365 Sustainable Decisions Challenge

When traveling, I always bring at least one liter water with me. I used to have a deposit bottle that I refilled. But every now and then, I got rid of it to have a clean new one. When I saw someone with this reusable bottle, I bought one as well. It looks good (and professional when at work), contains a liter and can be cleaned in the dishwasher. Or cleaned by hand, which I do, as I use it all the time.

Did you know that surface air temperature in the Arctic rises 2.4 times faster than in the rest of the Northern hemisphere due to global warming? This causes for example coasts to thaw and land to be taken by the ocean. Learn more and see for yourself: https://medium.com/the-environment/how-arctic-coasts-are-affected-by-climate-change-760a4f391b26 Arctic coasts exist in different shapes and form (credit:  Mathias Berlin  on  Shutterstock )

When I was a teenager, I had diving lessons. I saw coral and asked the instructor whether I could take some. I'm glad he said no! 

Ha, my mind is going wild thinking about all the different ways a plastic rope can be put to good use! Some first thoughts: - decorating presents - marking wine glasses on a party - as washing line - a garden fence - a hat What ideas can you come up with? #upcycling This simple gadget turns plastic bottles into rope. Meet the Plastic Bottle Cutter by Pavel & Ian. #gigadgets #recycling #plasticfree #sustainableliving #diyideas pic.twitter.com/oBdrAsNXXe — GiGadgets (@gigadgets_) November 17, 2022

The box I shared yesterday doesn’t have a very appealing lid. So I decided to make it more beautiful. As I kept the pages that I cut out for the pencil case (#327), I could now use these to decorate the lid.  

I'm currently collecting CDs to give them a second life. Someone in my city offered me many and as I visited him, he told me he is good at repairing things. When later someone else asked for help to get a cross-trainer repaired I connected them. Together we can achieve more!

During our cycle tour, the bottle with sparkling water I brought – and later refilled with tap water – broke. A leaking bottle is not really helpful, so I wanted to throw it away. But my partner reminded me that it is much better to take it and hand it in so that it can be recycled. And, so we did!  

Yesterday I published the 100th article with fascinating facts about #nature and #sustainability! If you're not yet a Medium-member, I'm very sorry as that means you have missed a lot! But luckily it's not too late! Sign up through my link to get access to all: https://medium.com/@ErlijnG/membership

Trees are the lungs of our planet. That's why we need many of them! To grow new trees, it is possible to use seed bombs. They can even be thrown out of an airplane for easy distribution of the seeds.

Did you know that simply replanting trees does not fully compensate CO2 absorption? That is because undisturbed forests contain plants, animals, and microorganisms as well that double the amount of carbon that can be absorbed.  More fascinating facts: https://medium.com/climate-conscious/4-ways-to-protect-natural-ecosystems-and-save-our-planet-9c70de48c2e It is very important to protect ecosystems, as natural processes contribute to life on earth (credit:  Incomible  on  Shutterstock )

The cups I started using (#328) work really well, however, don’t look very organized and cannot be put aside quickly. That’s why I took a box from an Internet router and made compartments in it. Now I can just put the lid on it and stow it away.  

Congolese artists create art from European and North-American waste found in their neighborhood. As we live in a global village this feels as if we dumped our waste in our neighbor's garden! Imagine a neighbor would dump that in your garden? ..[I'm speechless].. Congolese artists repurpose waste into wonders. Incredible photos by Stephan Gladieu https://t.co/aUfoJTlBQz … pic.twitter.com/Gj4sXTRwDl — Khai (@ThamKhaiMeng) October 28, 2022

I'm currently doing a Challenge, which I absolutely love doing and already had a big positive impact on my daily life! Every day (30 days) has a super short exercise that makes me think about decisions in daily life. For example, one exercise was to list 3 things I want to say no to, so I can say yes to something else. Or listing 5 things I'm really good at. Or one day doing something kind for someone without expecting anything in return. If you would love to do this challenge too, you can join here for free: https://thebetterlife.com/i-rjcebl

Yesterday I wrote about having shorter showers to save water. I also capture the water that comes out of the tap while the water is heating up as it always takes quite a few seconds for the water to be warm enough. After showering, I use this water to rinse the bathtub, water the plants in my house or in my garden.  

Did you know that when fish waste is dumped into the ocean, it harms the environment in several ways, including reducing the amount of oxygen in the water, burying or smothering living organisms, and introducing diseases on the sea floor? So, it is important to deal with it properly! And even better, it can be put to good use in many ways: https://medium.com/climate-conscious/how-fish-waste-can-be-turned-into-a-valuable-resource-b9c9693d75c0 All parts of a fish can be used to extract valuable compounds (credit:  Natasha Breen  on  Shutterstock )

While writing an article about wildlife rehabilitation centers, I learned that animals heavily depend on volunteers. I currently don't have time to do this, but think it is a great idea to support biodiversity! More about the awesome job rehabilitation centers do: https://medium.com/the-environment/how-wildlife-rehabilitation-centers-help-animals-survive-a-catastrophe-f2339c5e37ae

All the negative news easily plants negative thoughts in my head. These negative thoughts can quickly make me feel miserable. By acknowledging what is going on, but focusing on what is going well, I bring light into the dark. How do your thoughts make you feel today?

In 2 weeks is the deadline for the We take action! award. The current theme is: clean water Don't miss the opportunity to win this trophy and much more! More information and apply here: https://www.sustainabledecisions.eu/we-take-action-award

> Do you feel stuck in your sustainability project? > And you have no idea how to go from here? If yes, join the international team from the International Forum for Nature and Sustainability. Why? Make a larger positive difference for our planet, and faster, by benefiting from knowledge and skills from other experts in the field and by sharing yours. Who? Anyone who 1) has, is planning, or is part of a project/company/etc with an international focus in the field of sustainability and 2) wants to grow as a person to make an even larger positive contribution to the environment and society with this project/company/etc. How? Weekly meeting on Thursday 4:00 - 5:30 pm CET per videoconferencing Language: English Cost: free Spots are limited! Feel free to share with others in your network who could be interested as well. Learn more and sign up to join: https://www.sustainabledecisions.eu/IFN-int-team

Luckily, I at the moment don’t need to take any pills. But if I do in the future, I’ll but them – if possible – in a container instead of a blister pack, as it require a lot less wrapping and therefore waste.