packing your lunch, opt for reusable containers for food storage instead of wrapping the food with aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
• As you leave the house, don’t forget to switch off all the lights and appliances at the wall unit (if you have this feature) and unplug chargers as they continue to consume even if they are not charging; saving energy helps reduce air pollution.

GETTING TO WORK:

• Don’t go anywhere without your cloth bag so you can just say no to plastic whenever you shop.
• Radical as it may seem, in today’s “the easier the better” society, the easiest way to reduce your carbon footprint is by avoiding driving altogether. Power down and Instead try biking, walking, carpooling, public transport or an occasional telecommute.
• If you have no other choice than to drive to work, look for the most fuel- efficient car model for your next purchase and keep your tyres inflated to the correct pressure.
• If you’re one of the lucky few blessed with clear stretches of road on your way to work, use cruise control, as it saves fuel and also helps you maintain a constant speed.
• If you’re among the majority of drivers who spend their mornings stuck in traffic, consider turning your engine off if you will be idling for long periods of time. And plant a tree.
• For those who suffer from road rage, remember that aggressive driving lowers your mileage, so if you want to save on fuel and save the planet while you’re at it, accelerate gradually– something to keep that in mind the next time that bad driver cuts you off! Just count to 10 and say the planet needs me!

AT WORK:

• Do you have a morning hot drink routine? Using a washable mug is an environmentally-friendly alternative to non-biodegradable styrofoam or plastic cups.
• Leave a cup and reusable bottle for water at work to eliminate buying drinks, which get served in plastic cups, or bottled water. 80% of plastic bottles are recyclable but only 20% are actually recycled.
• When you need a pad for lists and messages, turn over an old document and write on the back of that instead.
• If there isn’t an office recycling system, start one yourself! Recycling our trash actually contributes to reducing global warming emissions. And it is estimated that 75% of what is thrown in the trash could actually be recycled, though currently only 25% is.
• When you must have a paper copy, make sure you default your printer option to use both sides. This is an easy tree-saver!
• Most computer accessories like ink cartridges and CDs and DVDs are made of materials that could be reused. Computer cords and speakers are fairly standardized, meaning they can be used for a variety of computer models and makes.
• Lower your office’s carbon footprint by seeing computers, monitors, printers, copiers, speakers and other business equipment to their energy saving feature and turning them off at the end of the day. And plant a tree!
• Turning off all unnecessary lights, especially in unused offices and conference rooms is an easy way to save energy.
• If you’re in search of something to personalize your workspace, look no further than the humble houseplant. Houseplants are good for the environment because they remove quantities of pollutants present in the air.

AFTER A LONG DAY:

• In the summer/warmer months, consider using an interior fan in conjunction with your window air-conditioner to spread the cooled air more effectively through your home. While you’re at it, in winter, lower your thermostat and put on a jumper. In summer, increase it and wear lighter clothes, you will also save money!
• Don’t place lamps or TV sets near your air-conditioning thermostat as it senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air-conditioner to run longer than necessary.
• When cooking dinner, match the size of the pan to the size of the heating element to lower energy wastage.
• When you are feeling at your laziest, don’t throw clean clothes in the hamper to avoid hanging them up! Wear jeans more than once…
• When you wash, use only eco-friendly products in your home. It’s best for you and the environment! And did we mention plant a tree!

Source : United Nations Environment Programme

IT’S HARD TO STOMACH

• 800 million people are struggling to find their daily bread
• In Bangladesh a kilo of rice 56 cents, a day’s wages $1
• Children are fainting in school because they have not eaten in days
• Four children die from hunger every 30 seconds

EACH NIGHT MORE THAN 300 MILLION CHILDREN GO TO BED HUNGRY

An emerging global food crisis threatens to widen this tragedy by forcing an additional 100 million people into extreme poverty.

Knowing that children are going without food for one day is bad enough, but knowing that, because of the global food crisis, children are going without food for days on end is simply too hard to stomach.

Here in Australia we may be feeling the pinch of having to pay a few cents more for petrol and food, but it is those who already struggle to live on less than a dollar a day that are paying the worst price of all—the inability to feed their children.

WHAT IS THE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS?

Like a ‘silent tsunami‘ the global food crisis has caught the world off-guard and left millions of people struggling to survive.

