Earth will no longer be livable in the near future. Here are 10 ways we can all make a difference.
Updated: Oct 29, 2020
“We’re facing nothing less than the collapse of the living world.” – Sir David Attenborough, an English broadcaster, and a historian: created a Netflix documentary called “A Life on our Planet” where it tackles the development of world diversity and humanity’s impact on nature. It is difficult to fully grasp that we, people, are one of the main reasons why the earth cannot be livable in the future, and it is fully because of our poor planning and understanding.
Yes, it is true! Over the past few decades, carbon monoxide emissions and waste generation has increased at an alarming rate. Coupled with deforestation, we have been destroying and taking from the earth faster than the earth can regenerate itself. In fact, based on the studies from Scientists, we only have 20 more years to save the earth before it comes to a point where we can no longer do so.
Big corporations are making money at the expense of the earth and sometimes communities on a daily basis. But, as individuals, are we doing enough? Most of the human population is blinded, thinking that it will not happen anytime soon and that our scientists can find a solution. We need to educate ourselves and others to collectively do our parts to make the change. The change starts with each and every one of us! Here are 10 ways we can do it.
1. Recycle - clean up your house, and sort items that you can recycle and repurpose. Put recyclable items in the right bins. Shop at stores where you can bring your own recycled bottles and jars instead of items in commercial plastic packaging. It's not common yet in Singapore and Asia, but they are around. With this, you’ll be able lessen landfill.
A good place to start is The Green Collective SG.
2. Grow your own garden - reduce your carbon footprint by growing your own vegetables. Or perhaps, plant a tree! If you do not have space, use old pots, and even recycled food containers (like the large foam boxes that come with the grocery deliveries), poke a few holes at the bottom, and grow your own herbs, vegetables and fruits! Some simple to grow edibles in our hot humid weather include Chinese Spinach (which you can harvest continuously), basil, cherry tomatoes, papayas, and bananas.
3. Be selective on your purchases - if you can afford to, choose pesticide-free produce. Soil is one of the most important carbon cleaners working together with plants. When heavy pesticides are used in commercial crop cultivation, it destroys the living microorganisms within the soil. Over the long run, this leaves the once fertile land barren. Where heavy toxins are used, the land can become completely destroyed over time. Besides, on a health perspective, long-term exposure to chemical fertilizers has been linked to cancer and other negative health problems.
Reference: https://ohsonline.com/Articles/2017/12/07/The-Hidden-Dangers-of-Chemical-Fertilizers.aspx?Page=3
4. Compost kitchen waste - Use kitchen scraps and packaging waste as raw materials to compost your garden. In our climate, we are lucky enough to have easy access to blue flies! The blue fly larvae are known to effectively chomp up and turn food scraps into great compost. Starting your own compost is easy.
Step 1: Prepare a medium to large pot and a lid for it (preferably with a small ventilation).
Step 2: Add a layer of dried leaves and shredded cardboard or paper waste.
Step 3: Add your raw food scraps (apple peels, banana skin etc, no meat or cooked food).
Step 4: Cover up the scraps with some soil/earth.
Step 5: Stir the compost occasionally.
Next Repeat Step 2 to 4 every time you have scraps to throw in. By layering with cardboard and dry browns, you are taking away moisture and preventing the compost from getting smelly. In about 3 months, you will have beautiful compost to feed your plants!
For more composting tips, check out Npark's site: https://www.nparks.gov.sg/gardening/gardening-resources/caring-for-plants/composting
5. Support organizations dedicated to sustainability - learn more, and educate yourself about companies and groups that are making this a priority over profits. By supporting environmentally ethical companies and organizations, you are making daily choices that are positive instead of negative to our earth.
6. Use less plastic - Each Non-biodegradable plastic bag we pick up daily from the supermarket takes over 400 years to disintegrate. The sad truth is, these plastics kill over 100,000 sea turtles and sea creatures every year. So how can we reduce the use of these plastic bags? Considering we still need to use them to put our trash.
(1) Bring reusable cloth bags for all your groceries.
(2) Keep a folded reusable bag in your handbag or car at all times.
(3) Use biodegradable bags for your trash - there are many in the market, some of the most recent environmentally friendly non-plastic bags are made from cassava and cornstarch which is safe for animals to ingest and disintegrates in the environment easily!
(4) Bring your own pack it boxes when you bring food to go.
Did you know that in Singapore, during the circuit breaker period of 2 months, an estimated amount of additional 1,334 tonnes of plastic was generated from takeaway and delivery meals alone? According to a recent NUS study, that is over a million extra kilograms of single-use plastic.
