Making a Difference: UN's 12 Steps for Everyday Environmentalists

I'm always searching for ways that we, the regular folk, can help mitigate climate change. It always seems like the problems are so big, and we are so small, that nothing we do makes a difference.

Which is kind of depressing.

But the United Nations has some very good ideas - their 12 Actions for a Healthy Planet.

It gives me hope that we can turn this Titanic around before we end up sinking ourselves.

1. Save energy at home

Much of our electricity and heat are powered by coal, oil and gas.

We can use less energy by:

• reducing our heating and cooling use,
• switching to LED light bulbs and energy-efficient electric appliances,
• washing our laundry with cold water,
• hanging things to dry instead of using a dryer.

Improving our home’s energy efficiency, through better insulation for instance, or replacing our oil or gas furnace with an electric heat pump can reduce our carbon footprint by up to 900 kilograms of CO2e per year.

This is imminently doable. We love our solar and wind powered dryer (a.k.a. the clothesline and drying rack). And we did make the switch to a heat pump which seriously reduced our electricity consumption compared to the old electric baseboard heaters.

2. Switch Home Energy Source

We could ask our utility company if our home energy comes from oil, coal or gas. If possible, we could see if a switch to renewable sources such as wind or solar is possible. Or we could install solar panels on the roof to generate energy for our home. Switching our home from oil, gas or coal-powered energy to renewable sources of energy, such as wind or solar, can reduce our carbon footprint by up to 1.5 tons of CO2e per year. Here, in British Columbia, the vast majority of our electricity comes from hydro-electric dams. Given the controversy over the Site C dam expansion though, we can see the need for reducing our electricity use. 

3. Walk, bike or take public transport

The world’s roadways are clogged with vehicles, most of them burning diesel or gasoline. Walking or riding a bike instead of driving will reduce greenhouse gas emissions -- and help our health and fitness. For longer distances, we could consider taking a train or bus. And carpool whenever possible. Living car-free can reduce our carbon footprints by up to 2 tons of CO2e per year compared to a lifestyle using a car. 

I'd like to say that I rode my bike around town this summer but... I did not. I'll try again next spring.

4. Switch to an electric vehicle

If you plan to buy a car, consider going electric, with more and cheaper models coming on the market. In many countries, electric cars help reduce air pollution and cause significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions than gas or diesel-powered vehicles. But many electric cars still run on electricity produced from fossil fuels, and the batteries and engines require rare minerals which often come with high environmental and social costs. Switching from a gasoline or diesel-powered car to an electric vehicle can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 2 tons of CO2e per year. A hybrid vehicle can save you up to 700 kilograms of CO2e per year.

Given that our electricity in BC comes from hydro-electric dams, not fossil fuels, switching to an electric car from a gasoline vehicle would make a huge difference. The trick is finding one!

5. Consider your travel

Airplanes burn large amounts of fossil fuels, producing significant greenhouse gas emissions. That makes taking fewer flights one of the fastest ways to reduce your environmental impact. When you can, meet virtually, take a train, or skip that long-distance trip altogether. Taking one less long-haul return flight can reduce your carbon footprint by up to almost 2 tons of CO2e. 

This one makes me want to cry! Our train service in Western Canada is pathetic and ridiculously expensive. Compared to Europe, we live in the Dark Ages. And our huge distances means that driving or flying is the only way to get somewhere in a reasonable amount of time within a reasonable budget. And I don't even want to think about the Mexican vacation...

6. Reduce, reuse, repair and recycle

Electronics, clothes, plastics and other items we buy cause carbon emissions at each point in production, from the extraction of raw materials to manufacturing and transporting goods to market. To protect the climate, buy fewer things, shop second-hand, and repair what you can. Plastics alone generated 1.8 billion metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 – 3.4 per cent of the global total. Less than 10 per cent is recycled, and once plastic is discarded, it can linger for hundreds of years. Buying fewer new clothes – and other consumer goods – can also reduce your carbon footprint. Every kilogram of textiles produced generates about 17 kilograms of CO2e.

We do this!!! I think the only new clothing we buy is underwear, socks and sometimes hiking boots. Everything else we get secondhand. New clothing is soooo expensive and Fast Fashion means the latest trends will be out-of-date within a few months. We don't buy into that cycle. We also try to buy things second-hand. Facebook Marketplace is our friend! And we sell things there too, or give them away. Much better that our things find a second or even third or fourth home.

7. Eat more vegetables

Eating more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and less meat and dairy, can significantly lower your environmental impact. Producing plant-based foods generally results in fewer greenhouse gas emissions and requires less energy, land, and water. Shifting from a mixed to a vegetarian diet can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 500 kilograms of CO2e per year (or up to 900 kilograms for a vegan diet).

We do this too! We have added a little bit of chicken and fish back into our diet, for health reasons. But we still eat a tonne of legumes and other veg.

