How many earths are we using now?
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1.3. That’s right - we’re using nearly a third more of earth’s resources than it can replace. It’s like using your credit card every month to support your lifestyle. We all know that it’s not sustainable for long. Eventually you’ll have a big bill to repay - and one that may take a really long time to pay off. That’s what is happening with our little earth. Until now, the earth’s resources have been plentiful enough to support us, but now we’re liquidating them at an increasing rate.
By 2050, the world’s population is estimated to surpass 9 billion, increasing demand for these resources. If we continue living as we are - and do not find new ways to meet our lifestyle demands we’ll need two Earth’s to support us. Sir Nicholas Stern of the well-known Stern Report, states that we have 10 years to fix the problem before irreversible change hits us at home.
So what are the biggest resource hogs and what’s being done now?
The top three are housing, transportation and food, which use 72% of the world’s materials, produce 65% of total carbon dioxide and make up 63% of the global ecological footprint. Our impact on the planet has more than tripled since 1961. Changing this will require big changes in how we think and act in our homes, lives and in business.
This is tough stuff - and can be a bit scary, but The World Wildlife Federation has developed a framework to help. It’s called One Planet Business® and is a guide for making big changes in how businesses think and operate. The goal is to not live on credit - we’ve got to find ways to live within our means. We in the US produce most of the pollution, but China is catching up - and will surpass us 2010. In fact, right now, 50% of China’s rivers are so polluted that they’re unusable for any purpose.
One Planet Living - WWF
The WWF has produced a report for us on living within our means. It’s One Planet Living. Check out the full report here. In the meantime, here’s their take on what you can do now:
At Home
- Turn lights and appliances off when not in use
- Install cavity wall and loft insulation
- Fit energy efficient lights and appliances
- Switch to a green tariff
- Insulate the hot water tank and lag hot water pipes
- Turn down the thermostat by 1 degree
- Draughtproof your home and draw the curtains at night
- Fit a water meter and a flush saver in your cistern
- Don’t water the lawn and use rainwater to water plants
- Leave a wild area in your garden
- Buy food that is in season
- Cut down on meat and dairy produce
- Waste less food
- Compost organic waste
- Buy fairly traded goods
- Buy local food
- Try growing your own fruit and veg
- Avoid heavily processed products
- Drink tapwater, not bottled water
- Buy MSC certified sustainable fish and fish products
- Reduce car use, especially for short journeys (less than 2 miles)
- Walk and cycle more
- Avoid unnecessary travel
- Use public transport instead of the car
- Car share if driving is unavoidable
- Buy the smallest car that fits your needs
- Switch off your engine whilst stationary
- Take holidays closer to home
- Fly less, avoiding short haul flights (less than 500km) wherever possible
- Offset your flight emissions if air travel is unavoidable
- Avoid over-packaged goods
- Use local shops
- Run the washing machine at 30 degrees where possible
- Use kerbside recycling schemes and recycling centres
- Run the fridge at between 3-5 degrees
- Don’t buy patio heaters, peat compost or pesticides for your garden
- Donate unwanted goods and buy recycled and second hand products
- Reuse envelopes and jiffy bags
- Use rechargeable batteries rather than disposable ones
- Boycott unethical products
Food
Travel
And a few other things…
Also join Thinkfrog’s Million Faces Project to preserve rainforests - our most important tool for absorbing all the carbon we produce. It’s just $10 plus your favorite self portrait! The problem is real. It’s now. And we can do something about it and perhaps have a little fun in the process - this will be one of the largest photo albums in the country.
April 5, 2008 No Comments
