365 Sustainable Decisions Challenge

When talking about forests, we usually think of and mean forest consisting of trees on the ground. But hidden from view is another type of forest that is very important for our planet as well. These forests are marine kelp forests. Kelp is a fast-growing type of brown seaweed. Marine kelp forests cover 1/3 of our planet’s coastlines and also provide many ecosystem functions. In this article, I explain more about these fascinating ecosystems and how kelp reforestation contributes to biodiversity and mitigating climate change: https://www.erlijn.nl/link/scicomm.php?l=c7f222f3cb A kelp forest (credit:  Madelein Wolfaardt  on  Shutterstock )

Bill Gates gifted me in 2021 his book "How to avoid a climate disaster"! I was hugely honored! So, I'm very excited to have been able to gift my book "A Guide to a Healthier Planet" ( https://www.sustainabledecisions.eu/guide-to-a-healthier-planet ) to him in return: a friend gave it to him in person at COP28 in Dubai! I hope he has the time to read it, because I'm sure he will love it!

Cyber-security breaches are becoming increasingly common in today's digital environment. That is why security-by-design is critical: security must be considered from the beginning and throughout the software's life cycle. However, even when software is technically safe, security flaws can be introduced by humans, such as using weak passwords. In a similar way, environmental issues are becoming increasingly common in today's environment. That is why sustainability-by-design is critical: sustainability must considered from the beginning and throughout a product's lifecycle. However, even when products are sustainable, environmental issues can be introduced by humans, such as littering the products. This shows how important our decisions are in day-to-day life and that we can't just rely on others to solve all problems. Please, be part of the solution by making secure and sustainable decisions! (For those who didn't know yet: I'm both an IT-security and environ...

Greenhouse gases are often discussed in the context of climate change because they are warming our planet. Did you know also gases exist that have the opposite effect; gases that cool our planet? One of these is sulfurdioxide (SO2). It is mostly emitted by our oceans. But climate change affects our oceans and as a consequences reduces the cooling effect. In this fascinating article, I explain how this works: https://www.erlijn.nl/link/scicomm.php?l=fb144a3477 (German version: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/wie-der-klimawandel-die-nat%25C3%25BCrlichen-beeinflusst-und-van-genuchten-cblbe ) Our oceans emit sulfur (credit:  winglwk  on  Shutterstock )

Bamboo is often mentioned as a sustainable material. But do you know where it comes from and how it grows? With this video, you can experience walking though a bamboo forest and learn more about this special material: https://youtu.be/m4rOKLptI-E

In today's world, where sustainability is increasingly crucial, even our crafting choices can make a significant impact on the environment. One such choice is between using leftover yarn scraps for crafting projects such as this cute sweet instead of buying new yarn. Before reading on, which benefits can you think of? Here are some of the environmental benefits of choosing yarn leftovers: - Reducing waste: Yarn leftovers, often seen as waste, find new life in crafting projects instead of ending up in landfills or being burned. By repurposing these scraps, we contribute to reducing overall waste. - Conserving resources: Crafting with yarn leftovers eliminates the need for new wool or cotton production, which saves a lot of natural resources such as water and energy. Unlike new yarn production, which requires significant resources for sheep farming or cotton production, yarn processing, and transportation, using leftovers minimizes the environmental footprint associated with these pr...

Let's explore the world together without traveling: Matevulu Blue Hole, Espiritu Santa Island, Vanuatu And visit beautiful places around the world on the Xplore Nature YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@xplore-nature

Walenhoek in Belgium used to be a clay mining area in the 1900s, but has been transformed into a nature reserve that is today home to a variety of plants. It is a collection of different biotopes and serves to protect species. For example, many flowering plants provide food for wild bees. Click here to go on a virtual guided tour in the Walenhoek nature reserve: https://youtu.be/0m2bbjIbAH0

Costanera Sur in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is a great example how a former landfill can be turned into a biodiversity-rich ecosystem. The region has become a habitat for a variety of creatures. For example, the Rose Mallow and Brazilian orchid tree can be found here. Together, they demonstrate a one-of-a-kind mix of natural resilience and biological variety in the midst of a landfill site's historical context. Click here to set off on a virtual guided tour through Costanera Sur: https://youtu.be/7uEG1rhQfI0

In this video, I take you to Costanera Sur, Argentina. It is a former landfill, but has been turned into a biodiversity-rich ecosystem. The region, which regrettably still contains plastic and other trash, has become a habitat for a variety of creatures. For example, the Rose Mallow and Brazilian orchid tree can be found here. Together, they demonstrate a one-of-a-kind mix of natural resilience and biological variety in the midst of a landfill site's historical context. Click here to set off on the virtual guided tour through Costanera Sur: https://youtu.be/7uEG1rhQfI0

Let's explore the world together without traveling: Treasury Al-Khazneh, stone rock historic sight in Petra, #JordanvsQatar Enjoy virtual walks around the my Xplore Nature YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@xplore-nature

Last week, I explained at a United Nations Economic Commission for Europe event why not everyone is already motivated to contribute to a healthier planet. And how we can change this! In this article, I have also described this explanation so that you can benefit from it too. https://www.erlijn.nl/link/scicomm.php?l=646cc1be5c ( German version of the article ) Motivation from within inspires us to take action (credit:  Sunny studio  on  Shutterstock )

Every week, I go litter-picking with my neighbors. We can really see the difference: it is much cleaner in our neighborhood! Unfortunately, my litter-picking stick broke as you can see in the video. If you would like to contribute to buying a new one (a new one costs €12,99), you can do so here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=TTRRPMWBEDQ86 Thank you!

As the global average temperature is increasing, snow is becoming less likely where I live. So I'm grateful for the videographer living in Poland who recorded a beautiful, snowy, winter walk in Warsaw for us to enjoy! Here you can go on this beautiful winter walk as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcfP6scYD8g

The beautiful, unique monarch butterfly has been threatened with extinction since 2022 because its population has shrunk by 22 to 72% in 10 years! The main causes of this sharp decline are the three planetary crises - climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. However, as it plays a very important role on our planet, it is important to protect it from extinction! In this article, I explain how we can save the monarch butterfly. And how you too can make a contribution: https://www.erlijn.nl/link/scicomm.php?l=4e1da61191 (Hier ist die deutsche Version des Artikels: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/wie-wir-das-aussterben-des-monarchfalters-verhindern-van-genuchten-ywhue )

I'm very much looking forward to speaking at today's Open Discussion Forum, hosted by UNECE Sustainable Energy! The theme is "Creating perception and inspiring sustainable energy action". I will discuss the importance of intrinsic motivation ("want to") as opposed to extrinsic motivation ("have to") when inspiring or being inspired to take action toward a more sustainable future. And why science communication plays an important role. Details for last minute registration at: https://unece.org/info/Sustainable-Energy/events/387329

From Trash to Treasure: Several neighbors gifted me wool leftovers. I'm putting them to good use, for example by crocheting these mittens. Wearing them will always remind me of how precious our planet's resources are and that reducing waste as much as possible allows us to continue enjoying them!

Let's explore nature together around the world: Desert in Kuwait And don't miss visiting gorgeous places around the world with fascinating guided tours on my Xplore Nature YouTube Channel! > https://www.youtube.com/@xplore-nature