Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of World Environment Day
World Environment Day is a day dedicated to celebrating the environment and attempting to take action to protect nature, it is held every year on the 5th of June. Led by the UN, World Environment Day was created in 1972 to raise awareness about the environment and find solutions and effective ways to protect and maintain it. This year marks the 50th anniversary of world environment day, every year different topics are addressed such as Global Warming, pollution, maintaining sustainable food production, the protection of wildlife and animals, and many more topics of concern, this year; the focus is on beating plastic pollution and the measures every country should adopt to educate its people to decrease and gradually stop plastic consumption.
Nature and greenery are another matter of concern, with all the deforestation happening in different parts of the world, our planet is facing a huge threat of an unbalanced ecosystem. Greenery is essential for the health of all creatures on earth, as plants provide biodiversity and carbon sequestration, and help with balancing the ecosystem, it is crucial to find ways and adopt measures to help increase it. Adding more greenery to your home or office makes a big difference for the environment and the people around you. Studies have shown that plants in the workplace provide a number of health benefits, they elevate both productivity and creativity levels, decrease stress, and increase the amount of oxygen. At LDC, we care about the environment in general and our employees’ health and well-being in particular, and for that we have decided to green up our office by adding a collection of plants with different species, including Tiger Plant, Pothos or Money Plant, Dracaena Tree, Tropical Arika Tree, Monstera Tree, and Aptenia Cordifolia. These plants are known to have numerous benefits for both the environment and human health:
- Tiger Plant: Tiger plant or Snake plant is a toxin-fighting plant that filters the surrounding air from molds, pollutants, and toxins. It is also known for its ability to release nighttime oxygen and absorb CO2, making the air around us fresh and purified.
- Pothos “Money Plant”: Pothos plant is one of the best options to choose to decorate your house or workplace, adding to that, it is a low-maintenance plant and easy to grow. It has been proven that Pothos or Money plant contributes to relaxation and good mood by reducing stress and anxiety levels making it one of the most coveted plants. Pothos is also an air purifier, it is known for its ability to absorb dangerous radiation and shield humans from its harm, making it the best choice for corporates and organizations especially those working in the IT industry.
- Dracaena Plant: Dracaena plant is known for its ability to release moisture into the air improving the respiratory process, it also works as a great air purifier.
- Tropical Arika Plant: One of the best options if you are considering an indoor plant. Tropical Arika plant provides aesthetic decorative appeal along with many health benefits such as promoting a good mood, fighting stress, improving air humidity, and can help with allergies as it has lower pollen counts than other plants, making it a great choice for allergy patients.
- Monstera Plant: Monstera plant is known for its ability to absorb sound vibrations, making it an excellent sound barrier and a great option for the workplace.
Anyone can take part in saving the environment, we introduce the below methods that can be easily applied to protect our planet:
1- Reduce, Reuse & Recycle
The 3Rs rule is a way to encourage people to reduce unnecessary consumption for less waste produce, reuse their available resources, and recycle whatever remains they have such as food, clothing, or any other object.
- Reduce: it’s very important to try to decrease consumption to the level to have nothing to recycle anymore, and to achieve this level; people have to start thinking rationally about their everyday habits and the things that they actually need versus what they buy for leisure or simply because it’s cheap, this includes compulsive buying, meaning that we need to ask ourselves twice before buying any product if we really need it or not, if it’s a necessity or is it just the “on-sale” tag that derived us to buy it, knowing that some items we buy end up in the trash after only a couple of use.
- Reuse: Reusing is another method to save the environment and maintain it. By reusing your objects, you cut down on daily expenses and resources that harm the globe, for example, reusing glass containers to preserve food or spices, or packaging boxes to store and organize your belongings, you can also donate your second-hand clothes to charity organizations, you don’t always have to reuse objects yourself.
- Recycle: Recycling is a great way to conserve and protect the environment, it decreases the amount of waste you produce. Every material can be recycled, be it glass, fabrics, metal, paper, etc. Always look for recycling centers to get rid of your waste, or reach to the recycling bins that are available almost everywhere now, such as malls, gyms, grocery stores, or even in the streets of your neighborhood, what is great about recycling bins is that they are designed to divide the waste based on its material such as plastic, paper, glass, and metal, encouraging people to be more responsible about the environment, and facilitating the recycling process as a whole.