8. Throw away less food

When you throw food away, you're also wasting the resources and energy that were used to grow, produce, package, and transport it. And when food rots in a landfill, it produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. So purchase only what you need, use what you buy and compost any leftovers. Cutting your food waste can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 300 kilograms of CO2e per year. 

We try to do this too! Although we're always amazed at how food can get lost in a fridge and then make an appearance when it is ugly and moldy.

9. Plant native species

If you have a garden or even just a plant or two outside your home, check for native species. Use a plant identification app to help. And then think about replacing non-natives, especially any considered invasive. Plants, animals and insects depend on each other. Most insects will not eat non-native plants, which means birds and other species lose a food source. Biodiversity suffers. Even a single tree or shrub can offer a refuge – just remember to skip insecticides and other chemicals.

We do this too!! No insecticides for us. Er... well... maybe some wasp spray into a wasp nest that is proving to be problematic after multiple stings. But other than that, we don't spray pesticides on our garden, or Round-up on our weeds. 

10. Clean up your environment

Humans, animals and plants all suffer from land and water contaminated by improperly discarded garbage. Use what you need, and when you have to throw something out, dispose of it properly. Educate others to do the same, and participate in local clean-ups of parks, rivers, beaches and beyond. Every year, people throw out 2 billion tons of trash. About a third causes environment harms, from choking water supplies to poisoning soil.

I try to bring a plastic bag with me on my hikes and walks. And then pick up garbage as I come across it. Lately, I've been noticing a lot of full dog poop bags discarded in the bush along one of our favourite trails. Seriously... dog owners who do this are only slightly lower on the stupidity totem pole than cigarette smokers who discard their butts.

11. Make your money count

Everything we spend money on affects the planet. You have the power to choose which goods and services you support. To reduce your environmental impact, choose products from companies who use resources responsibly and are committed to cutting their gas emissions and waste. If you have money that is being invested for you, through a pension fund for instance, it may be supporting fossil fuels or deforestation. Making sure your savings are invested in environmentally sustainable businesses can greatly reduce your carbon footprint.

This one is a bit of a hard one. I know many of our Canadian banks are heavily invested in fossil fuels and other industries that are not friendly to the environment.  Will have to research this in more detail.

12. Speak up

Speak up and get others to join in taking action. It's one of the quickest and most effective ways to make a difference. Talk to your neighbors, colleagues, friends, and family. Let business owners know you support bold changes – from plastics-free products and packaging to zero-emissions vehicles. Appeal to local and world leaders to act now. Climate action is a task for all of us. And it concerns all of us. No one can do it all alone – but we can do it together.

This is true. If we all complained about plastic labels on craft beer cans... maybe the industry would change.

Conclusion

There are things we can do that do make a difference. And if more of us... or most of us... or all of us... started to make the same changes, or demand the same changes... then we would be a powerful force for change in the world. Look at Greta Thunberg! One person... and the movement that she inspired.

You can read more about the 12 Actions via the link below. There are other resources as well.

12 Actions for a healthy planet | United Nations

The Unseen Threat: Nanoparticles Lurking in Your Bottled Water

Plastic water bottles. They are everywhere. What would we do without them? From sporting events where cases of them are handed out to athletes... to emergency situations where we see truckloads of water bottles being delivered to victims of disaster (natural or man-made). But what if those bottles of crystal clear water are actually harming the people who ingest them? What then?

Let's back that up a bit and take a look at plastic to start with. It's sooo handy... cheap, lightweight, easy to transport, malleable, not breakable (generally). It can made into so many handy things. And let's remember where it comes from. All plastic originates with crude oil or natural gas. Plastic water bottles, for example are made from PET plastic (that's short for polyethylene terephthalate). PET plastic is made from petrochemical sources, the first step of which involves the polymerization of ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid or dimethyl terephthalate to produce PET resin.

Let's be really clear here... if you have trouble pronouncing those things... odds are they are not good for you. And ingesting crude oil is definitely not on anyone's diet.

But surely those plastics are... you know... inert? The plastic is made and then it just sits there, like glass... and does nothing? Nope. Not so fast. But let's get back to our plastic water bottles...

Benefits of Plastic Bottles

Cost: Plastic is generally less expensive than aluminum and glass, so manufacturers and distributors obviously like cheaper. And so do consumers. 

Weight: Plastic water bottles weigh less than aluminum cans and glass bottles, which also means cheaper transportation costs

Durability: Plastic is flexible and less prone to denting or puncturing, and definitely less likely to break. This means less product loss during transportation, handling and storage and less likelihood that the product will be damaged. Less waste is good, right? Certainly for the bottom line.

Convenience: Plastic bottles are resealable, which allows us to drink some now and save some for later. The bottles are also easy to squeeze and crush, making them less bulky afterwards.

Consumer preferences: This is us. We apparently like hte convenience of plastic water bottles...

The Problem of Plastic Bottles

Now the problem(s)... because while they may cost less in terms of manufacturing and transportation, there are other costs.

