365 Sustainable Decisions Challenge

Each time I turn on the tap to fill my bottle or when I seldom buy bottled water, I feel grateful to live in a place where clean water is readily available. I’m very aware that not everyone can get clean water this easily. And yet, water pollution is in our urbanized world an issue that requires attention constantly. And even when we treat wastewater, it remains slightly contaminated, which hurts not only fish but also us. Want to know why and how? Learn more here: https://app.wedonthavetime.org/posts/51c934b6-2acc-4beb-9a2f-b12ae9b2d208?utm_source=url-copy&utm_medium=wdht-web-app-share&utm_campaign=erlijng

 🍲 I'm sure we have many things in common, including that we both want to have enough to eat to survive. Sound simple right? 🌿Well, with the growing global population, this is getting a lot harder. Luckily, many clever people have come up with solutions to improve food production, for example by reducing waste, increasing yields, growing other products, just to name a few. ⚡ But this solution tops it all in my opinion: 🧬learn more about the #CRISPR/Cas9 that allows deactivating genes that reduce plant resistance or triggering genes that improve resistance: https://app.wedonthavetime.org/posts/3e866e52-d025-46a0-b318-96b548c60d8a?utm_source=url-copy&utm_medium=wdht-web-app-share&utm_campaign=erlijng

While tourism used to be an occasional trip, it has now become a regular part of life for many, with 1.4 billion people traveling in 2019. This surge in tourism has boosted economies, creating 1 in 5 new jobs over the last five years. However, it also contributes to 8% of the world’s CO2 emissions, highlighting the need for more sustainable travel options. That is why I love traveling by train and like the possibility provided by Interrail to explore Europe with a single train ticket. Interrail, launched in 1972, has grown from an initiative for young Europeans to a popular travel option for all ages. With access to 33 countries and over 250,000 kilometers of railway, the Interrail pass offers flexibility and sustainability for modern explorers. Whether you want to visit multiple countries or dive deep into one, Interrail has a pass to suit your travel dreams. Learn more about the benefits of sustainable tourism here: https://medium.com/the-environment/how-tourism-can-benefit-tourists-...

Climate change impacts your daily life, your health, and the environment you live in. Whether you realize and are willing to see it or not. As it’s one of the biggest current planetary threats, many people are feeling grief, loss, and frustration about our situation, leading to depression or anxiety. These negative emotions are caused by learning about the consequences of climate change. When these are presented negatively, it triggers negative eco-emotions like: eco-depression (feeling miserable) eco-anger (feeling frustrated) eco-anxiety (feeling anxious) Eco-anger is the emotion that most likely inspires us to actions toward a healthier planet. In my article, I explain this in more detail for you to learn more: https://app.wedonthavetime.org/posts/974f07cb-5cd2-46c8-832d-c7c583309d64?utm_source=url-copy&utm_medium=wdht-web-app-share&utm_campaign=erlijng Negative eco-emotions are becoming more frequent due to climate change (credit:  chanintorn.v  on  Shutters...

Did you know seaweed can be a sustainable solution? In this article, I explain 5 surprising ways how seaweed can be put to good use: https://medium.com/the-environment/how-seaweed-can-be-put-to-good-use-a13dac4716fa?sk=6424c74a47bc3d2eaad298dd602621cb Seaweed can be put to good use in many ways, even cosmetics (credit:  HstrongART  on  Shutterstock )

Excessive amounts of chemicals and nutrients in the environment due to human activity and naturally occurring parasites affect the health of fish. Importantly, while both pollutants and parasites affect fish, pollutants can also directly or indirectly influence the number of parasites that in turn harm fish! This is an additional reason to reduce the number of pollutants in the environment. In this article, I explain how pollutants can increase or decrease the number of parasites and explain what we can do to reduce pollution: https://app.wedonthavetime.org/posts/548b5589-c6af-4ce3-aa3f-2e6247f17b63?utm_source=url-copy&utm_medium=wdht-web-app-share&utm_campaign=erlijng A fish parasite ( Lamprea ; credit:  Gena Melendrez  on  Shutterstock )

Burning fossil fuels contributes a lot to recent changes in our climate. That is why finding alternatives is critical. There are many options; one of them is using coconut waste. Here I explain how this works: https://www.erlijn.nl/link/scicomm.php?l=0ee5cd7756 Coconut waste can be used to replace fossil fuels (credit:  KPad  on  Shutterstock )

When thinking about climate change and its consequences, many first think of rising sea levels and higher temperatures. While these can indeed be consequences, there is a much more wide range of consequences. For example, it affects our bodies in many ways as well. In this article, I explain how climate change affects our skin, eyes, and mouth and what we can do against it: https://app.wedonthavetime.org/posts/41c79956-9f37-400b-9f56-b25ce5dc04a2?utm_source=url-copy&utm_medium=wdht-web-app-share&utm_campaign=erlijng Climate change impacts different body parts, including skin, eyes, and mouth (credit:  Kitthanes  on  Shutterstock )

