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“Green” became synonymous with “eco-friendly” or “environmentally conscious.” So green travel came into vogue as a broad term used to encompass ecotourism and responsible travel practices, which generally strive to benefit the environment and the social and economic well-being of the local people.

Since the Industrial Revolution, the energy mix of most countries across the world has become dominated by fossil fuels. This has major implications for the global climate, as well as for human health. Three-quarters of global greenhouse gas emissions result from the burning of fossil fuels for energy. And fossil fuels are responsible for large amounts of local air pollution – a health problem that leads to at least 5 million premature deaths each year.

To reduce CO2 emissions and local air pollution, the world needs to rapidly shift towards low-carbon sources of energy – nuclear and renewable technologies.

Renewable energy will play a key role in the decarbonization of our energy systems in the coming decades. But how rapidly is our production of renewable energy changing? What technologies look most promising in transforming our energy mix?

As we celebrate World Consumer Rights Day 2020, it is timely to ask whether consumers play an important role in moving the sustainable consumption agenda.

Discussions on consumer education, good business practices, government policy efforts and civil society engagement should shape consumers’ contribution at the grassroots level. Consumers can indeed be active market players when they are informed of their rights and stand ready to enforce them. Empowered consumers can encourage business innovation, investment and competition, driving sustainable production and consumption.

Consider the many elements (literally) that went into making it. Then have a think about what will happen once it no longer powers on, becomes annoyingly glitchy, or simply gets tossed aside for the latest and greatest model.

It’s difficult to not get caught up in the excitement of new technology. Compared with even just a decade ago, tech has come a long way (anyone else actually remember the not-too-distant days of the Nokia brick?!).

But in all the excitement of what’s new, it’s important to not forget about the old.

According to the 5 R’s, four actions should be taken, if possible, prior to ‘recycling’: refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, and then recycle. Incorporating this methodology into your business’ waste reduction and recycling efforts will minimize landfill waste and help take your recycling program to the next level. In this post, we explain each of the 5 R’s and the benefits of putting them into practice at your business.

Applying the 5 R’s to your business’ waste management and recycling strategies can positively impact the outcome of your program by significantly reducing the amount of waste your business generates. In the 5 R’s hierarchy, remember to treat recycling as a last resort after attempting to refuse, reduce, reuse, or repurpose.

In 2023, green technology can feel like the new kid on the block. But the world of sustainable innovation has a long history you probably didn’t know about.

Take geothermal heating, a popular trend in energy-efficient homes and buildings. Using heat energy from below the earth’s surface dates back to Paleolithic times, when early humans bathed in hot springs and built homes from lava. Or take wind energy — as early as 5000 B.C., our ancestors were using wind energy to move boats down the River Nile. By 2000 B.C., wind power was pumping water and grinding grains. And solar power? Humans were harnessing the sun’s energy in the 7th century B.C. to light fires from magnifying glass. And although battery-powered vehicles might seem like a new trend, 90% of New York City taxis at the turn of the 19th century were electric vehicles.

So humans have been working on sustainable solutions for everyday needs for a long time. But today, innovative solutions to our environmental problems is now more popular — and more necessary — than ever.

Around the world, one million plastic bottles are purchased every minute, while up to five trillion plastic bags are used worldwide every year. In total, half of all plastic produced is designed for single-use purposes – used just once and then thrown away.

Plastics including microplastics are now ubiquitous in our natural environment. They are becoming part of the Earth’s fossil record and a marker of the Anthropocene, our current geological era. They have even given their name to a new marine microbial habitat called the “plastisphere”.

Consumption and production of goods and services worldwide rely on the natural environment and plentiful resources. This has allowed economies and societies to flourish; however, it is a delicate balance of growth and environmental degradation. According to the U.N., if the global population reaches the projected 9.6 billion by 2050, three Earth’s worth of resources could be required to provide the natural resources needed to sustain our current way of life. This may seem shocking, but it is possible to prevent this eventuality through responsible consumption and production.

Responsible consumption and production hinges upon the idea of being more efficient with less. It also is about severing the failures of economic growth that cause environmental degradation and instead establishing resource efficiency and sustainability as normative practice for both economic affairs and everyday lifestyles.

A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions that come from the production, use and end-of-life of a product or service. It includes carbon dioxide — the gas most commonly emitted by humans — and others, including methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases, which trap heat in the atmosphere, causing global warming. Usually, the bulk of an individual’s carbon footprint will come from transportation, housing and food.

Over-intensive use, soil erosion, excess fertilizer and pesticides are exhausting many farmlands. Ways to restore them include reducing tillage, using more natural fertilizer and pest control, and growing more diverse crops, including trees. These steps can rebuild carbon stores in soils, making them more fertile so countries can feed their growing populations without using even more land. The restoration of farmland also creates habitats for wildlife.

Energy efficient building design involves constructing or upgrading buildings that are able to get the most work out of the energy that is supplied to them by taking steps to reduce energy loss such as decreasing the loss of heat through the building envelope.

Energy efficient homes, whether they are renovated to be more efficient or a built with energy efficiency in mind, pose a significant number of benefits. Energy efficient homes are less expensive to operate, more comfortable to live in, and more environmentally friendly.

