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19 Simple Things That Caring People Do to Save Our Planet
11,258 scientists from around the world signed a report entitled, “Warning of a Climate Emergency.” It says that the planet is facing a large-scale environmental crisis and we need to take urgent measures to avoid “untold suffering.” As you can see, countries are in no hurry to reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, forests are cut down, the temperature on the Earth’s surface is rising rapidly, and one-third of the food produced worldwide every year is thrown away. However, there are people who are trying to minimize the amount of waste which is damaging our planet. They make confetti from fallen leaves instead of purchased ones and turn ocean waste into sneakers.
We at Bright Side are also trying to act in an eco-friendly way and encourage you to think about what you personally can do for our planet.
1. Shampoo and shower gel filling machines have been recently introduced in the Czech Republic. People can refill their empty bottles instead of buying a new one every time.
2. A store sells shirts made from plastic bottles and shows how they were made.
3. In 2016, France passed a law that forbids supermarkets to throw away edible food. Instead, they donate unsold food to charity.
4. A store was opened in Denmark where you can buy food with a shelf life that’s near its expiration date or products in damaged packaging with a discount of 30%-50%. The store’s profits go to charity.
5. “Here’s what 362 lb of recovered food waste looks like. Instead of getting tossed into a dumpster, this food was donated to local homeless shelters and will be used to provide over 400 meals to those in need.”
6. KitKats in Japan have started changing their packaging from plastic to paper.
7. Adidas launches 11 million sneakers made from recycled plastic per year. Each pair reuses 11 plastic bottles.
8. 56 million used coffee capsules are thrown away per year. Startup Velosophy makes bikes from recycled Nespresso coffee capsules.
9. A student came up with a brilliant idea of making cheap and durable plastic which is made of potato starch and water and will decompose in 2 months. You can also make dishes and packaging from it.
10. Some grocers use banana leaves as an alternative to plastic packaging.
11. A machine that lets you fill your own containers with water
12. “Grapes in our supermarket are sold in small paper bags instead of plastic containers.”
13. This movie theater collects popcorn for local farms.
14. European stores are switching from ordinary stickers to laser marks on fruits and vegetables.
15. Shampoo in a bottle of soap: it empties completely to the last drop.
16. In a Belgian store, you can cut a bar of soap and solid shampoo instead of buying a plastic bottle.
17. Finnish startup, Sulapac invented material from wood chips and glue from which you can make containers for cosmetics. It is quite durable and biodegradable.
18. Zero waste confetti you can make with your kids
19. “Our world is changing. I always take fabric bags with me when going to the store, and if a year ago people looked at me in a strange way, now they ask me where I bought these bags.”
Bonus: A new trend in Tel Aviv offices is to put a photo of Greta Thunberg next to plastic dishes.
Do you have any ideas on how we can reduce the amount of waste on our planet?
Preview photo credit lucie.ouradova / Instagram