As climate change is progressing, extreme weather events are occurring more frequently. As I explained in Chapter 3 of my book “A Guide to a Healthier Planet”, extreme weather events include heat waves, tornadoes, wildfires, floods, and droughts. Not every country is affected by these events in the same way, meaning that some places will experience tornadoes more frequently while other places will be facing droughts more often and longer. Continue reading here to find out about how climate change impacts droughts and our health: https://app.wedonthavetime.org/posts/771288e3-2e9f-4d07-962e-d35c68f79575?utm_source=url-copy&utm_medium=wdht-web-app-share&utm_campaign=erlijng Have a peek inside my book "A Guide to a Healthier Planet" here: https://www.sustainabledecisions.eu/guide-to-a-healthier-planet Droughts can severely impact our lives and are becoming more frequent and worse due to climate change (credit:  Alohaflaminggo  on  Shutterstock )

The impact of climate change is often discussed in the context of agriculture. While this is important as agriculture provides us with food, plants in urban environments should not be overlooked. This is because they also have important health benefits! In this article, I explain these benefits and how climate change impacts plants in urban areas. And what we can do to keep our place nice, green, and good for our health: https://www.erlijn.nl/link/scicomm.php?l=d17baad9b1  

Today, an earthquake with severity over 7 on Richter's scale has hit Taiwan. Such strong earthquakes happen only 10-15 times a year, and hit Taiwan last in 1999. Already several buildings collapsed and a tsunami warning is sent out. This means that Taiwan soon has to deal with the debris that this event is causing. In this article, I explain how important it is to deal with this debris cautiously and how to do so in an environmentally friendly way: https://www.erlijn.nl/link/scicomm.php?l=ee697348f5

  🐸 Did you know that amphibians are facing a tough time, with a shocking 41% being at risk of extinction? That is why scientists are coming up with ways to protect them. One way is by storing their genetic material and promoting artificial fertilization to boost their populations and ensure their survival. Learn more about how this work in my latest article: https://www.erlijn.nl/link/scicomm.php?l=e818f1cb95 And what can you and I do to protect them? Here are some simple yet powerful actions: 🌱 Saying no to chemical fertilizers and pesticides to keep our waterways clean. 🗑️ Disposing of waste properly to prevent pollution. 🏞️ Protecting natural habitats where amphibians thrive. 🚫 Avoiding splitting up habitats when constructing roads and buildings. 🌉 Advocating for ecoducts, which are like nature-friendly bridges, to help amphibians cross busy roads safely. 🤝 Supporting organizations dedicated to amphibian conservation. Amphibian sperm can be stored to conserve thre...

Recent armed conflicts around the world not only affect humans, they also impact the natural environment, sometimes making an area unlivable. This is for many reasons critical, including that this can trigger further armed conflicts. In this article, I explain the vicious cycle between armed conflicts and environmental destruction in more detail: https://www.erlijn.nl/link/scicomm.php?l=79f933814f (German version of the article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/der-teufelskreis-zwischen-krieg-und-umweltprobleme-van-genuchten-95owe )

A current environmental concern is that we are using earthen materials more quickly than they can be replenished. One of these materials is sand; beaches are vanishing because we use between 32 and 50 billion tonnes of sand and gravel globally every year! As it is unsustainable to continue at the current rate, alternatives are being developed. One alternative is using crushed glass waste instead of sand. This is great as it not only limits sand use, it also contributes to resolving excessive waste on landfills! Learn more about why glass waste is a great alternative to sand in construction: https://www.erlijn.nl/link/scicomm.php?l=966cd8f36f Glass waste can be a great sustainable alternative building material to natural sands in various construction applications (credit:  noomcpk  on  Shutterstock )

While currently many extreme events happen that are caused by climate change, such as floods and droughts, some extreme events happen naturally. For example, earthquakes are caused by suddenly moving tectonic earth plates. Depending on the magnitude of the movements, it can range from hardly noticeable to highly destructive. In case of highly destructive earthquakes, the result is a lot of earthquake debris - remainders of buildings, food, objects, etc. Dealing with this debris is an important step in recovering from such an event. This is not only important for recovering infrastructure but also for our #health! In this article, I explain the far-reaching consequences of earthquake damage on the environment and our health: https://www.erlijn.nl/link/scicomm.php?l=ee697348f5

Lionfish are popular in aquariums because they look beautiful. But some owners may have released their pets in the Atlantic Ocean about 20 years ago, which is now causing huge problems around the world. This is because lionfish are spreading to many areas and cause a lot of damage to both the marine environment and us humans. In this article , I explain what is happening and what we can do to prevent further damage. The lionfish is beautiful but dangerous, to other fish and divers, as it has poisonous spines (credit: Vlad61 on Shutterstock )

Ever heard that we ingest so many plastic particles that we swallow a credit card EVERY WEEK? This is shocking because these particles can spread to many different parts of our bodies and harm us. Even our unborn babies! Click on the image to find out more about where microplastics have already been found in our bodies: https://www.erlijn.nl/link/scicomm.php?l=62d756efca Even our drinking water contains microplastic (credit:  Orakunya  on  Shutterstock )

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 )

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 )

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 )