Did you know:
There is one garbage truck of plastic dumped into the ocean every minute?
Each year 2 trillion gallons of untreated sewage, stormwater, and industrial waste are dumped into US water.
Many of us have children and grandchildren we want to see grow up in a world where they can still breathe the air and drink the water. We want them to experience the beauty of the planet in the same way that we’ve experienced it. Whether it be diving in the ocean or walking through a forest or watching a beautiful sunset, we want them to have the opportunity to do all those things.
So, what can we do about it? LiveWell Placements has some ideas that we hope you will consider, and it may be a lot easier than you think.
Buy locally sourced products
Locally sourced products not only benefit the economy in your community, but it also helps in the fight against global warming. Rich Pirog of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture reports that the average fresh food item on our dinner table travels 1,500 miles to get there. By contrast, local food travels an average of 44.6 miles. So, buying from a nearby supplier reduces fuel consumption dramatically and results in less packaging waste since the product does not need to be shipped. In addition, chances are that the local product is healthier because it is not mass produced by commercial agricultural concerns that are more interested in the profits than the quality.
Eat less meat
We are not going to tell you to cut meat out of your diet completely (unless you already have) but we are going to suggest that you eat less of it. Not only is it much more humane to animals, but the livestock sector — raising cows, pigs and chickens — generates as much greenhouse gas emissions as all cars, trucks and automobiles combined. Many commercial ranchers have also clear cut millions of square kilometers of forests for grazing pastures, decimating natural “carbon sinks.” So, start off small and cut out meat once or twice a week and start munching on those veggies.
Use your purchase power
Now more than ever, many companies are committing to be more environmentally responsible and socially conscious. Consumer purchase power can go a long way in encouraging more companies to start practicing sustainability. Given a choice, most of us would prefer to buy from a company that is doing good in the world, but it’s often a challenge to find them and even harder to know if they are really doing what they say there are. A new shopping app is about to change that, and it allow you to use your purchase power to make a difference. GoodHuman scours the internet to curate the best brands, products and content that align to your values. As their website states, “every purchase you make is a choice to protect or poison the planet and each other, so they want to make it as easy as possible to make the right decisions and be a GoodHuman.” To be a part of their private beta, you can sign up here.
So, whether you decide to eat less meat or buy products that support sustainability, you can put less stress on our planet with some easy choices. Our children will thank you.