The Seven Principles of Leave No Trace provide an easily understood framework of minimum impact practices for anyone visiting the outdoors. Although Leave No Trace has its roots in backcountry settings, the Principles have been adapted so that they can be applied anywhere — from remote wilderness areas, to local parks and even in your own backyard. They also apply to almost every recreational activity. Each Principle covers a specific topic and provides detailed information for minimizing impacts.

According to the 5 R’s, four actions should be taken, if possible, prior to ‘recycling’: refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, and then recycle. Incorporating this methodology into your business’ waste reduction and recycling efforts will minimize landfill waste and help take your recycling program to the next level. In this post, we explain each of the 5 R’s and the benefits of putting them into practice at your business.

Applying the 5 R’s to your business’ waste management and recycling strategies can positively impact the outcome of your program by significantly reducing the amount of waste your business generates. In the 5 R’s hierarchy, remember to treat recycling as a last resort after attempting to refuse, reduce, reuse, or repurpose.

Fungi eat dead and living trees, leaves, plants, fruits, vegetables, and animals. Fungi are omnivores, though some species eat only plants or animals.

All fungi are heterotrophic organisms, which means they rely on getting their nutrients from other organisms and organic matter. In other words, fungi cannot create their own food.

Cruise ships emit more carbon per passenger kilometre than flying, even considering the extra damage that emissions cause at high altitude. It’s thought that the Queen Mary II emits 0.43kg of CO2 per passenger mile – that’s even worse than the 0.257kg for a long-haul flight.

Cruise ships also produce loads of waste and rubbish. Every passenger creates around 3.5 kilograms of rubbish each day, rather than the 0.8 kilograms produced by people on shore.

As if this wasn’t bad enough, many people will fly to the start of their cruises.

A biotic factor is a living thing that has an impact on another population of living things or on the environment. Abiotic factors do the same thing, but they are non-living. Together, biotic and abiotic factors make up an ecosystem. To survive, biotic factors need abiotic factors. In turn, biotic factors can limit the kinds and amounts of biotic factors in an ecosystem.

Energy is at the heart of the climate challenge – and key to the solution.

A large chunk of the greenhouse gases that blanket the Earth and trap the sun’s heat are generated through energy production, by burning fossil fuels to generate electricity and heat.

Fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and gas, are by far the largest contributor to global climate change, accounting for over 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions.

Fast fashion is clothing that is made fast, cheap, and with little consideration. This type of fashion has been around for decades but its popularity has grown exponentially in the last decade due to improved technologies like mass production printing machines which allow companies to produce more garments at a lower cost than ever before. If this means creating disposable pieces made from synthetic materials which do not last as long as natural fabrics like organic cotton, so be it.

The fast fashion industry creates inexpensive clothing to keep up with rapidly changing trends. Many brands in the fast fashion industry use cheap labor to produce garments, which often leads to the exploitation of workers and the environment. Fast fashion companies tend to target workers in low-income areas who have limited alternatives for employment. As a result, people in low-income areas are more likely to tolerate the poor, exploitative labor conditions that are prevalent in fast fashion. Microfibers and waste are often byproducts of fast fashion, contributing to water pollution and food chain disruptions, which disproportionately affect impoverished areas. Several alternatives to fast fashion can make consumers’ wardrobes more ethical and sustainable, reducing global poverty at the same time.

When you have an empty bottle, do you recycle it so the plastic or glass can be used again? Nature has its own recycling system: a group of organisms called decomposers.

Decomposers feed on dead things: dead plant materials such as leaf litter and wood, animal carcasses, and feces. They perform a valuable service as Earth’s cleanup crew. Without decomposers, dead leaves, dead insects, and dead animals would pile up everywhere. Imagine what the world would look like!

Everyday we hear about a green future. But some way or another, that future seems to be constantly delayed or difficult to put into words or images. Where are the examples of the new green technologies? Concrete practices, that make us dream that the oft-mentioned win-win feature of green technologies will actually come to fruition?

Trying local cuisine is such an exciting part of traveling! And eating as the locals do is also a great way to support sustainable tourism.

This means avoiding big food chains and restaurants, and avoiding imported food and grocery. Instead, shop in local markets for produce, and pop into small restaurants for meals. By doing this, you are supporting the local food chain and you are supporting the local economy.

Businesses around the world recognize that sustainable consumption is a key element in any well-developed and forwardlooking sustainability program. Long term success and continued growth depend on offering consumers a way to meet their needs and aspirations within the limits of our planet.

Hydropower is one of the oldest and most widely used renewable sources of energy. China, the world’s largest producer of hydroelectricity, operates three of the world’s ten biggest hydroelectric power plants, including the world’s largest Three Gorges project. Power Technology lists the world’s ten biggest hydroelectric power production facilities based on installed capacity.

The 22.5GW Three Gorges hydroelectric power plant in Yichang, Hubei province, China, is the world’s biggest hydropower station. It is a conventional impoundment hydropower facility exploiting the water resource of the Yangtze River. The project is owned and operated by China Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC) through its subsidiary China Yangtze Power.

The outdoors is for everyone. Yet, diversity, equity and inclusion in the outdoors are all facets that need continuous improvement. Learn what efforts you can take and the ongoing movements to make the outdoors a place for all.

