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• Using sustainable transport whenever possible! 

Walking or riding a bike can completely avoid carbon emissions from driving (although shoes and bicycles contribute to carbon emissions! We have to always take into consideration several circumstances while making an informed choice. And we should balance the pros and cons of it!). 

Using public transportation can drastically reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Moreover, low carbon vehicles are an option that allow driving but still reduce overall carbon emissions. Electric cars emit no carbon dioxide if the electricity they are charged with has no associated carbon emissions.

• Drive more efficiently by not speeding and accelerating unnecessarily, as these driving styles can reduce mileage by 33%. Also, avoiding traffic whenever possible is important as idling contributes to CO₂ emissions.

Do you make use of eco-friendly transportation in your daily life? The transportation sector is responsible for more than 20% of CO2 emissions globally. In the U.S., it makes up about 25 % of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

High speed trains create the lowest carbon emissions impact on the environment! Prefer them!

The goods transportation sector is one of the major sources of greenhouse gas emissions produced by human beings. Specifically, it represents almost 64% of end-use petroleum consumption worldwide, highlighting the importance of making a firm commitment to preserve the environment. Also, with a view to guaranteeing a sustainable future for the coming generations, the European Union aims at reducing today’s pollution levels to 40% by 2030. It is obvious that logistics companies have an enormous part to play in limiting pollution emissions in all kinds of transport. But what can be done to guarantee more sustainable transport?

Read more: https://www.epa.gov/transportation-air-pollution-and-climate-change/what-you-can-do-reduce-pollution-vehicles-and

https://www.calcolovotodilaurea.it/trasporti-e-logistica-quanto-inquinano-e-come-inquinare-meno/

https://cms-img.coverfox.com/few-handy-tips-to-reduce-car-pollution-smog.jpg

https://citizensustainable.com/eco-friendly-transportation/

How can I improve my energy efficiency?

Improving interior spaces energy efficiency by isolating and sealing it properly. Utilise weather stripping and caulking to ensure windows, doors, and skylights do not have air leaks. In addition, using energy efficient appliances – especially furnaces, air conditioners, and refrigerators – can reduce emissions that contribute to carbon footprint. Also setting thermostats to an appropriate level (maybe using a programmable model) helps the environment.

Read more on directenergy.com

Using plastic bottles and disposable cups for drinking water means producing waste to be disposed of on a daily basis. Avoiding producing them represents an ecological and effective solution from an economic and organisational point of view.

It is recommended to use water from the aqueduct, possibly purified with a filtering system; alternatively, the water can be dispensed from bottles which are in any case much more ecological than plastic bottles.

We also recommend the use of water bottles or other customised containers made of washable material. In this way it is also possible to indirectly reduce the use of motorised vehicles, both for the purchase of water bottles and plastic cups, and for the disposal of waste, consequently reducing CO2 emissions and fuel consumption.

Everybody knows the importance of water for the planet.

But what do you really know about it? And what are your habits?

Do you pay real attention not to waste it in your daily life? Do you close the sink while you are brushing your teeth ;-p?

Do you make choices with real awareness?

Read more about water here at this link!

https://www.greenplanner.it/2022/04/01/acqua-differenze-filiera/

And here an interesting glimpse on some artistic projects aimed at raising awareness on the global water crisis:

 https://www.focus.it/ambiente/ecologia/arte-e-crisi-idrica-globale

• Do you usually take in consideration environmental sustainable choices in your creations ?
• Have you ever considered alternative choices instead of the traditional ones ?
• Did you ever think about choosing, as a venue for your creations, a space which had a different destination ?

Collect the necessary information on environmental certifications in order to reach the most ecological solution possible, preferably by resorting to local suppliers. Pay particular attention to the methods of disposing of materials and especially paints and their containers.

Recycling and reuse are a fundamental element of environmental sustainability. The use of materials, objects or stage clothes deriving from recycling or reuse can guarantee both ecological and economic savings.

Change your mindset : transform instead of creating from scratch !
Prefer wood and other materials that have already been used and that you can transform!

