The One World Centre was approached by the UN Biosphere Isle of Man team at the end of last year to ask if we could make a pledge for 2019 as a UN Biosphere partner. We said we would pledge to share one sustainability idea each week throughout 2019 and these have been appearing on our Facebook page. We know everyone is not a Facebook fan though so each month we’ll summarise our ideas on the website. Here we go with the ideas in January:
Sustainability idea # 1
Reduce your consumption. There’s a famous quote from Mahatma Gandhi saying “Live simply so that others may simply live.” While few of us would like to live as frugally as Gandhi, we can ask ourselves if there is anything wasteful that we’ve got into the habit of buying or using – and that we can really do without in 2019.
Sustainability idea # 2
Eat less meat. This is such a simple idea to put into practice but one which can have the biggest impact on your environmental footprint. Livestock agriculture is not only a major greenhouse gas emitter but also uses huge amounts of land and water. Introduce meat-free days to your diet and learn to love your veggies!
Sustainability idea #3
Use tap water not bottled. Tap water in the Isle of Man undergoes stringent testing to make sure it is safe to drink. Bottled water uses huge amounts of resources through extraction, packaging and transportation – not to mention an enormous plastic pollution problem when not disposed of properly. The One World Centre has just joined the Isle of Man’s Refill scheme as one of the places where people can ask to refill a water bottle for free. More details are available here https://refill.org.uk/refill-schemes/refill-isle-man/
Sustainability idea #4
Insulate your home. Another win/win opportunity. Choosing the right sort of insulation for your home will keep it warmer in winter and cooler in summer meaning you need to spend less on energy to heat and cool it. More and more eco-friendly insulation materials are becoming available too.
Sustainability idea # 5.
Driving to work by yourself? Think about organising a car share with a colleague or taking the bus if possible. The Isle of Man Government website has a link to the Liftshare scheme where you can match your journey with others taking the same route. As well as reducing emissions, you’ll save by sharing motoring costs as well.
https://www.gov.im/categories/travel-traffic-and-motoring/…/