Plastic accumulating in our oceans and on our beaches has become a global crisis. Billions of pounds of plastic can be found in swirling convergences that make up about 40 percent of the world’s ocean surfaces. At current rates plastic is expected to outweigh all the fish in the sea by 2050.

Plastics pollution has a direct and deadly effect on wildlife. Thousands of seabirds and sea turtles, seals and other marine mammals are killed each year after ingesting plastic or getting entangled in it. Endangered wildlife like Hawaiian monk seals and Pacific loggerhead sea turtles are among nearly 700 species that eat and get caught in plastic litter.

It’s time to get at the root of this ocean crisis. The Center has petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to begin regulating plastics as a pollutant and is working to stop plastic pollution at the source, before it ever has a chance to reach the ocean.

What do the bans accomplish? They prevent millions of tons of plastic from entering the waste stream each year. And when it comes to waste that lasts forever, every ton counts. In New York, 23 billion plastic bags are used by residents each year. Not only does banning single-use plastic reduce pollution, but it also reduces demand for plastic production that’s contributing to global climate change. But beyond these impacts, the bans have cultural effects. Companies are forced to innovate, rethinking their designs and sourcing sustainable materials. And they help shift consumer mind-sets, as people begin to recognize that exorbitant and avoidable waste is not sustainable.

What is green technology and its benefits? First of all, green technology is an umbrella term that refers to a diverse range of technologies and practices that can be used to minimize environmental impact.

Green technology helps reduce energy and water consumption, reduces waste, reduces our carbon footprint, and improves business efficiency by lowering costs while improving the product design and creating new jobs. Compared to traditional technologies, green technology reduces the impact on the environment, reduces costs, and improves our quality of life.

There are many new and exciting green technology examples out there. With many innovative startups and companies developing impressive green tech products to help us become more eco-friendly. This shows the importance of green technology. Green-tech is a rapidly growing business area because of the advantages it delivers to every area of our lives.

We believe in making sustainable travel choices easier for everyone.

If done with respect for local communities, environments and biodiversity, travel can broaden horizons, reduce barriers and bring people closer together. We aim to promote a more sustainable travel industry, so we can collectively preserve a world worth experiencing.

Biodiversity loss refers to the decline or disappearance of biological diversity, understood as the variety of living things that inhabit the planet, its different levels of biological organisation and their respective genetic variability, as well as the natural patterns present in ecosystems. In mid-2019, the United Nations (UN), in collaboration with IPBES, presented an ambitious report on biodiversity warning that out of a total of eight million, one million species are in danger of extinction. Some researchers even dared to talk about the sixth mass extinction in the history of the planet.

The term sustainable travel refers to the adoption of sustainable practices with the aim of minimizing the negative impacts and maximizing the positive effects of tourism.

Packaging waste accounts for 40% of all solid waste in municipal waste streams. According to EPA, commercial, residential, and institutional users generate 75 million tons of container and packaging waste each year, but only half of the waste is properly recycled. This means about 37 million tons of packaging waste finds its way into the landfill.

Packaging waste is one of the top concerns that most businesses are facing today. However, to promote sustainable packaging, more and more companies are using materials that are eco-friendly throughout the packaging life cycle.

Green Technology (also often referred to as environmental technology or clean technology) is an umbrella term for sustainable technologies which contribute to lower our negative environmental impact on our planet while sustaining our economic power at the same time.

Although green tech is relatively young at our current point in time, it will become quite important in the near future since we have to solve our environmental problems somehow.

What’s the difference between low waste living and zero waste? The zero-waste lifestyle has one simple goal, produce NO waste. That’s virtually impossible to achieve in our society where everything is based on consumption rather than reduction. It’s why we prefer the term low waste, it’s more attainable for most and it allows the individual to slow down and take stock of the trash they produce.

Our world runs at a feverish pace. We are too hurried, too rushed, and too stressed. We work long, passionate hours to pay the bills, but fall deeper into debt every day. We rush from one activity to another—even multitasking along the way—but never seem to get anything done. We remain in constant connection with others through our cell phones, but true life-changing relationships continue to elude us.

Becoming a minimalist slows down life and frees us from this modern hysteria to live faster. It offers freedom to disengage. It seeks to keep only the essentials. It aims to remove the frivolous and keep the significant. It values the intentional endeavors that add value to life.

OECD countries are behind 14% of overall plastic leakage. Within that, OECD countries account for 11% of macroplastics leakage and 35% of microplastics leakage. The Outlook notes that international co-operation on reducing plastic pollution should include supporting lower-income countries in developing better waste management infrastructure to reduce their plastic leakage.

The report finds that the COVID-19 crisis led to a 2.2% decrease in plastics use in 2020 as economic activity slowed, but a rise in littering, food takeaway packaging and plastic medical equipment such as masks has driven up littering. As economic activity resumed in 2021, plastics consumption has also rebounded.

Reducing pollution from plastics will require action, and international co-operation, to reduce plastic production, including through innovation, better product design and developing environmentally friendly alternatives, as well as efforts to improve waste management and increase recycling.

Plastic production and consumption has snowballed since large-scale production began in the 1950s. In 2020, an estimated 24 million to 34 million tonnes of plastic waste will enter the world’s lakes, rivers and oceans. That is roughly the weight of 21,000 rail locomotives.