Recycling: While many plastics can now be recycled... that doesn't mean that they actually are. Many plastic bottles do not find their way to a recycling centre and get lost in forests, streams, ditches and waterways. Even if they are recycling, contamination of the recycling stream can limit the use and energy efficiency of the process. Many plastics can only be recycled a certain number of times before they need to be downgraded. So food or drink plastics eventually end up as lower-grade products.

Microplastics: The recycling process generates microplastics, teeny, tiny bits of plastic that contaminate the environment. But they are not the worst ones... these ones you can see with a microscope... but there are even smaller ones.

Nanoplastics: These are the teensiest, tiniest bits of polymer plastic, 1000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. Even a regular microscope can't see these ones. It used to be thought that a 500 ml bottle of water might contain 325 bits of plastic (micro or nano). But a recent study has shown that the actual amount is orders of magnitude higher...

Terrifyingly Tiny Plastics

Somewhere in the world, pristine water from aquifers or reservoirs or even just plain old tap water is poured into plastic bottles. That $0.01 of water in a $0.05 bottle then gets boxed up and shipped and sold to us. Costing us anywhere from $0.50 (if we buy a flat from Costco) or $2.50 if we get one at a convenience store. (Side Bar: Did you know Convenience = Expensive?)

Pure, clear water, right? We can see it through the plastic. It looks sooo good and clean. Not.

You see... plastic water bottles are NOT inert. They do not just sit there quietly and do nothing. Plastic water bottles begin shedding teeny tiny bits of plastic as soon as they are made - nanoplastics.

Now researchers have known this but they thought there might be 325 or so pieces of microplastics floating around in the water bottles. But a recent study took it a step farther. Because... remember... nanoplastics can't be seen under a regular microscope. You need a super-duper microscope to see nanoparticles. And what did they find... brace yourself....

The average bottle of water contains anywhere from 110,000 to over 370,000 pieces of nanoplastics.

And these bits of polymer plastics are soooo small that they can migrate into your body's tissue... into your muscles, your organs, your blood, your brain and your unborn child's organs.

And those nanoplastics carry all sorts of toxic things with them... endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as bisphenols, phthalates, flame retardants, per- and polyfluorinated substances, or PFAS, and heavy metals. All of which are used in the manufacture of plastics.

Response from International Bottled Water Association

And what do the bottled water folks say to this new research?

“This new method [of testing water] needs to be fully reviewed by the scientific community and more research needs to be done to develop standardized methods for measuring and quantifying nanoplastics in our environment. There currently is both a lack of standardized methods and no scientific consensus on the potential health impacts of nano- and microplastic particles. Therefore, media reports about these particles in drinking water do nothing more than unnecessarily scare consumers.” (quoted in CNN article)

Ummm... that sounds suspiciously like the response of tobacco companies in the 40s, 50s and 60s... downplaying the dangers of smoking... Class action lawsuits tell a different tale.

Also sounds a bit like pesticide companies saying that their pesticides are so safe, you could drink them (pesticide lobbyist Dr. Patrick Moore in an interview)... right... we know how that's playing out. (Class-action lawsuit against Monsanto & Bayer for the pesticide Roundup)

I foresee a class action lawsuit against plastic bottle manufacturers and bottled water companies... don't have a crystal ball... not a psychic... but anyone can see the writing on the wall.

What Can We Do?

Stop buying plastic water bottles.

Ugh.

We have a bunch as part of our emergency kit. They are so convenient for that. But plastic water bottles do have an expiry date so what do we do with the expired ones now? We used to drink them but... not sure I want to do that anymore.

But in all other ways... we avoid plastic water bottles like the plague. We have excellent tap water and fill up our stainless steel water bottles with water when we head out the door. There is no reason for us to have plastic water bottles in our day-to-day life.

But this also got me thinking... what about plastic pop bottles?? You don't think they are immune from nanoplastics do you? Or plastic liquor bottles. Or plastic ketchup bottles.

It is tempting to just throw-up our hands in despair and go "Ah, we're going to die someday anyhow from something..." Or we could start somewhere. Start small. Ditch the bottled water. Drink pop out of cans, not bottles.

And read the news. Now that researchers can identify and categorize the nanoplastics, we can expect a LOT more studies on their impact on our health.

PS - We Are Hooped - my Starbucks tea bag is plastic and studies reveal that a plastic tea bag can release BILLIONS OF nanoplastics into one cup of tea.

PPS - We are Seriously Hooped - Studies have also shown that a single tampon can release billions of nanoplastics into a female body

Further Reading

CNN article on nanoplastics in bottled water (there are a tonne of other news articles out there - early January 2024)

Getting Back into the Habit of BYO

Over three years of Covid-19 has really done a number on my habit of bringing reusable cups, cutlery, containers, etc when I go out in to the world. I was just developing that habit when Covid hit and... well... all of my good habits, just in their infancy, got tossed out with the bathwater.

And now... I'm back to square one and trying to get myself back into the habit of remembering to bring things!