Environment and nature protection, sustainability.
Environmental protection refers to human activities aimed at protecting, preserving, reducing and preventing damage to, and pollution of, the environment and its elements.
The environment is in fact the ecosystem that makes up the biosphere, together with the inanimate elements of human origin. The ecosystem is made up of soil, water, air and living organisms, including humans. The built environment includes settlements, roads and infrastructure.
Here it is necessary to distinguish between the concepts of environment and nature, nature being the set of the environment that does not include the built environment, but only the elements of the biosphere.
Environmental protection is the totality of all measures aimed at protecting living and non-living elements of the environment from harmful effects caused by man, preventing damage to them, and, if damage has already occurred, eliminating the activity that caused it, and restoring the environment.
We ourselves can do a lot for sustainability by paying attention and making conscious decisions, as our every activity has an impact on resource stocks, living organisms
What can we do?
1. Say no to disposable plastics
Use a canvas shopping bag, paper bag, no plastic cups, straws, pet bottles, use a canteen instead.
The degradation time of products used in everyday life:
- paper towels 2-4 weeks
- Paper towels: 3-4 weeks
- Cardboard paper 2 months
- milk carton 6 months
- Leather shoes 10-12 years
- tin can 25-40 years
- foam plastic cup 50 years
- plastic bottle 450 years
- plastic nappy 550 years
- glass 1-2 million years
- styrofoam minimum 1 million years
2. Use public transport, cycle, walk, use car-sharing services.
More than a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU come from transport and that's not even including emissions from the production of petrol and diesel that power engines. Internal combustion engine vehicles increase air pollution in cities, polluted air damages human health, and this contributes to overall exposure to various viruses.
They went on holiday, on excursions.
Before you travel, assess whether there are alternatives to driving or flying. If you can, take the train instead of flying, and use public transport, cycling, scootering and walking to get to your destination.
4. Choose durable, repairable products and demand these from manufacturers.
Just think of our mobile phones, for example. If you can, choose durable, reusable and repairable products. Use them as long as you can and don't replace them every year. The constant challenges of fashion, advertising that encourages you to consume more.
5. Eat less meat
If you eat animal products, try to ensure that they come from domestic, free-range, pasture-raised animals. The production of factory-farmed meat is one of the main causes of deforestation around the world. The Amazon rainforest is burned primarily to clear cleared forest to graze animals or grow soya for animal feed.
6. Choose food from organic farming.
What you eat affects not only your health but also the environment. Today, much of our food is produced using large-scale factory farming methods, which use a lot of chemicals and toxins. This disrupts the healthy ecosystem of the soil, removes pollinators and pollutes living water. Large-scale agriculture is a major contributor to climate change, deforestation and the extinction of dozens of species. Choose locally grown food, eat seasonal fruits.
7. Help pollinators
Every third bite of food is thanks to bees, wild bees and other pollinators. A single bee colony pollinates 300 million flowers a day. However, bees are dying at an alarming rate, due to the overuse of toxic pesticides in this and other countries around the world, using herbicides and sprays. If you have a garden or farm, avoid using bee-killing chemicals.
8. Manage your garden, your farm in a sustainable way
9. Learn about and protect nature
Spend time in nature, studying trees, insects, birds. The more you learn about the often surprising interconnections of the living world, the more you'll want to do something about the expropriation or destruction of these priceless systems by a few.
Learn about our nature reserves. Get involved in nature and wildlife conservation.
10. If you start planting trees, consult experts.
In recent years, many people have started tree planting as individuals or in communities. However, tree planting can only be successful in the long term if you have made the right preparations, so if you are considering this project, it is worth seeking expert advice. For example, it makes a difference what kind of tree you plant, how you plant it and where you plant it. It's worth choosing species that are native or that fit into our ecosystem.
Run your household green
With a little care and a few simple steps, you can make your home energy efficient. For example, when brushing your teeth, showering or washing up, don't waste water. Install energy-efficient LED lights in your home, and when you need a new appliance because your old one is beyond repair, choose energy-efficient appliances.
Even if you can't insulate your home or replace your windows and doors, you can still save: if you reduce the temperature in your home by 1 degree, you will use around 6% less energy for heating. Also, collect your rubbish selectively and know what to throw away, so that waste is recycled as much as possible instead of going to landfill or incineration. Use organic products.
Join climate movements
There are many ways we can send a message to policy makers. The most important thing now is for them to see that there are many of us who expect them to take immediate, meaningful action. If you want, you can join climate movements. By doing so, you can join like-minded people in demanding that politicians and companies take action to ensure that our planet remains liveable for many years to come.
- Choose a financial institution that does not invest in polluting industries
- Demand a green economic reboot
- Write to companies to really go green
Support an organisation you care about
If you care about a cause, consider making a donation to support the organisation that represents it. Think about the many ways you can turn to an NGO for professional help, and getting an organisation involved can greatly increase the visibility of a cause and the number of people who support it.