And if trends continue without improvements in the way we manage plastic waste, we could be spewing as much as 90 million tonnes of plastic waste into the world’s waters by 2030. Already, an estimated 10,000 tonnes of plastic waste enter the Great Lakes every year.

Back in 2015, the world agreed that eight million tonnes of plastic waste contaminating the ocean alone was unacceptable. Several international platforms emerged to address the crisis, including Our Ocean, the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the G7 Ocean Plastic Charter, among others.

Biomes are defined as “the world’s major communities, classified according to the predominant vegetation and characterized by adaptations of organisms to that particular environment” (Campbell 1996). The importance of biomes cannot be overestimated. Biomes have changed and moved many times during the history of life on Earth. More recently, human activities have drastically altered these communities. Thus, conservation and preservation of biomes should be a major concern to all.

Have you ever left spaghetti in plastic tupperware?

After a couple of hours the plastic is tinged red where the sauce has leached into the walls?

The reverse happens as well. When you store food in plastic, especially if it’s heated, this plastic wall will leach into your food.

Green technology offers several great solutions for climate change mitigation. Yet, as the world fights to implement these green technologies, the rising population, energy and dietary needs of the developing world seem to eat away the progress.

With COVID-19 being responsible for the only significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions in recent decades, it may be time to revise where governments apply green technology subsidies.

Green technology, also known as environmental technology, clean technology or sustainable technology, is a term used to describe environmentally friendly technology. This includes technology that reduces the amount of energy used, technology that recycles materials, and technology that does not produce harmful emissions.

Green technology helps reduce energy and water consumption, reduces waste, reduces our carbon footprint, and improves business efficiency by lowering costs while improving the product design and creating new jobs. Compared to traditional technologies, green technology reduces the impact on the environment, reduces costs, and improves our quality of life.

Emissions from aviation are a significant contributor to climate change. Airplanes burn fossil fuel which not only releases CO2 emissions but also has strong warming non-CO2 effects due to nitrogen oxides (NOx), vapour trails and cloud formation triggered by the altitude at which aircraft operate. These non-CO2 effects contribute twice as much to global warming as aircraft CO2 and were responsible for two-thirds of aviation’s climate impact in 2018.

As it is currently difficult to reduce emissions from this sector, flying less is the only way to reduce emissions in the critical decade before 2030. Flying less could mean taking a more sustainable mode of transport, such as train, or changing your destination to one which can be reached by less climate-intensive means. It could also mean teleconferencing instead of attending business meetings, or going on longer individual holidays, rather than several short, carbon intensive, trips.

For more than a decade, scientists have warned that humankind is leaving so much plastic in the natural environment that future archaeologists will be able to mark this era by the synthetic waste that was left behind—in short, the Plastic Age. This is especially true in the ocean, where about 11 million metric tons of plastic are dumped each year—an amount that is projected to nearly triple by 2040 without urgent, large-scale action, according to research by The Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ, a London-based sustainability consultancy.

The world is facing tough challenges today, and the climate crisis is at the forefront. Employees, customers, investors, and other stakeholders have greater expectations that organizations will lead efforts to address these climate issues globally. But it’s important to acknowledge that environmental sustainability isn’t an isolated concept. Rather, it’s part of a greater picture that encompasses how we operate in society and how we interact with our planet. Supporting the environment requires implementing practices that also support a more inclusive and equitable society and culture.

Did you know that in total, about one third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted? Food waste management is the process of recovering from this lost food, so less of it is produced in the first place. It’s another issue that we often take for granted, but one that needs to be addressed in order to reduce the amount of food waste in our society. The loss of so much food means that as a society, we waste about of food every year. Reducing this waste has a number of benefits for our environment, as well as for our pocketbooks.

Buying something - usually packed in single use plastic - or using aluminium foil/plastic wrap creates more waste that cannot be easily reused or disintegrated.

Biodiversity is one of the most precious and important things we have. We tend to think of it as something that’s just nice to look at, and enjoy spending time in, but it’s actually so much more. Without biodiversity, our entire support system for human, as well as animal life, would collapse. We rely on nature to provide us with food and clean water, for a lot of medicines, and to prevent flooding and other extreme weather effects. So much is provided by the natural ecosystems around us – they’re truly vital to life on earth. We think we can just trash one bit, or remove a species, and it’ll all be ok, but the different plants and animals are interconnected in vital ways that we don’t even always understand.

Over the past two decades, the number of international tourist arrivals more than doubled, surpassing 1.4 billion in 2019. While this tourism boom promoted economic growth and personal fulfillment, it often came at the expense of the environment and local communities. As tourism surged, it came hand in hand with gentrification, crowded streets, pollution, and habitat loss.

It is easy to see that fresh water is a scarce commodity. And in a scenario where the world population is increasing, it is more urgent that everyone behaves sustainably, avoiding any form of waste and helping the planet.

In Europe, each person uses on average around 144 litres of fresh water every day in their homes, which is almost three times more than the established by the European Environment Agency for basic human needs, and enough to fill around 570 cups of water. So that means there’s incredible amounts of water being wasted in households.

Knowing the main sources of water waste involved, will make it easier for you to start saving.

