Kleine Alltagstipps für ein Leben mit weniger Müll:
Dreilagiges Recycling-Klopapier statt vierlagigem aus frischem Zellstoff. Plastikverpackung von Klopapier eignet sich hervorragend als Mülltüte
Zeitungspapier für Biomüll (statt teure Tüten)
Lappen statt Küchenrolle
Stoffbeutel oder Korb statt Plastiktüte
Obst und Gemüse aus dem Supermarkt nicht in extra Plastiktüte packen
Taschentücher aus der Pappbox statt aus eingeschweißten Tütchen
Filterkaffee statt Kaffeekapseln
Tüte vom Bäcker aufheben und beim nächsten Bäckerbesuch mitnehmen
Coffee to go im Pappbecher ist No-Go
Geschenkpapier wieder verwenden (wie die Oma ;-)
Briefumschlag wiederverwerten und einfach Adresse überkleben (natürlich nicht bei Bewerbungen)
Beim Einkaufen auf Verpackung achten: Muss die Gurke eingeschweißt sein oder müssen Kekse fünffach verpackt sein?
Wasser nicht in Plastikflaschen kaufen Mit Sprudler Leitungswasser veredeln
Sonstige Getränke in Glasflaschen kaufen – am besten regionale Produkte
Sachen in Tupperdosen einfrieren, nicht in der Einwegtüte
Schulbrot in der Tupperdose und nicht in der Tüte
Bei Peeling darauf achten, dass Kügelchen kein Mikroplastik sind, sondern z.B. Mandelmehl oder andere natürliche Körner
Ein Stück Seife statt Duschgel oder Flüssigseife. Ist nur anfangs ungewohnt, aber eigentlich nicht weniger handlich.
Nicht alles besitzen: Geräte wie Bohrmaschine, Waffeleisen, Fenstersauger, die man nur ein paar Mal im Jahr benutzt, mit Nachbarn teilen oder fragen, ob die das haben.
Insektenfreundliche Pflanzen im Garten oder auf dem Balkon anpflanzen, z.B. Kräuter wie Lavendel, Schnittlauch, Minze, Basilikum, Thymian und Zitronenmelisse (und dann auch die Blüten dran lassen)
Eingelegtes lieber im Glas kaufen statt in der Dose. Glas kann man wiederverwenden, z.B. für selbst gemachte Marmelade oder ein Dressing, wenn man Salat mit ins Büro bringt
Möbel, Kleider etc. Freunden oder im Internet auf Tauschbörsen anbieten, bevor man es wegschmeißt
Kaputtes reparieren statt wegwerfen (wer’s nicht kann, kann zu einem Repaircafé gehen)
Öfter mal Rad fahren, wenigstens Zug statt Flieger.
If you input the word into Google, you get about 439 000 000results in 0,55 seconds. Now that’s a great deal of information right there. How is a normal person going to deal with such a complex theme like sustainability? You can’t be expected to trawl through millions of entries, but there are enough of them to cause us to take a closer look.
The older generations did not really pay any attention to sustainability. Why was this? Simply because they never gave a second thought, things were that way and that was it, more or less. Coal came out of the ground and was used as a source of energy for heating, propulsion and generating electricity. Likewise, oil came out of the ground and gradually replaced many of the requirements for which coal had been used. Oil was in abundance and those countries that had the biggest reserves became the uncrowned kings of the world, wielding enormous power over the global economy. And oil was the raw material for making plastic! Forests were cut down for the wood to be made into pulp for manufacturing paper, without enough new trees being planted to make up for the loss.
The Brundtland Report for the World Commission on Environment and Development written in 1987 introduced the term of sustainable development. This was a scientific paper and did begin to make the world, or at least some of it, sit up and listen. Whatever high-faluting definitions are given, it basically boils down to the simple question: “Can I do this forever?” In the case of plastics, the answer is definitely no. Since its introduction into practically all areas of our daily lives, it became unthinkable to be without it. The “good” use of plastic is offset by the “bad” one-off, throw away use, because the disposal is problematical. Plastic takes an inordinate length of time to decompose, but it can be recycled. However, campaigns exist to reduce our consumable use of plastics and recycle what we do use. These campaigns have had a certain degree of success, especially in the take-away food market by banning plastic cutlery, cups etc. The younger generation – who have the right to benefit for their future – seem to pay more attention and use, for example, plastic drinking bottles, which can be washed and used again. A small contribution you may think, but with the educational process being passed on to future generations, this will have a big impact in the years to come. Through this education, there have been cases when young children have pointed out to their grandparents that they should no longer use plastic carrier bags.
Sustainable development? This was the question the Emir of Dubai asked himself after oil exploitation in his emirate moved this Gulf backwater onto centre stage. He took a long and hard look at his tiny piece of land and thought “No!” Then he set out to develop the tourist industry to provide an alternative to dependence on oil revenues and Dubai is now a popular holiday destination. That the urban development of Dubai caused sustainability to be overlooked in other areas of his emirate, is another matter.
If we all do our bit, sustainability does indeed have a chance.