The fact that the environment has been doing much better in terms of pollution and emissions since many of us have been placed into Covid-19 lockdown has shown us just how much our daily lives have a negative effect on the planet. So here is some food for thought: how could we, as individuals, learn from this crisis and rethink our daily habits to be less harmful to the environment.
For the past months, the planet seems to have been revolving only around the issue of the Covid-19 pandemic. Besides the numerous lives it has taken, many have seen the negative effects of this virus on their jobs, economy, way of life or mental health. On the other hand, one aspect that seems to have improved is the environment, with dips in pollution and emissions levels (see: Good News: Your Mother Nature’s quick recovery).
But in order for this sudden ecological improvement to last in the long term, we need to lend a hand to Mother Nature by taking some time to brainstorm a new routine for ourselves to implement ‘Post Covid-19’.
Of course, it is unrealistic to force others to close down all meat markets or to stop taking planes. Instead, we should realize that each individual has his own part to play and can make a huge difference in preserving our planet and avoiding future pandemics. Here are some of the thoughts on how you can make a difference in your everyday life:
1) Rethink the way we eat.
As we all know by now, the virus is believed to have been transmitted from bats to humans in the ‘Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market’, in Wuhan (China). This market is one of the many wet markets commonly found in Asia and Africa. These markets are places where many species of live wild and domestic animals are sold for sustenance alongside fruits, vegetables and fish, usually in pretty unsanitary conditions.
However, this is not the first time that animal consumption was to blame for a pandemic. SARS (or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) back in 2002 was also believed to have started in a wet market in China. More recently, MERS ( or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) was a disease that started spreading back in 2012 due to the consumption of camel meat.
It is however not only an issue of consuming wild animals’ meat. Many of us remember the H1N1 virus, also called ‘swine flu’, that emerged back in 2009. This disease was transmitted from pigs to humans. And the Bird Flu of 1997 and the “mad cow” disease both originated from farmed poultry and cows.
What can we do?
Reduce your meat intake
A lot of people today are consuming too much meat, not only for their own benefit but also for the planet. And in the midst of a pandemic resulting from consuming meat, it gives us a good occasion to rethink what we put in our plates. But asking everyone to go vegan or vegetarian may be too big of a leap for some and an unrealistic goal to achieve. However, we can - and for the most part, should - reduce as much as we can the amount of meat we eat for the sake of the environment. Why? To give just one of the many examples, according to The Washington Post, the simple fact of replacing your steak for beans once a week releases 331kg of CO² less in the atmosphere, which is roughly what a tree you planted would take 83 years to eliminate. (For more details on your diet’s impact on our planet, check: Vegan diet: its effect on health, budget and the planet.)
Prioritize local and non-industrial farming
One good “side-effect” of this pandemic is that people worldwide have shown a bigger interest in buying local or organic food. By prioritizing your local farmers, markets, and other local food businesses, you reduce the vast amount of greenhouse gases emitted during the shipping of the items you consume. Now, of course, some products cannot grow naturally in your region, but for the rest, why not choose local and support the local economy as a result?
Also, do pay attention to what type of farm it comes from. Intensive farming is a huge industry in today’s society but it is also one of the most pollutant in terms of land use, water pollution, and green gas emissions. Getting back to the idea of pandemics, it is often on these intensive farms that we find unsanitary conditions for the animals, which creates the perfect environment for viruses and other diseases to rise and spread quickly. These diseases may, later on, be transmitted to humans. So by choosing local, smaller producers whenever possible, you would help the economy, your health and the planet!
Grow your own food
With all this extra time on our hands, many of us decided to find a new hobby like baking, cooking or gardening. So why not mix both? It may surprise you but you don’t necessarily need to live in a house with a garden in order to grow your own food. Sometimes just a window or a balcony is enough to harvest your own fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs.
This could help with the fear of food shortages that we experienced during the lockdown and at the same time help the environment as fruit trees and vegetable plants also photosynthesise.
2) Rethink our movement.