Throughout almost every region of the developing world people are experiencing localised food insecurity, lack of access to food, or shortfalls in production or supplies. According to the World Bank, in the last three years global food prices have increased overall by 83 per cent. In many developing countries the cost of food staples like rice, wheat and corn has more than doubled in the last 12 months.

One sixth of the world’s population, nearly one billion people, already live on less than $1 day—the common measure of absolute poverty. Of those, 162 million struggle to survive on less than 50 cents a day. Rising food prices have the greatest effect on those people already struggling with food insecurity who spend 60 per cent or more of their income on food. According to the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation Jacques Diouf, there are now over 862 million people in the world without adequate access to food.

UPDATE ON THE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

Partly due to the global economic downturn, food prices have started to drop slightly after record spikes during 2008. However, it is expected that prices will remain substantially higher than pre-2005 levels and will continue to cause families living in poverty to decrease both the quantity and quality of nutrition.

As global economies begin to recover again, pricing pressures—particularly in developing nations—could even accelerate. Any decrease in food prices will most likely take longer to flow through and make a difference to the poor and will be less substantial than those seen in the markets of developed nations. The current macro-economic environment may be therefore be providing some broad temporary relief, but not a permanent reprieve from food price inflation, particularly for the poor.

Why is it happening?

All these factors converge to reduce the supply of staple foods like rice and wheat, making everyday food unaffordable for millions of people already living in poverty.

• Record high oil and fuel prices
• Natural disasters, including floods and drought
• A lack of adequate investment in the development of agriculture in developing countries
• The fluctuation in value of the US dollar
• Production of biofuels
• Increased speculation in the commodity markets
• Unfair trade practices
• Increased meat consumption
• A decrease in cereal reserves
• Food export controls
• Increasing urbanisation

Source : http://www.globalfoodcrisis.com.au

Source : World Vision UK

How you can help?

When you read that 1 billion people do not have access to clean water, the problem can seem huge. But there are small ways that you make a huge difference to one child, one family, one community – and together we can make real changes.

Water and Sanitation is one of the primary drivers of public health. I often refer to it as “Health 101”, which means that once we can secure access to clean water and to adequate sanitation facilities for all people, irrespective of the difference in their living conditions, a huge batter against all kinds of diseases will be won.”

Dr LEE Jong-Wook
Director-General, World Health Organization

Why water matters

This decade (2005 – 2015) has also been designated by the United Nations as the decade of “Water for Life”. But what’s changing? In light of this global focus, how are we progressing towards achieving the basic right of all people – to enjoy clean drinking water?

A world without water

• One in six people worldwide (1.1 billion people) remain without access to safe water 2.6 billion people lack basic sanitation
• This causes exposure to disease such as malaria, cholera, dysentery and typhoid
• Over 2.2 million children die every year of water-related diseases
• Water ‘poverty’ affects most poor people, but women are often the worst affected
• Women and girls in some regions spend as many as seven hours a day trekking for water that often isn’t fit to drink
• At any given time, close to half of all people in developing countries are suffering from a health problem caused by lack of access to clean water and sanitation.
• Water scarcity threatens to undermine progress made in reducing poverty and in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Water – a survival issue

Historically, poverty and with it the diseases that confound the attempts of poor people to lift themselves out of poverty, have always been more prevalent in water-scarce areas. Lack of water has always made poverty worse by narrowing choices. But, so too, the transformative power of water in the lives of communities is unparalleled. In nineteenth century inner-city England, safe water and sanitation stimulated the regeneration of squalid inner-city dwellings, reducing infant mortality rates and improving adult health.

In developing communities in the 21st century, improved access to safe water sources increases life expectancy and opens up choices- the choice to pursue an education or economic opportunities, the choice to participate in community activities, which enhance community cohesion. The choice to strive for positive social change. That’s why water is at the heart of World Vision’s work in water-scarce communities.

Source : World Vision UK

Australian graphic designer, Jamie, recently visited Cambodia for the first time and realised how different lives can be just a short plane trip away.

Source : World Vision Australia

Jess, a World Vision youth ambassador, has eaten ground-up tree bark, and knows how disgusting it is. See how it’s made, and find out why some of East Timor’s children have nothing else to eat.

Source : World Vision Australia

Source : World Vision Australia

Michael Douglas adds his voice to the call for wealthy nations to keep their promises about ending poverty, and says why you should add yours.

Credit: Make Poverty History