Sustainability is definitely the new way of building and it is being led from the top. Eco-friendly buildings are being designed, built and showcased across the world to demonstrate you can build sustainably without compromising cost or comfort.

Renewable and nonrenewable resources are energy sources that human society uses to function on a daily basis. The difference between these two types of resources is that renewable resources can naturally replenish themselves while nonrenewable resources cannot. This means that nonrenewable resources are limited in supply and cannot be used sustainably.

There are four major types of nonrenewable resources: oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear energy. Oil, natural gas, and coal are collectively called fossil fuels. Fossil fuels were formed within the Earth from dead plants and animals over millions of years—hence the name “fossil” fuels. They are found in underground layers of rock and sediment. Pressure and heat worked together to transform the plant and animal remains into crude oil (also known as petroleum), coal, and natural gas.

If you’re a farming or gardening enthusiast, there are a couple of things about vertical farming you should definitely know about. While there are many ways to define this novel mode of farming, in the simplest terms, Vertical Farming is a practice where food is produced in fairly inclined areas.

Unlike conventional farming where crops are planted at a single level, this unique method helps produce food in vertical and completely stacked layers that are also well-integrated into multiple structures like shipping containers or skyscrapers.

Leveraging the Controlled Environment Agriculture Technology, this modern farming technique makes the most out of indoor farming methods. This method involves artificially controlling the temperature, the light, and the gases.

Our world is a wealth of diverse peoples and rich traditions. Because travel brings us to far corners of the globe, it is an unparalleled opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds and learn about their ways of life.

While travel enriches our lives and broadens our horizons, it also has the power to support the communities we visit and improve their quality of life. Tourism creates much-needed jobs and income for underserved populations, such as women and rural communities, and brings money into developing countries. Along with providing local economic benefits, tourism can help preserve traditions and foster cultural awareness and pride.

Over the past year, we’ve seen how a global crisis can bring travel to a sudden halt. Though the pandemic remains front of mind, there is another crisis that will bring even graver consequences for humanity and imperil the destinations we love. That threat is climate change.

In recent years, tourism came under heightened scrutiny for its contribution to the climate emergency. We began hearing terms like “flight shaming” as people became more aware of their impact. Tourism does play a role in the climate crisis, there’s no denying that. In fact, a 2018 study found that tourism accounts for 8% of the world’s carbon emissions. On this webpage we provide a breakdown of the different activities that contribute to tourism’s carbon footprint.

We currently live in a society where there is overconsumption, and this comes with increased garbage, which is a great problem. Each and every year, we recycle more; however, as we do this, we create more garbage. As we create this problem, few people are on board to help develop solutions. The three R’s, which include reduce, reuse and recycle, all functions by helping to cut down on the amount of waste that people throw away.

In recent years a rising number of multinational corporations have pledged to work only with suppliers that adhere to social and environmental standards. Typically, these MNCs expect their first-tier suppliers to comply with those standards, and they ask that those suppliers in turn ask for compliance from their suppliers—who ideally ask the same from their suppliers. And so on. The aim is to create a cascade of sustainable practices that flows smoothly throughout the supply chain, or, as we prefer to call it, the supply network.

The need for a swift transition to renewable energy is more urgent than ever. Climate change, driven by the burning coal, oil and gas, is already wreaking havoc on communities, economies and ecosystems right around the world. The easiest, quickest and most effective way of driving down greenhouse gas emissions and giving ourselves the best chance of kicking climate change’s butt is by moving to an energy system based on renewables and storage.

Becoming the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050 is the objective behind the European Green Deal (COM(2019) 640 final), the very ambitious package of measures that should enable European citizens and businesses to benefit from sustainable green transition.

The use of renewable energy has many potential benefits, including a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, the diversification of energy supplies and a reduced dependency on fossil fuel markets (in particular, oil and gas). The growth of renewable energy sources may also stimulate employment in the EU, through the creation of jobs in new ‘green’ technologies.

In many cases, technology projects can be at odds with environmental interests. Technology can create a lot of waste, in device manufacture and energy use, and the increasing pace of innovation may only worsen these environmental issues. But there are a number of areas where this problem is seen as an opportunity, and technology is being used in the battle to protect our environment.

Technology is moving toward a state in which all of our devices are connected, creating an Internet of Things. We are currently in the first wave of these devices reaching the mainstream, and this trend seems poised to continue. Within this first wave are a number of devices that allow for greater control over the physical environment. For example, the Nest smart thermostat has redefined the task of home heating and cooling, allowing for control over the web, and automated optimization to reduce energy usage.

A number of startups have launched connected lighting products, using LED technology in an incandescent form factor with wireless connectivity. These lights can be controlled from a mobile application, allowing users to reduce energy consumption by ensuring the lights are off even after they leave the home.

Renewable energy is energy derived from natural resources that replenish themselves in less than a human lifetime without depleting the planet’s resources. These resources – such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, biomass and thermal energy stored in the earth’s crust – have the benefit of being available in one form or another nearly everywhere. They are virtually inexhaustible. And, what is even more important, they cause little climate or environmental damage.

