As a result of my research, the list below describes how I have taken action to reduce my global footprint.
- Lifestyle changes:
- The next time I plan to go shopping for items such as clothing, shoes etc., I will look into which shops are best to make purchases from, considering child labor. I did this recently when buying new shoes. I was aware to avoid Nike and Adidas and decided to make my purchase from Puma after doing research. I learned that Puma is not known to use child labor and it is therefore safe to make purchases from them.
- I recently considered fair trade and food miles when shopping with my parent. If at any point we came across a type of food, for example rice, and had to choose which package to buy from which company, I first looked on the labels to be sure they were all grown and packaged in Bali. I would then check for any labels that specified if it was a fair trade product. Once I found a fair trade label, I could be sure I was purchasing the right product.
- After knowing about animal testing/animal cruelty, I make sure to buy products such as shampoo, soap etc. from the BodyShop who don't use animal testing as opposed to Dove, who do use it.
After learning about all the resources involved in producing specific products, I am careful with what I buy and consider if it is really necessary to buy it. I did this recently when shopping with my father. I read from the same magazine as the previous post that it takes more water to produce meat than most vegetables and I therefore took this into account when considering if we should buy meat or vegetables for the pasta sauce we were having that evening. We ended up deciding to have a vegetarian meal.
- I will often think about reusing and recycling when shopping. My family brings our own shopping bags to the supermarket when shopping, which both reuses the bag and reduces the amount of plastic bags used at the store. I also take note of recycled glass (esp. bottles) and cans when shopping as well as recycled clothing material when clothes shopping. There will be labels on the products indicating when they have been made from recycled material. We have also started to separate the garbage at home, putting the material good for recycling to the side.
- I recently thought about repairing instead of buy new products when wanting to update my laptop. Because I have had it for a long time, the memory space is running out and the battery will not last for long (meaning I have to charge it more often, which also has a negative influence on the environment through the amount of electricity used). I investigated and researched to see if I would need to buy a whole new laptop or if I could simply repair it somehow. As a result I learned that by just buying a new battery for my laptop will strongly improve it. I also learned that I can purchase an external hard drive to store the documents that are using up so much of my laptop memory. This is better than purchasing a new laptop as I am not disposing my laptop which is still in good shape, it saves money and it also prevents me from buying a new laptop that takes so much energy to make.
- I have checked with the person responsible for buying light bulbs in my home and I have learned that we are already using CFLs in some locations, however I have talked to him and we now plan on using them wherever possible.
- Activities I took part in:
- I know that trees help reduce my global footprint, as they absorb carbon dioxide and supply us with oxygen. I have therefore organized for 5 Plumeria (Frangipani/ Cambodja) trees to be planted on the property I live on. I chose this tree because it is very easy to transport and plant. You can start growing your own tree by simply cutting off a branch from an existing tree, plant it in a pot and later in the ground. If the tree is being taken well care of it should not take long before it blooms. I also chose this tree because the flowers produced can be useful and they have a nice aroma.
(After living 4 years in Bali, we have already planted over 40 trees on the property we own, most of which are Plumeria or Coconut Palm trees.)- I have also organized and carried out several fundraisers that will raise money to 'adopt-a-rainforest'. This is done through an organization by sponsoring a piece of the Indonesian rainforest, protecting it from deforestation.