2- Cut Down on Plastic Use:
The focus of World Environment Day for this year is plastic pollution, a cause that has been threatening our globe for the past couple of decades, resulting in the extinction of a number of wildlife species in general, and sea creatures in specific. But why plastic is so harmful to the environment? Even though plastic provides our society with an enormous number of benefits in different aspects of life, overusing it causes serious environmental problems including:
- Plastic can take centuries to decompose, and during that time, it releases harmful toxins into both the land and water.
- The production of plastic causes radiation of greenhouse gases, which contribute to the climate change issue.
- As plastic is made from petroleum, it contributes to deforestation which is the process of clearing or removing forested lands.
- Plastic is harmful to human health, it contains chemicals that have been linked to a number of health issues, including cancer and reproductive problems.
- With the slow decomposition of plastic, tons of plastic waste usually end up in rivers and oceans every year, along with deforestation, wildlife, and sea creatures are facing a huge life threat by being chocked or entangled in plastic waste, leading to the extinction of these creatures, and leaving our globe with an unbalanced eco-system.
Methods to Cut Down on Plastic Use:
- Substitute the use of plastic bags with cloth bags, carry them around whenever you go grocery shopping or anywhere you may be given a plastic bag.
- Always carry around a reusable cup made of glass or metal for your beverages, and refrain from buying beverages packed in disposable plastic bottles.
- Say no to plastic straws and opt for metal and bamboo straws instead.
- Use a reusable food container and choose wooden cutlery instead of plastic.
3- Shop Used Items
By buying used items and second-hand products, you save natural resources and energy, studies have shown that it takes almost 700 gallons of water to grow cotton sufficient for producing one single T-shirt! Thrift and vintage stores offer a good deal of used clothes in great condition, so next time you have an occasion, head to one of these stores instead of buying new items from the mall, you will be surprised at what you will find in these stores. This applies to many other products from other categories, such as furniture, appliances, and kids' toys.
4- Conserve Water
One of the easiest ways to contribute to saving the environment is to use less water, whether at your home, workplace, or even in public places.
We suggest you to:
- Turn off the water tap if you are not actually using the water, for example, while brushing your teeth, washing fruit and vegetables, etc. Try not to leave the water running for no purpose.
- Don’t start your washing machine or dishwasher unless it’s completely full.
- Fix broken faucets that cause water leakage.
- Invest in high-efficiency home appliances that are eco-friendly and save water consumption.
- Collect and save rainwater to water your plants.
5- Conserve Electricity
Saving electricity contributes directly to reducing air and water pollution, try applying these easy quick ways to help reduce your energy consumption:
- Substitute regular bulbs with energy-saving LED bulbs.
- Always make sure to turn off lights anytime you leave a room, and turn off appliances when you are not using them.
- Opt for buying Energy Star-certified appliances.
- Insulate your home and make sure you are sealing air leaks around the doors and windows.
6- Compost Your Food
Gather your food scraps and store them in a bin or container and use them to nourish your plant soil. Food scraps work as an organic compost that supports plant growth, aids in soil regeneration, and helps decrease greenhouse gases.
7- Cut Back on Driving and Reduce Gas Consumption
Another way of saving the environment is to try to cut back on driving for less gasoline consumption. Options like carpooling and using your bike instead of your car are effective ways to help save the environment from pollution. Using public transportation is another method to decrease gas consumption and reduce carbon emissions. If your errand is nearby, try walking or biking.
8- Environmental Volunteering:
Through volunteering at one of the environmental organizations you can make a great direct impact on the part of the world you live in. Environmental organizations raise awareness about the importance of saving the environment, educate people to adopt different habits in their daily lives for a cleaner atmosphere, and set agendas and projects to contribute to saving our globe. We think environmental volunteering is a practical yet fun way to take part in making our world a better place and meet new people with the same interests.
9- Plant a Tree!
A simple and easy way to help save our globe, planting trees is a great method of protecting the environment, they are vital to our planet, they give oxygen, and help in decreasing the harm of global warming and climate change.