Know more about it

Environmental associations have long promoted the fight to reduce the environmental impact in the traditional fashion industry by promoting the elimination of toxic substances in production processes: substances that, moreover, remain on the products even after processing. The use of these substances has two major consequences:

Environmental contamination – the toxic substances used to make clothing are not biodegradable and, when clothes are washed, these substances accumulate in wastewater, polluting the surrounding environment.
Pathologies related to the bioaccumulation of toxic substances on the skin – bioaccumulation is a process that leads to the agglomeration of toxic substances on the epidermis causing problems of different kinds to health.

These reasons have led small producers and large companies to produce ecological clothing lines, showing greater attention during production processes, to ensure greater environmental protection and consumer health.

Do you know that legislators are promoting regulations for the right to reparability of products? Do you know how easily you could give new life to your devices by using an app? Read more: https://www.greenplanner.it/2022/05/03/cisco-programmi-economia-circolare/

The choice of accommodation affects the movement of vehicles and consequently on polluting emissions and fuel costs, so it is advisable to choose accommodation that is as close as possible to the workplace.

A nearby accommodation helps to simplify the organisation of transport also in terms of time and to slow down the speed of work for those driving the vehicles.

Do you usually think about how much your food habits impact the environment? Do you think you make conscious and responsible food choices?

Even the simple activity of preparing meals at home, at the restaurant or at school produces greenhouse gas emissions.

Let’s have a look at the experience of a French restaurant, Les Résistants, which selects producers oriented to sustainable agricultural and zootechnical practices, linking them with gourmet citizens.

Read more: https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ITA_Indaco2_ristorante_LR.pdf 

A few years ago Slow Food launched the Food for Change Campaign: check it on https://www.slowfood.com/get-involved/food-for-change-campaign/ 

Zero-mile and neighbourhood shops are of course the most sustainable choices, even more if they also sell organic products.

However, many supermarket chains buy fresh food (vegetables, dairy products, meat…) from farmers in the neighbouring areas, so the main hint is: always check where the food comes from! And check the whole supply chain, not only the last step!

The ecological impact of digital technologies is caused by many factors. For many, “digital” is synonymous with dematerialization. Yet if we think about it, digital technologies are based on physical infrastructure. For example, the Internet needs a network of cables, data centres and many servers. The energy of the Internet and its carbon footprint is estimated to exceed the carbon footprint produced by travel.

One of the main forms of digital pollution is called “dormant pollution.” It is due to the archiving of emails. All the emails stored in the mailbox run many servers continuously in data centres that require a lot of power and need to be permanently cooled. The volume of stored data doubles every two years.

A 1-megabyte e-mail during its total lifecycle emits 20 g of CO2, e.g., the equivalent of a lamp turned on for 25 minutes.

Twenty emails per day per user over the course of a year create the same CO2 emissions as a car travelling 1,000 km. Over twelve billion emails are sent in one hour, representing over 4,000 tons of oil.

Every online search has a cost to the planet. In processing 3.5 billion searches per day, Google accounts for about 40 percent of the Internet’s carbon footprint.

Ten hours of high-definition movies consume more bits and bytes than all of Wikipedia’s English-language articles combined. In 2018, online video traffic was responsible for more than 300 million tons of CO2, equivalent to what a country the size of Spain releases in a year.

Some tips

• Compress the size of the documents you send by e-mail to reduce the weight of the message;
• Use hyperlinks instead of attachments;
• Do not send chain mail, petitions, funny pictures, fakes…;
• Don’t forget to empty the recycle bin;
• Unsubscribe from newsletters you do not read;
• Make your regularly viewed websites favourites;
• Make regular use of your smartphone’s optimisation function that stops applications running in the background;
• Do you love music and videos? File downloading is the best option. You only use the data once and can play the song or video indefinitely!
• Avoid excessive video streaming.
• Store your files on your hard disk, be sensible with ‘Cloud’ and online storage;
• Choose a provider that uses renewable energy sources. Consider storing your data on a green cloud provider;
• Always turn off your computer and unplug the charger;
• Set your device to sleep mode after a certain number of minutes;
• Use your laptop and other digital equipment for as long as possible.
• Talk in person instead of by email ! 🙂

You have to do your part for the planet, but it is not the only thing to do! Most of the crucial decisions in your country are taken by public institutions, and you can play an important role in the game if you are well informed about policies, influence the public discourse, raise awareness about climate change and the actions that have to be undertaken by all public institutions and private organisations. So, start to study environmental policies in your country and participate actively in public debate on climate and green policies.