RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY

It is not necessary to memorise every fact and figure, but a good starting point is to identify why the environment matters to you. Your behaviour, thoughts, feelings, and opinions around sustainability will prepare you to engage with others about the topic. That said, if you need it, the UN Environment Program offers current climate change statistics, including updates on global water, energy, and food resources.

Start a conversation with people by bringing up something recent in the news. For example, a current exciting development in conscious clothing shows how mushrooms may be a sustainable vegan leather alternative. This may lead to an intriguing discussion on sustainability in the fashion industry.

It’s important to appreciate we have different thoughts on sustainability and the environment…no one is right or wrong! So chat to people without passing any judgement. Have a dialogue about green living based on their hobbies and interests. It’s vital to avoid guilt-tripping or scaring others when discussing sustainability. It’s unlikely that you’ll change anyone’s mind by insulting their intelligence or force-feeding them doomsday threats.

Words such as eco-communalism are eco-babble. It is easy to alienate someone by using long, convoluted phrases, or overly technical language in order to impress your audience. Instead, use conversational language to engage others. Try putting yourself in their shoes and recall how you first learned about sustainability.

A growing number of consumers are linking diet to climate change. To produce a single burger, it requires 2000-3000 litres of water and releases between 766–3000 grams of CO2 into the air, which comes from production, transportation, and cooking methods. If we were to fill up an Olympic-size swimming pool, it would only amount to 1,250 burgers, minus the toppings, says an article by the World Economic Forum. The companies at the helm of plant-based technologies, such as Impossible Foods, are paving the way for eco-friendly protein substitutes. For example, the Impossible Burger has a carbon footprint 89 percent smaller than a traditional burger, and it even sizzles like real beef.