Today, transportation is tourism’s main source of greenhouse gas emissions. On average, planes and cars generate the most CO2 per passenger mile, with tour buses, ferries, and trains coming well behind. In recent years, the number of people traveling internationally skyrocketed as airfare became more affordable. Similarly, between 2005 and 2016, transport-related tourism emissions increased by more than 60%.

One of the most remarkable aspects of travel is that each new adventure represents an opportunity to benefit communities and conserve environments in the destinations we visit. With more than one billion tourist arrivals each year, that’s over one billion opportunities to make a difference!

Consumers are key to driving sustainable production and play a central role in sustainable development. This report highlights OECD government initiatives to promote sustainable consumption, with an emphasis on individual policy tools and instruments and their effective combination. Here, the sustainability of consumption is considered in economic, environmental and social terms. Sustainable consumption policies increasingly take into account the social and ethical dimensions of products and how they are produced as well as their ecological impacts.

What’s the reason you decided to begin going zero waste?

Writing it down solidifies your resolve, giving you something to reference whenever you need motivation.

Perhaps it’s because you deeply care for the environment, want to save money, or avoid the toxins found in plastics. All those reasons are valid.

Reference this ‘why’ whenever you need some inspiration, or when the going gets tough. You got this!

Bhadla Solar Park is the largest solar farm in the world. The facility, spanning over an area of 14000 acres, is located in the Jodhpur district of Rajasthan.

The solar farm has a capacity of 2.25 GW and required an estimated investment of over 1.3 billion dollars.

Commissioned in 2017, the massive solar project contains over 10 million solar panels. It was developed in four phases under the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) scheme, in line with the Rajasthan Solar Energy Policy, 2011.

The plant harnesses the dry heat of India’s desert state of Rajasthan to produce clean renewable energy.

Consumption of plastics is increasing, and as a result more and more plastic waste is being created. The public authorities, together with plastics manufacturers, the waste management sector and retailers, are conducting a review of which options for recycling and disposal are ecologically and economically sound. Plastic waste recycling should deliver ecological added value and be financially viable. Plastics do not belong in the environment!

Tourism is responsible for roughly 8% of the world’s carbon emissions. From plane flights and boat rides to souvenirs and lodging, various activities contribute to tourism’s carbon footprint. The majority of this footprint is emitted by visitors from high-income countries, with U.S. travelers at the top of the list. As the number of people who can afford to travel grows, so will tourism’s environmental footprint.

Every day we make choices in our lives that affect the environment, the climate and other species. From what we eat to how many children we decide to have, there’s a lot we can do to “choose wild” and reduce our environmental footprint to leave more room for wild animals and plants.

The correct answer is walking, but this may not be possible for everybody. The second best way to travel short destinations is by bike, since it doesn't use fossil fuel. The third best way is with a bus, because a lot of people can use it at the same time. The last option is to travel with a car - this way is the most pollution-heavy. If you have to travel with a car, try ride-sharing with friends and family if possible.

The ecological footprint is an environmental sustainability indicator that measures the impact of human activity on the planet. Put simply, it measures the quantity of resources needed to sustain people and the economy, both in terms of production, consumption, and the waste these activities produce. The unit of measure is a global hectare (gha), that represents the global production and assimilation of waste provided by one hectare of productive land and water, each year.

To avoid exhausting the planet’s resources, the ecological footprint should be equal to or less to the bio-capacity of the planet, ergo, the ability to regenerate its natural resources. But that’s not always what happens.

In 2022, the per capita ecological footprint of Portugal was 4.55 gha, while the per capita bio-capacity was just 1.29 gha. In other words, consumption of natural resources was much higher than its regeneration capacity.

While it’s difficult to know exactly how many marine animals are killed by plastic pollution, it’s been estimated that plastic pollution kills 100,000 marine mammals every year. 81 out of 123 marine mammal species are known to have eaten or been entangled in plastic, and all seven sea turtle species are affected.

There are two principle ways that encountering marine debris can be fatal for these creatures: ingestion (eating) or entanglement in plastic-based fishing gear.

Half of the world’s largest wind farms are in the United States. The United Kingdom, India and China are also great powers in the production of wind energy.

The demand for renewable energy is at its peak. One of the most requested renewable energy sources is wind energy, which already has more than 350,000 wind turbines around the world.

The best place to start making a difference is right in your own home.

Students, parents, and teachers can all make a difference in reducing waste at school. By practicing the “3 R’s” of waste reduction—reduce, reuse, and recycle—we can all do our part.

Engage and motivate your coworkers to buy green products and help reduce waste.

The 4-R principle involves the guidelines for proper plastic use as reduce, reuse, recycle and recover waste. The 4-R rule provides an environmentally friendly approach for managing waste and waste streams. It reduce, reuse, recycle and recover a waste stream into incremental fractions.

What is sustainable travel? Traveling sustainably means being aware of the impact of tourism on the environment and adopting good practices to reduce the negative effects.

Planet Earth has limited resources and mass tourism puts their existence at risk. Therefore, sustainable travel is a way to preserve nature, instead of commodifying it to attract tourists.

In 47 countries covered by the 2005–2008 World Values Survey, the higher a person’s level of education, the more likely she was to express concern for the environment. Furthermore in the 2010-2012 World Values Survey, when forced to choose between protecting the environment versus boosting the economy, those respondents with secondary education favoured the environment more than those with less than secondary education.