Everywhere in the world, people have experienced various degrees of lockdown and isolation. This meant no more commuting to work but also fewer business or vacation trips, and a lot of greenhouse gas emissions that have been prevented as a result. The danger now is, once these restrictive measures are lifted, that everyone will go back to overusing transportation and compensate for the holidays lost by taking a plane to faraway lands.
What can we do?
Short movements
This one depends a lot on you. Some people cannot afford not to use their car for various reasons. But for those who can, now is a good time to start looking for a different means of transport to use regularly. For instance, if you need some exercise after being stuck at home for two months, why not decide to go to work on foot or bicycle once a week.
Or what if you didn’t have to go to work at all? A lot of companies have had to switch to teleworking during the pandemic. Of course this is not for everybody. A lot of professions cannot be done remotely. Also, many of us right now would love to get out even if it meant going to work. But think about it. Once children get back to school, and you can start going back to your favourite restaurant or café for lunch, maybe then working from home wouldn’t be such a problem after all. Or maybe you and your employer could discuss working three days a week at the office and the rest at home.
These options could drastically reduce commuting to work, allowing a better circulation in cities, less pollution and reduced greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. These currently make up 15% of all manmade greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Passenger cars are the number one factor of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within the transportation sector.
Longer journeys
One industry that suffered massively as a result of the pandemic and has seen many of its companies file for bankruptcy is air travel. It also happens to be one of the most pollutant means of transportation.
Again, there are times when finding another way of reaching our destination is nearly impossible (as many of us wouldn’t be able to cross the Atlantic on a boat like Greta just to minimize their impact on the environment). But we should reconsider how we use air travel and how often we actually need it. This comes down partly to a change of mindset.
For example, when going on a holiday, we could think back to the saying “It isn’t about the destination, it’s about the journey”. In other words, we could decide to take the train rather than the plane and potentially stop off a few times in cities along the way. For example, one could take the longest train route in the world which starts in Lisbon, stops in many interesting cities, and ends up in Vietnam (assuming you’re willing to spend 12 days just traveling there). Even if the calculus is quite complicated due to many variables such as how many people are traveling together or what fuel is used, train is usually guaranteed to be the more eco-friendly option.
3) Rethink before we ‘throw away’
Finally, one last aspect of the aftermath of the pandemic I want to brainstorm in this article is the habit of “single use” and throwing away just about anything, even when most of the time it is still usable. The pandemic is not yet over and already we are seeing on social media images of people picking up washed up masks on the beach.
What can we do?
Learn about your masks
Even post-lockdown, it is likely that many of us will continue wearing masks for a certain period of time. Whether or not a mask is reusable is a very complicated question. Of course, throwing away masks after each use seems like the logically safer option. But for those, like me, that worry about how throwing away these masks would affect our planet, or for those who cannot get new masks regularly, some specialists give advice on how to reuse your masks the safest way possible. This advice varies greatly depending on the type of mask used, the material it is made of, and how well you take care of it. So I would just advise those of you who want to reuse their masks to check the professional recommendations online.
Wash your hands… with soap
To protect yourself (and others), washing your hands is probably the easiest step that anyone could do. People most often use soap and water or hand sanitizers. Both of these are equally effective in killing viruses or bacteria. However, soap and water has a few more advantages. Firstly, in terms of hygiene, it is more efficient in cleaning off extra dirt and it makes it easier to cover your hands entirely and rub them for 20s. Secondly, in terms of ecological impact, using a bar soap means you are not throwing as much plastic packaging away as you would if you were to use hand-sanitizers which usually come in plastic bottles. So for your health and the planet, try to prioritize bar soap and water over bottled sanitizers.
Overall:
I believe that being more conscious and careful about the impact of our actions - be it what we decide to eat, to throw away or what means of transport we use - is the first step to moving on to a safer “post-coronavirus” for us and our planet. There are of course many more things that we can and should reconsider to achieve a more sustainable lifestyle. But I hope this article will lead to some brainstorming and that people will share their ideas and solutions with others. Which is why we would like to ask you for your opinion:
Tell us on social media what else have you realized during this crisis and share with us some ways you plan on becoming more sustainable in the future?
Article by:
Lena Fix
Editor in chief at The ComPost
Images by:
Unsplash
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