Why A Global Shift to Sustainability Is Great for The World
Environmental sustainability is one of the biggest issues faced by mankind at present. Although the concern of sustainability and climate change has started since years ago, the increasing human population, urbanization, and industrialization have polluted the water resources and air all around the globe.
Did you know that the ocean produces half of the world’s oxygen and there are at least 8 million tons of plastic that end up in our oceans every year?
This plastic pollution already causes indigestion, suffocation and entanglement of hundreds of marine species. Marine wildlife such as seabirds, whales, fishes and turtles even mistake plastic waste for prey and most die of starvation as their stomachs are filled with plastic debris.
As of 2017’s research, it is found that humans were collectively buying one million plastic bottles a minute across the globe. Meanwhile, people also use plastic bags to carry items like clothes and food, which are bought from shops. Plastic bags are commonly used, even though we know they can damage the environment.
The major impact of plastic bags on the environment is that it takes many years for them to decompose. Then, what can we do to reduce plastic pollution?
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, but let’s start somewhere. We can talk about the power of technology in transforming almost every aspect of the world, but technology remains powerless without a strong human response when it comes to saving our planet.
Thus, Melati Wijsen from Bye-bye Plastic Bag explains in her presentation on 2018’s APMF how she began the journey of saving our environment from plastic pollution.
Education is where it all begins
If you don’t know what the problem is, how are you supposed to be a part of the solution?
There are many ways to integrate sustainable habits, and one of them is through education, for it can be a part of the strategic action plan. Schools need to bring the plastic pollution issue and its impacts on our environments to the surface and encourage small steps to build support.
Henceforward, to support the zero plastic waste program, education system really needs to change because the younger generation aren’t going to be motivated by textbooks. Instead, they need to get prepared for every challenge they are going to face, including this climate change issue.
Consumers are ready for sustainable brands
The new normal has made this environmental issue demands real actions from across elements. Moreover, this issue has also become Gen Z’s number one concern. Therefore, brands need to start taking a stand by using less plastic, producing more sustainable products, or doing other sustainability programs.
For example–in beauty industry, recycling program was once held and public were invited to sort their plastic waste starting from home to later being picked up through waste management apps. In addition, garbage spots are also provided in certain locations for people to drop their plastic waste. As a result, this movement has brought in a total of 110.459 downloaders and collected 20 tons of plastic waste from online and offline, where the impact is remarkably beneficial to save our environment.
In addition, social media optimization can also be the catalyst for changes and empowerment, since it holds a crucial role in educating and making individuals, communities, and society conscious about sustainable development, the need for more sustainable patterns of production and consumption, and encouraging them to take action directed towards change and a more sustainable future.