Data from the International Social Survey Programme on 29 mostly high income countries similarly showed that the share of those disagreeing that people worry too much about the environment rose from 25% of those with less than secondary education to 46% of people with tertiary education.

Being environmentally conscious is not all about plastic bags; it’s about making everyday choices that will — quite literally — determine our success or failure as a species. We can be more conscious about reducing pollution, protecting wildlife, conserving natural resources and take other actions that can help slow the rate of climate change.

Everyone can make a difference, particularly when smart environmental choices become a habit and perhaps even begins influencing others into taking similar actions. Doing the right thing for the future of life on Earth can even have immediate personal benefits. It can tap into your creativity, can get you more engaged with your community and the world, and may contribute to a healthier lifestyle.

We need to reduce the amount of trash we create, and to reuse or repurpose consumer goods rather than throwing them away. United States is among the countries in the world that produce the most waste.

A rainforest is an area of tall, mostly evergreen trees and a high amount of rainfall.

Rainforests are Earth’s oldest living ecosystems, with some surviving in their present form for at least 70 million years. They are incredibly diverse and complex, home to more than half of the world’s plant and animal species—even though they cover just six percent of Earth’s surface. This makes rainforests astoundingly dense with flora and fauna; a 10-square-kilometer (four-square-mile) patch can contain as many as 1,500 flowering plants, 750 species of trees, 400 species of birds and 150 species of butterflies.

It’s not easy to resist our instinct to get up close to wildlife. Scientists even have a name for it – the biophilia hypothesis – which suggests that humans possess an innate tendency to seek connections with nature. But keeping your hands off is usually always in the best interests of the animals involved.

Living things need energy to grow, breathe, reproduce, and move. Energy cannot be created from nothing, so it must be transferred through the ecosystem. The primary source of energy for almost every ecosystem on Earth is the sun. Primary producers use energy from the sun to produce their own food in the form of glucose, and then primary producers are eaten by primary consumers who are in turn eaten by secondary consumers, and so on, so that energy flows from one trophic level, or level of the food chain, to the next.

Since the introduction of the EPA’s Reduce, Reuse, Recycle campaign, many have adopted recyclable waste management systems, are remembering to bring reusable bags on their grocery trips as more cities adopt plastic bag bans, and are becoming aware of their own ecological footprint. But as this great Footprint Calculator released by the Earth Day Network shows, we can always do more to consume less. Plus, by re-using items in your home, you’ll save money.

Biological diversity, or biodiversity, is the scientific term for the variety of life on Earth. It refers not just to species but also to ecosystems and differences in genes within a single species. Everywhere on the planet, species live together and depend on one another. Every living thing, including man, is involved in these complex networks of interdependent relationships, which are called ecosystems.

Over the past few years, waste management has become a global concern. Commonly, waste is generated in households, factories, construction sites, refineries and nuclear power plants. As the population is increasing, consumption trends are changing. Along with the improvement in lifestyle, it has posed alarming threats to the environment. If waste is not managed properly it can cause serious problems to human health and the environment. So, it is necessary for people and businesses to know the importance of waste management.

Floss, cotton buds, makeup sponges… We create a surprising amount of waste during our self-care routines. And that’s why creating a zero waste bathroom is a great place to start on your sustainability journey.

When it comes to zero waste living, it’s best to change one area of your life at a time rather than diving all in. Start small–slow and steady wins the race.

Now, a zero waste bathroom may sound like an oxymoron. After all, it’s literally the place we go to when relieving ourselves of, well, waste.

Global demand for plastics is high and rising, spurred by the material’s barrier properties, lightweight nature, malleability, and favorable production economics. For these reasons, we expect that plastics will continue to play an important role in supply chains globally despite efforts to move away from single-use plastics. But with rising demand comes a significant amount of plastic waste. This creates two related challenges, along with opportunities for businesses to help address them:

• The need to reduce plastic-waste pollution. When plastic waste is not properly managed, it can leak into the environment—most notably, into the ocean near coastal cities.
• The need to increase plastic circularity. Many brand owners have committed to using recycled plastic content in packaging, but the supply has been constrained. Unlocking circular plastics will require addressing collection and building out recycling capacity.

What is green technology and its benefits? First of all, green technology is an umbrella term that refers to a diverse range of technologies and practices that can be used to minimize environmental impact.

Green technology helps reduce energy and water consumption, reduces waste, reduces our carbon footprint, and improves business efficiency by lowering costs while improving the product design and creating new jobs. Compared to traditional technologies, green technology reduces the impact on the environment, reduces costs, and improves our quality of life.

There are many new and exciting green technology examples out there. With many innovative startups and companies developing impressive green tech products to help us become more eco-friendly. This shows the importance of green technology. Green-tech is a rapidly growing business area because of the advantages it delivers to every area of our lives.

Green technology is an umbrella term that describes the use of technology and science to create products and services that are environmentally friendly. Green tech is related to cleantech, which specifically refers to products or services that improve operational performance while also reducing costs, energy consumption, waste, or negative effects on the environment.

The goal of green tech is to protect the environment, repair damage done to the environment in the past, and conserve the Earth’s natural resources. Green tech has also become a burgeoning industry that has attracted enormous amounts of investment capital.

