David and Goliath

This is a really inspiring project from the WWF.
I believe this project has real promise. We need to get the companies with us instead of fighting against them, especially the big multinationals. I'm not saying it's easy, but neither is fighting against such a powerful corporation.
David against Goliath is an inspiring story, but what would the result be if they work together?

Sustainable Living: Turning off the lights

Most of us have been told to turn off the lights when we leave the room since we were small, even if it was mostly for financial cost. However, the financial cost effectiveness of turning off the lights varies according to what type of bulb you use and the cost of electricity. We all know that different lightbulbs have different efficiencies and this will obviously impact the cost of leaving the lights on.
However, did you know that different bulbs have different operating lives? The operating life is in turn influenced by how many times the light is turned on and off; i.e. the more they are turned on and off, the shorter their lifespan.

Incandescent lights are the least effective and release approximately 10 % of their energy as light and the remaining 90% as heat. Turning the lights off is therefore extra beneficial in warm climates as it could save you some energy on the airconditioning.

Halogen lights are more efficient, but it is still best to turn these lights off when not needed as they are not as efficient as CFL or LED lights.

CFL lights are very efficient, making the financial cost calculation a bit more complicated, and should be turned off if you are leaving the room for a longer period of time (>15 minutes). As their lifespan shortens with turning on and off, you will have to buy new ones quicker, therefore spending not only more money, but also creating more waste. These lamps also tend to use a lot of energy to get started so even in this regard it is best to turn them off only if it is for longer periods of time.

The operating life of LED lighting is not affecting by on and off switching and they almost instantly reach full brightness. This is therefore the most advantageous lighting for both financial and environmental sustainability.

When in doubt, turn off the lights if you are leaving the room for more than 15 minutes. If you are a forgetful person like me, you have plenty of automated options. There are timers, motion sensors or light sensors available to enable the light to turn on or off under certain conditions.

Most importantly, switch to LED lights whenever possible.

Sustainable Living: Public Transport

The amount of energy consumed per person per km is significantly reduced if you take public transport compared to a private car. This effect is multiplied if it is a public transport vehicle using alternative fuels or electricity. In addition, it is often cheaper than owning a car. The further your daily travelling distance, the cheaper it gets. In certain countries the price will be more or less equal, but this is not taking into account the investment in acquiring a private vehicle nor the maintenance entailed. In many cases the government will subsidize public transport, making it even more profitable.

Public transportation can save 340 million gallons of fuel and 37 million metric tonns of CO2. Even those who do not use the public transportation system benefit from it as it greatly reduces congestion and therefore also travel time. Public transportation also reduces energy consumption and the general air quality.

Despite its reputation, it can actually help reduce stress. Instead of being stuck in traffic, you can use your travel time to relax, talk to a friend, read or listen to music.

 

Sustainable Living: Vegetarian Day

The amount of fossil fuels needed to produce meat-centered diet is three times more than that of a vegetarian diet. One calorie of meat protein requires 78 calories of fossil fuel as opposed to the 2 calories of fossil fuel required to produce one calorie of protein from soy beans.

Deforestation is aggrevated by livestock production. The rainforests are especially sensitive and 55 square feet of tropical rainforest is consumer in every quarter-pound.

Meat is inefficient as 90% of protein is wasted by cycling grain through livestock. Livestock eat 80% of corn grown in the US as opposed to the 20% eaten by people. It is following Pareto's law perfectly.

Regardless of personal views or dietary preferences, it is clear that a vegetarian diet is more environmentally sustainable. However, even from a human perspective, slaughters are one of the professions with the highest turnover and a high risk of injury.

However, humans were made omnivores and many of us find it difficult to completely eradicate meat from our diets. So why not instate a vegetarian day? Start small, set one day in the week where you skip the steak. One day is not so difficult. We can all do one vegetarian day per week. It can improve our health and reduce our carbon footprint. In an age of obesity and high cholesterol, I think we could all gain from one vegetarian day per week.

Sustainable Business: Consumer Awareness and Demand

Many argue that it is costly to be socially or environmentally sustainable, particularly for businesses, but consumers are becoming more and more aware. As we are witnessing the results of global climate change more intensively in our daily lives, we are starting to become more aware and more active in this area. It is a shame, but we really do believe it when we see it. Despite scientific evidence, we react much more strongly to real life experience.

Scientists have researched this for many years and climate science has been referring to our period as the "anthropocene" for a reason; this is a time of such abnormal climatic change that it must be due to human intervention. Though this research has multiplied over time, there are still many non-believers out there. Various conferences between nations have started to discuss this issue, which in turn have provided more financial support for science in this area. Where is this coming from?

The Climate Conference in Durban 2011 was a turning point as it received more publicity and debated a few controversial topics. The most controversial discussion was probably that of climate refugees. Many of the smaller pacific islands such as Kiribati will be flooded if global warming continues at the rate it is currently going and continuously increasing the global ocean levels. They requested refugee status, seeking refuge in neighboring Australia and New Zealand. This is a very controversial issue as it would require not only recognizing human induced climate change and the resulting rise in sea levels, but also that this poses a real threat to civilisations. It will involve creating and recognizing a new category of refugee; a climate refugee. This is turn will have new political consequences.

While I'd like to believe people are interested in science and up to date on the latest politics, I believe the biggest influence in climate awareness has been that of the daily life. For one, this conference brought attention to the fact that normal people will be impacted by this. People could lose not only quality of life, but even their homes and even countries. No matter that we are talking about relatively small countries in both area and population, the gravity of this situation has shocked people to awareness.

Not only does climate change threaten this specific area, we are seeing the effects of this more and more across the globe. While there is no certain proof yet of the connection to tectonic events such as earth quakes and tsunamis, there is already a suspicion that this is related. It is relatively certain however, that the climatic catastrophes of hurricanes, tropical storms, tornadoes and typhoons are becoming more and more frequent as well as more powerful. Droughts and floods are also becoming more frequent and more severe. This is an eye opener for us all and forcing us to rethink our habits and lifestyles. It is costing us too much to continue in the same manner

Consumers are starting to think more about sustainability issues and business is reflecting this. It is more common for businesses to have a sustainability policy of some sort as sustainability is becoming more profitable, resulting in a better market for conscious consumers. This is not infallible as many aspects are still lacking or insufficient, but it is a general positive trend that is making sustainable production more profitable and more common.