World Environment Day (WED) falls today (5 June) and it is when the United Nations (UN) calls on the public to do something positive for the environment.
With the theme of this year’s WED being “7bn dreams. One planet. Consume with care”, the UN says that the rate of consumption of the Earth’s materials is far exceeding what we are putting back into it.
According to its research, much of the Earth’s ecosystems are at nearing critical tipping points of depletion or irreversible change, pushed by high population growth and economic development.
They estimate that, by 2050, if current consumption and production patterns remain the same, and with a rising population expected to reach 9.6bn, we will need three planets to sustain our ways of living and consumption.
With this in mind, the UN has created a list of 10 small things that will allow the first steps to be taken to change our collective mindset.
1. Go vegetarian, at least sometimes
2. Ditch the paper board pass for flights
3. Sick of the office? Skype instead
4. Get your cooking skills on
5. Bone up on your DIY handywork
6. Recycle the old iPods
7. Save every last drop of water
8. Have a bright idea
9. Recycle, recycle, recycle
10. Get on your bike
World Environment Day image via Shutterstock