The key difference between the zero waste and low impact movement is what they focus on. The zero waste movement focuses on waste creation, while the low impact movement deals with the entire ecological footprint.

Before understanding the conservation of forest and wildlife it is important to understand the general definition of the forest. There are several definitions of the forest. A forest is defined as a land area of more than 0.5 hectares with a tree canopy cover of more than 10% that is not predominantly used for agriculture as well as other quasi purposes. An important requirement is trees should be capable of attaining a length of 5 meters in situ and achieving the canopy cover requirement in young forests or locations where tree development is climatically inhibited.

Sustainable travel is about making smarter choices in every aspect of the trip. It starts at the beginning, when booking transport and accommodation, and comes into play when seeking out local experiences and being conscious of where you’re investing your tourist dollars.

Overconsumption is using something excessively more than you need. This could involve buying too many products, eating too much food, or watching too much television.

We have all probably heard the phrase “everything in moderation,” but humans often struggle to follow that guide, and this has led to wastage and exploitation of natural resources.

There are many different types of overconsumption. For instance, food overconsumption is one of the most common types of overconsumption. Read more to learn 20 facts about overconsumption.

It’s difficult to resist going back for more delicious food, even after we are full. It can also be difficult not to fill our shopping carts to the brim with fresh groceries every trip, even when they might get thrown away a week later

“Greenwashing” is a form of misinformation often used to entice an aspiring green consumer. Companies promising to be sustainable, biodegradable, or environmentally conscious sometimes fail to meet the promises they make to consumers.

“It’s basically just a form of lying,” says Ellis Jones, a sociologist who studies greenwashing at the College of the Holy Cross.

As millions of Americans prepare to spend billions of dollars on Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, greenwashing experts provides tips for consumers who want to spend their money with businesses they trust.

Plastic pollution has now been documented in all the major ocean basins, beaches, rivers, lakes, terrestrial environments and even in remote locations such as the Arctic and Antarctic. Estimated global leakage to the environment (terrestrial and aquatic) was 22 Mt in 2019. This value is projected to double, reaching 44 Mt by 2060.

The vast majority are macroplastics, recognisable items such as beverage bottles, and most found their way into the natural environment as a result of inadequate collection and disposal. Other leakage routes include littering or fly-tipping, and marine activities. Microplastics, small pieces of plastic, less than 5 mm (0.2 inch) in length, also make up a sizeable share of total leakage, largely reaching the environment through wear to tyres and road markings, as well as the accidental loss of plastic pellets and washing of synthetic textile fibres.

March 22 is World Water Day, a day dedicated to reminding people about the importance of water. The United Nations has a theme for 2023: Accelerating change to address the water and sanitation crisis. Unfortunately, dysfunction throughout the water cycle is hampering progress on various global issues, including health, hunger, gender equality, education, and industry.

In 2015, the world committed to Sustainable Development Goal 6, which promised safely managed water and sanitation for all by 2030. However, we are currently far off-track to achieve this goal, with billions of people and many institutions lacking safe water and toilets. Governments need to work much faster to meet this goal, but it is not a problem that they can solve alone. Everyone needs to take action to address this issue because water affects us all.

Green building has become an increasingly popular topic in recent years. More and more people are looking to build environmentally friendly homes, and businesses are starting to catch on to the sustainable trend.

Scientific studies of elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) in the Caribbean and off the coast of Florida show that coral genotypes can survive longer than expected. Genotype refers to the genetic makeup of an organism.

Scientists are now using a genetic approach to estimate the ages of corals. The method determines when a coral egg and sperm originally met to form the genome of a coral colony. The researchers then track the number of mutations that have accumulated in the genome since that time. Because mutations tend to arise at a relatively constant rate, researchers can estimate the approximate age of the coral genomes in their study.

“Alone we can do so little,” said educator and activist Helen Keller. “Together we can do so much.“

It’s easy to focus on the role of leaders, but the success of any initiative requires widespread support. Here are some of the groups who can be valuable allies:

• Employees implement company initiatives and can contribute ideas based on their specific areas of expertise. Everyone from mid-level managers to operational staff to front-line employees can make a difference.
• Customers can purchase green products and services and promote the company’s brand.
• Communities are especially important if your company has a significant local footprint — for example, if you’re engaged in manufacturing or resource extraction. Keeping your social license to operate within the community reduces friction and costs and can even lead to collaborations on projects with local stakeholders

So many decisions we make in our everyday lives have a major impact on the planet. The average American produces about 4.4 pounds of trash per day. Explore our tips for ways you can make small changes that are eco-friendly and will have a lasting effect on the environment.

Anything that grows decomposes eventually; composting simply speeds up the process by providing an ideal environment for bacteria, fungi, and other decomposing organisms (such as worms, sowbugs, and nematodes) to do their work. The resulting decomposed matter, which often ends up looking like fertile garden soil, is called compost. Fondly referred to by farmers as “black gold,” compost is rich in nutrients and can be used for gardening, horticulture, and agriculture.

Organic discards can be processed in industrial-scale composting facilities, in smaller-scale community composting systems, and in anaerobic digesters, among other options. This guide focuses primarily on home composting, which is a great way to keep your organic discards out of the waste stream and produce a valuable soil amendment for your own use.