This week the Global Week of Climate Action is taking place all around the world: marches have been organized in more than 163 countries on Friday 20th, more than 4.000.000 people have participated and marches and events will keep happening during the coming week, culminating on Friday 27th.
Greta Thunberg in only one year was able to create a movement of kids and people worried about the climate that has no precedent: she will be participating to the Climate meeting at Onu on Monday, where President Antonio Guterres as asked world leaders to bring concrete actions on the table and not only words.
Climate Strike March
Next Friday 27th September I plan to participate with my family to the Climate March in Lisbon: you can read more details here and join us.
I believe the strikes are very meaningful but I also believe that we must take actions and what the best time if not this very important week to start, or intensify our effort to fight the climate change?
4R Actions Challenge
My idea is very simple: we could start put in action the 4R – Reduce Reuse Recycle ReThink
This week I suggest one action a day to change our daily habits in sustainable routines following the word Reduce: this challenge does not involve buy anything new, only avoiding daily actions that can create waste or pollution.
During the week you could try only one challenge a day or you could try to progressively follow all the challenges adding a new one each day: that’s why the most difficult ones are at the end of the week!
If you are a family with kids, it’s important to involve the kids in the actions, explaining the motivation behind these new choices: age doesn’t matter, kids are very smart and understand everything from a very young age.
DAY 1 MONDAY: Go out with a reusable bag and do not ask for bags in shops
DAY 2 TUESDAY: Avoid using single-use plastic containers and other stuff like paper napkins, water bottles plastic straws and so on
DAY 3 WEDNESDAY: walk or take public transport instead of cabs or private cars.
DAY 4 THURSDAY: Avoid buying new clothes from fast fashion brands
DAY 5 FRIDAY: Avoid to eat meat or fish for today
EXTRA CHALLENGE: join us at the Climate March in Lisbon
DAY 6-7 WEEKEND: During the weekend just trying to follow the first 5 daily challenges. If you feel like challenging yourself, even more, you can pay a visit to the Weekly Organic Market and make a Plastic Free grocery shopping (remember to bring a bag and some empty egg containers.
We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.
Anne-Marie Bonneau @ZeroWasteChef
Here the facebook event I created for people to keep track of the challenge: you can post pictures of your achievements or questions if you have doubts!
DAY 9: Sustainable Families Together 1st Meeting
It is not easy to keep up having sustainable routines: daily life it’s already challenging and changing habits, in general, it’s very difficult. But together we can support and help each other achieving these changes.
On Tuesday 1st October I would like to invite everybody interested in keeping up with this challenge to meet and exchange thoughts and struggles: we will meet and share how the previous week went, here’s the link to the event.
I invite participants to bring an object referring to a challenge that came easy to you and one of a challenge you struggled or struggles with (even a new one, for example, metal straws, fabric grocery bags, fabric tissues). We can exchange tips on how to achieve the most difficult challenges and we can share this objects for a week to try them out (one object each) with the promise to give it back to the owner to the next meeting that will happen the week after the first one.
Sounds like a tough plan? Together we can!
Have a lovely and challenging week!
