A greener future: the role of environmental awareness

There are far fewer people, however, who follow these principles in practice. In this article, we present a variety of practical and easy-to-implement ideas that can help you reduce your carbon footprint and make a positive impact on the planet. 

From simple changes in your daily habits to more significant lifestyle adjustments, there are plenty of ways to make a difference.

Human impacts on the environment

Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, environmental pollution has been increasing exponentially. The current levels of water, land, and air pollution are extremely high and the negative consequences may be irreversible. As the problem grew, so did the number of people who wanted to leave a healthy, sustainable world to future generations.

According to an influential study conducted by the University of Minnesota, human-caused environmental change has an intensely negative effect on biodiversity and the sustainability of vegetation.

"Human-caused environmental changes are creating regional combinations of environmental conditions that, within the next 50 to 100 years, may fall outside the envelope within which many of the terrestrial plants of a region evolved. These environmental modifications might become a greater cause of global species extinction than direct habitat destruction. 

The environmental constraints undergoing human modification include levels of soil nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, and pH, atmospheric CO2, herbivore, pathogen, and predator densities, disturbance regimes, and climate. Extinction would occur because the physiologies, morphologies, and life histories of plants limit each species to being a superior competitor for a particular combination of environmental constraints."

The shift in mindset towards more sustainable lifestyle choices has undoubtedly begun. Unfortunately, the destructive effects of past human activities cannot be nullified in the course of a few years. Without environmental awareness, it is impossible to address the issue.

What is environmental awareness?

The very term ‘environmentally conscious’ refers to being aware of the environment and the threats to the biosphere. Being environmentally conscious comes hand in hand with taking responsibility for solving environmental issues. 

However, environmentally conscious thinking is not enough: practical action is also needed. Global warming and the danger of a potential climate catastrophe are widely known. Still, the collective action against industry practices, destructive customer behaviours, and other driving factors of global warming are not adequately addressed. 

Hence, the goal is not only to educate the public but also to encourage others to act. This is where environmental awareness comes into the picture.

According to the European Environment Agency, environmental awareness is defined as follows.

"The growth and development of awareness, understanding, and consciousness toward the biophysical environment and its problems, including human interactions and effects. Thinking ecologically or in terms of ecological consciousness."

Environmentally conscious lifestyle - tips and solutions

To act in an environmentally conscious and sustainable manner, the following environmental protection tips must be implemented in our daily lives and business practices. Here are some practicable and actionable tips to help our planet the most:

• Selective waste collection: Buy selective bins and ask our employees and children to use them.
• Savings: Try to save both energy and investments. The production of products comes with high energy consumption and an environmental footprint. By applying the principles of minimalism to your customer behaviour, you can drastically reduce your negative ecological impact.
• Pollution: Try to reduce your fuel consumption and the number of unnecessary company trips.
• Naturalness: Use natural resources wherever possible. For instance, we highly recommend open air for drying clothes, rainwater for irrigation, and appropriate insulation instead of relying solely on heating.
• Repair: Repairing items are better for the environment because it extends the life cycle of a product. It also reduces the need to extract raw materials, manufacture, and transport new items. 
• Plastic waste reduction: The use of plastic is known to be detrimental to the environment. By reducing your plastic waste, you can decrease your ecological footprint to a great extent.
• Planting trees: Planting trees provides a wide range of ecological benefits. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and other pollutants, helping to clean the air and reduce the effects of climate change. They also provide habitat for wildlife, improve soil health, and help to regulate local temperature.

Conclusion

Global warming poses a significant threat to all of us. To tackle the problem cross-national cooperation is required - both at the corporate and individual levels. The first step in this is undoubtedly the promotion of environmental awareness. By applying the above-mentioned tips, you can greatly reduce your negative ecological impact.