SMALL CHANGES, BIG IMPACTS
It is evident to think that small changes that you make in your everyday lives are insignificant. But these small changes add up to more significant changes over the period. This is called “The Butterfly effect”.
“Not all plastic is recyclable but not all plastic is recycled”
The colossal problems that this earth faces today are plastic pollution and plastic waste management. At this time, it won’t be wrong to say that plastic is ubiquitous. It harmful to humans, wildlife and exploits every possible part of the planet, it being air, water or soil.
In today’s time, nearly every activity leaves behind some kind of environmental damage. Either they are exhaust gases, chemicals from industry, deforestation, i.e., in some way or other it is aiding the rise in climate change, increasing the carbon footprints and overall global carbon emission.
Living a sustainable life starts with taking a deliberate look at the everyday gestures. It helps you see distinctly what small changes you can make to take care of your planet and the people around you. These small actions one day leave an immense mark making this planet a more habitable place.
“Living in a more ‘sustainable world’ can begin with just one small action we take to use less, give more, or connect with others.”
Here are 10 better options towards sustainable living:
- Aloe-E-Cell
Aloe-E-Cell is an eco-friendly startup that has replaced toxic chemical batteries. The herbal electrolyte is made from the Aloe Vera plant. It can be used to power low power consumption devices. The set up can produce almost 3.49V and 1.1mA of electricity. It can boost the voltage to 10.9V under no-load conditions.
2. Zero-waste Bamboo Products
Bamboo products are playing a crucial role in cutting down plastic materials. Bamboo is much more sustainable because it’s a fast-growing product, absorbs a large amount of CO2 and produces a large amount of oxygen. Bamboo has antibacterial properties; it is strong and sturdy and also offers flexibility for mouldings. There is a vast majority of bamboo products like Coffee cups, Cutlery, Lunch box set, Charcoal Filter, Flasks, Straws, Towels, Bowls, Cups, Trays, Jars and many more.
3. Edible Spoons
These spoons are another way of cutting down on plastic. The edible spoon comes in different flavours like sugar, ginger-cinnamon, ginger-garlic and more. You can eat it and if you don’t want to throw it. It will decompose in 4 to 5 days.
4. Edible Water Blobs
Approximately, 38 billion single-use plastic bottles end up in the pacific ocean per year and this is limited to the US only. To encounter this problem environmentalist like Rodrigo García González, Pierre Paslier and Guillaume Couche has proposed a cheap and sustainable replacement for bottled water. Edible water blobs are orbs of water that are surrounded by a membrane made of brown algae and calcium chloride. These are perfectly edible and if you don’t want to eat you can throw them guilt-free. This is obviously more environmentally friendly as compared to that of single-use plastic.
5. Shampoo Pods
Benjamin Stern developed these shampoo pods when he was 14. The product consists of all-natural ingredients. Each pod holds 5ml of shampoo and can wash the hair of any length. This can be called an eco-friendly innovation since there are no plastic bottles involved. Though the pod has a plastic pouch that can be recycled.
6. Charcoal from Human Feces
This may sound like a little unorthodox solution towards saving the planet but it does not only help reduce the greenhouse gas effect but is also a solution to unsustainable forest degradation. Almost 2.4 billion forests are cut as burning wood is awfully contributing to forest degradation and deforestation.
Rodrigo García González, Pierre Paslier and Guillaume Couche says, “If we could collect all the human waste in Kenya, all the spare agriculture waste, then we could supply almost 50% of the entire charcoal and firewood demand and the deforestation rates would drop substantially.”
7. Biodegradable Plastic bags
An Indonesian man has made a plastic bag out of cassava, a vegetable root abundantly found in Africa, Latin America and Asia. It dissolves in water. It does not cause any harms to animals or the environment. It’s so safe that even humans can eat it up. This can help tackle the problem of plastic waste management.
“Americans use 100 billion plastic bags a year, which require 12 million barrels of oil to manufacture.”
8. Vegan Leather
The traditional way of making leather, not only kills animals but harsh chemicals are used to get a finished product, so it is not only problematic for animal right activist but environmentalists too. Adrián López Velarde and Marte Cázarez has developed a method to transform a cactus into leather. This leather looks and feels so realistic that the difference between cactus leather and animal leather barely recognizable.
9. Plant-Based Running Shoes
These Plant-based running shoes are a petroleum-free product. These are non-toxic. A corn-based material was used for soles. The insoles were made of castor bean oil and the sneaker was produced from 100% recycled packaging. Although, the performance of the shoe is as usual.
10. Banana Leaves
Indians have always used Banana Leaves as a food packing material, but the problem is they are perishable in the long run. Tenith Adithyaa came up with a solution. He developed a technology where the banana leaves undergo cellular enhancement that prevents the pathogenic agents from destroying cells, increases their durability, stretchability and crushability, can handle extreme conditions like temperature and weight and still maintain their original state. The technology is sustainable, chemical-free, cost-effective and 100% biodegradable and fulfils all the modern needs.
A sustainable lifestyle starts with answering the question- Where would you spend your money on? What products do you use? How you spend your leisure hours? Or in the way you use things.
Buying better and taking such intentional decisions always has a ripple effect on people and the planet.
