SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT
Leonardo DiCaprio will be proud of you
The planet is dying and it's happening faster than we think. Sorry to start this post with a grim message, but it just doesn't seem to sink in for most people (yes, Donald, I'm talking to you too). And I understand that it seems a bit like fighting a losing battle with the Chinese producing without any environmental regulations, the Japanese overfishing the seas, the plastic soup the size of Benelux floating in the Pacific, and the Americans casually laying down a new oil pipeline. But a better environment really starts with yourself and since we are all very trendsetting hip people, we should set a good example. Then the Chinese and the Trump supporters will follow suit.
Rule 1: Stop using products that contain microbeads
Yes, even your toothpaste or fine scrub may contain tiny pieces of plastic that all end up in the sewage system through the drain. These plastic beads are so small that they can't be filtered out and eventually end up in the water. Poor Flipper and also poor you, because you eat fish too, I assume (although you will eat much less fish from now on, see rule 3). Check this list for which products you should boycott from now on and which products are safe.
Rule 2: Eat less meat
In the Netherlands, we eat 400,000 animals a day. Let that number sink in for a moment. Aside from the fact that it's a bit sad that we are chewing on all those cute cows, chickens, and pigs, livestock farming is dramatic for the environment. Just the farts that cows produce account for a huge CO2 emission. Think about the 58,000 square kilometers of rainforests that are cut down every year and all the pesticides used to produce animal feed. I'll say it again: meat is super, super bad. So shall we agree that we all eat much less meat? It's better for the environment, better for your waistline, and better for the animals. It's often said that you only need to eat vegetarian one day a week to make a difference, but we'll just raise that to three, okay? From now on you eat three days a week vegetarian. You can. And it's good for you. Fewer calories and less chance of heart and vascular diseases.
Rule 3: Eat less fish
Ask a fisherman or diver: it's getting very quiet in the sea. Super tasty, that sushi, and we all know that you get great skin from Omega 3 fats, but it just can't go on like this. The fish are almost gone. Therefore, eat as little fish as possible. And if you do eat fish, buy only sustainable fish. And for your skin, enjoy nuts and flaxseed.
Rule 4: Stop buying shitty clothes
Ha! You never needed a better reason to buy something nice for yourself. Because the fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world. Aside from all those poor little children working their fingers to the bone in the dead of night to put together your Primark blouse, all those clothes that you only wear a few times before they fall apart are BAD for the environment. And I haven't even mentioned all those cashmere goats that are stripping Asia bare and the chemicals used in cotton production. So from now on, only buy really nice clothes that you will wear often and that are sustainably produced. Our friends from Vogue already wrote an article about it.
Rule 5: Plant a tree
Because I also wanted to introduce a fun rule (although rule 4 is also quite fun), I propose that we all plant a tree. Today. It doesn't matter where, even on your balcony or in your parents' garden. Or go guerrilla planting, even more fun. You can also greatly improve the air quality in your own home by placing plants like sansevierias and dwarf palms. And what do you think about succulents on the roof (between the solar panels of course) or moss? I was once in Delhi where the air is sometimes so polluted that you can't see more than ten meters in front of you. It was really hell. And we don't want that.
Rule 6: Do green what you can do green
So switch to a green energy supplier, choose environmentally friendly dog poop bags if you have a dog, eco-friendly diapers if you have a baby, and organic vegetables when you go grocery shopping. It may be a bit more expensive, but now that we are eating less meat and fish, we can afford it.