(5) Opt-out of cutlery when it comes to take-away and food deliveries.
7. Do not buy bottled water - Thankfully in Singapore, we have easy access to clean and drinkable tap water. There is really NO NEED to buy or drink expensive packaged water. Every bottle that we drink and throw out, contributes to yet another plastic that will pile up in landfills which takes 450 years to decompose. Did you know that the bottling of these 'branded' water comes at a great expense to the environment? There is simply not enough springs to harvest the so-called spring water which is packaged at a premium price. Legally, these bottling companies are known to label the water "spring water" or "from the mountains", as long as they tap it from any source that comes from the ground. Others, simply repackage tap water and mislabel their products just to make a 7000x profit. Many of these companies have legal lawsuits against them as we write. Sadly, tons of water is being pumped from the ground daily around the world at a much faster rate than it is being replenished. By rejecting premium bottled water, we are not only saving the earth of wasteful disposable plastics, but also precious water resources that is literally pumping the earth dry.
If you do not have direct access to drinking tap water, try these simple solutions that are tried and tested!
Boiling. This is a reliable way to purify water.
Use of Iodine solution, tablets or crystals. This is an effective and more convenient method.
Use chlorine drops. Chlorine has the ability to kill bacteria in water.
Use water filter.
Use Ultraviolet Light.
8. Eat less meat - studies have shown that animal agriculture contributes to over 15% of the world's greenhouse gases. Coupled with deforestation, the overall impact is significant. Animals are the least efficient way for any human to get their energy and nutrients. In order for us to enjoy 1 piece of steak, the resources wasted on raising that animal is much more than us simply eating the grains that give the same caloric count! Not to mention the amounts of poisonous gases (yes, fart) that cows produce which contributes to a large percentage of damage to the environment. It may be difficult to give up meat altogether, but by simply committing to cutting down or stick to a few meat-free days a week, we can make that difference! There are many ways we can enjoy protein-rich meals by simply bringing some creativity to the table.
Here's a great site where you can learn to cook some healthy meat-free meals: https://cookieandkate.com/24-meatless-recipes-that-carnivores-love/
9. Switch to non-dairy alternatives - there is a direct link between the high consumption of cow's milk in developed countries and high incidences of fracture. Even though dairy milk contains some beneficial proteins and minerals (added and fortified included), deep studies into this subject has long been argued towards to link between certain reproductive cancers. In order for milk to be produced, the cows need to be pregnant. Cow's milk contains very high levels of hormones (including injected ones) which may not be suitable for long term human consumption. Not forgetting the industry practice and cruel treatment of their cattle. Deforestation for commercial dairy farming is also detrimental to our forests. Did you know that for every 1L of milk produced, 3L of manure is produced by the same cow?
There are many healthy plant milk alternatives that are creamy and delicious. You can try some from Nutty Milk Factory
If you still prefer your dairy milk, go for organic milk instead! Do your homework to make sure that the milks come from good farmers who treat their cattle well, are free-range and cruelty-free. They are usually from smaller farms but the quality of milks (happy cows produce better milk, free-grazing cows also produce more nutritious milks due to their feed), will far surpass those which are processed by the big boys.
Read more about how commercial dairy farms bring milk to your shelves: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/30/dairy-scary-public-farming-calves-pens-alternatives
10. Switch to an electric vehicle or use a bicycle for shorter trips - As we progress with technology, we have more accessibility to cheaper electric vehicles. They are also much cheaper to operate considering the very expensive petrol in some countries including Singapore. In addition, don't forget our age-old dependable bicycles, or perhaps our legs for shorter distances. Such habits not only reduce harmful emissions to the environment but is beneficial to our health!
To help spread the word, Nutty Milk has an ongoing campaign in promoting plant-based diet and greener practices to ensure that you and the generations after will live in a habitable world. A healthy practice, to a sustainable environment.
Stand a chance to win our set of 5 mini plant milk trial set! It is easy to join, simply follow the instructions below on how you can score our nutty milk set.
Set includes: 320ml Almond Milk 320ml Cashew Milk 320ml Walnut Oat Blend 320ml Choco Almond 320ml Matcha Latte All minis are Low Sugar and Regular Sugar for Chocolate. Support the initiative,
1. Follow Nutty Milk social media accounts on
2. Answer the question “What change do you want to start to help the environment?” Comment below this video post & tag 5 friends to qualify!
Make sure to follow the steps because we will be checking! You will not only get our Nutty Milk set, but winners and participants will also get an additional 10% discount coupon (nmfxnature) which you can use on your next purchase at our store! What a treat! So what are you waiting for? Join now! This promo only runs until October 30.
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