A Step Towards A Sustainable Lifestyle : Home Equals Planet
The planet’s average surface temperature has risen about 2.05 degrees Fahrenheit (1.14 degrees Celsius) since the late 19th century, a change driven largely by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made emissions into the atmosphere.
To mitigate climate change and other environmental harm, actions at the individual level are crucial for the future of our planet.
Hence, Earth5R’s Home Equals Planet Project seeks to accomplish actions at the individual level by equipping citizens with the knowledge for a more sustainable lifestyle in order to benefit both the planet and our wellbeing.
Consisting of 15 tangible actions at the personal level, Earth5R’s Home Equals Planet Project promotes sustainability and a zero waste lifestyle.
For instance, Action 10 of the project trains citizens to segregate waste and maximize recycling. This simple yet effective action produces many benefits which include reducing environmental pollution, conserving energy, and lastly keeping the environment clean and fresh.
When taken at a larger scale, these actions successfully address climate change and other environmental issues.
Arriving from California, USA, Rodrigo Lopez and Isabelle Chen are here today to share their experiences after receiving the Home Equals Planet training.
As a junior in high school, Isabelle Chen is passionate about the environment and believes more actions are necessary to address important environmental issues such as global warming.
Isabelle Chen: “I thought the Home Equals Planet training was well-structured and clear. On top of the 15 actions, I also learned a lot of statistics on the benefits of pursuing a sustainable lifestyle. Previously, I had never taken into consideration the potential harms of certain actions such as meat consumption.
But after the Home Equals Planet training, I have gained knowledge on the potential harms of what I previously took for granted. I have become more aware of my meat intake and water consumption.
Furthermore, a specific action from the training which I found interesting was the benefits of eating locally.
After the training, I have shared my knowledge to my parents when explaining the advantages of buying locally and in doing so, I successfully convinced them to buy groceries from the farmers market at least once a week instead of from supermarkets.
This training has really encouraged me to take small steps forward for the environment and towards a more sustainable lifestyle.”
Attending high school, Rodrigo Lopez finds interest in discovering more efficient solutions for building awareness surrounding crucial topics such as global warming and pollution.
Rodrigo Lopez: “From the training, I learned a lot on what could benefit the environment and became more self-conscious on the food I eat, as well as actions within and outside the environment. After the 15 Actions training, I increased my exercise and in the process spent more time in nature.
Previously, out of a week I was approximately 2% physically active, but after the Home Equals Planet training, I increased my exercise to 10% by running more frequently in nature.
One of the actions in the training, choosing green commute, really stood out to me because it was so true. When I travel, I’m more physically and mentally tired. I realize that traveling less and using green commutes instead could not only limit my feelings of exhaustion but also allow me to receive benefits such as Vitamin D.
Since the training, I have also increased my percentage of buying from local businesses from 10% before to 40-50%.
This past month, my family has supported more local businesses because I realize that supporting local businesses especially through Covid is really beneficial to the community.
The training served as an important reminder of environmentally friendly practices such as segregating waste or energy conservation in which I will continue to perform with greater care everyday.
The presentation presented me with viable options and actions to benefit the environment and improve my well-being.
Everyone can be part of the environmental movement and adopt these actions into their lives so that we can limit the effects of major environmental issues such as global warming, and river pollution.
These options can reduce pollution in the environment by raising environmental self awareness and improve your life because it will benefit not only the environment but also your health.”
Ultimately, the 15 Actions from the Home Equals Planet Project trains citizens, such as Isabelle and Rodrigo, to create change at the individual level and encourage them to share their experiences and training to more people, thus producing a domino effect leading to massive change within society and numerous benefits to the environment.
On top of benefiting the environment, the Home Equals Planet Project also closely aligns with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Newly implemented in 2015, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development stresses the importance of addressing global issues such as climate change, poverty, and inequality.
Reaching these goals require a unified movement from citizens, businesses, and private sectors alike and is crucial for a healthy and sustainable planet.
The Earth5R team would like to appeal to all the citizens to participate, take action and further encourage others to take action. Reach out to Earth5R to know more about the Home Equals Planet program. Visit their website at https://earth5r.org/.
ABOUT EARTH5R
Earth5R is an environmental organization from India with its head office at Mumbai. It works with the NGO sector, Companies and helps them conduct environmental Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs across India.
Earth5R specializes in circular economy based projects. Earth5R also offers short term and long term environmental courses and fellowships.
– Community training and reporting by Claire Hsu, editing by Aishani Raghav
