|
|
|
Newsletters >
Community, Global and Local
Community, Global and Local
Sep 11, 2026
Community, Global and Local
This month at the Spruce Initiative we explore the theme of community, both global and local. We encourage you to think globally and act locally. Every micro movement you commit to taking regularly for the environment helps protect our planetary ecosystem. With many repetitions and many people taking part, positive change becomes exponential.
We realise as an individual we are unable to pick up all the rubbish in the world or plant all the trees that we need. However, we can endeavour to pick up one piece of rubbish a day when we are out on our daily walk and plant one tree a year. We can choose to use less plastic, be frugal with our use of chemicals that harm the environment and choose Earth friendly options.
Here is something to think about. There is an upside and a downside to the use of plastics rather than metals for bottles. Metals, like petroleum products, are a non renewable resource. Plastics can be manufactured using plant based materials and hence may be sustainable.
Many people are sad about animals being killed for food. Cattle do release green house gases and eat a lot of plant material, however their manure is a good source of fertiliser and their hides have many uses. Sad though it may seem cattle are a renewable source of fertiliser, food and leather (though of course not to the individual cows).. It is unlikely that cattle are killed for their hides alone and given that they are killed for meat it is wasteful and unkind not to use their hides.
Where leather can replace vinyl in items such as hand bags, clothing and shoes, it provides a sustainable, biodegradable alternative that doesn’t contribute to the plastic pollution of the planet. In addition it doesn’t waste the sacrifice of animals killed for food.
Our planet is rapidly moving towards crisis from climate change, brought about by over grazing, over fishing, use of non renewable resources, over population, pollution, and increased reliance on technology. We encourage people, where possible, to work and shop locally, walk or ride public transport and reduce our use of pollution and heat causing non renewable technologies.
Every bit helps. We need to live lightly on the planet. One of the aims of the Spruce Initiative is to foster environmental awareness. In 2008, after observing the environment, we put forward the theory that cities were punching holes in the ozone layer of the atmosphere. This has subsequently been proved to be the case. We identified cities as a major contributor to climate change.
A corollary to this is what has come to be known as the UHI (urban heat island) effect. We need to control the impact city life has on the environment as quickly as possible before acceleration of climate change takes place. This means cutting down on the use of non sustainable technology, reducing pollution, especially greenhouse gases, and keeping our oceans and waterways clean and sustainable for marine life.
We need to solve local environmental issues in order to effect global sustainability. Each little bit helps. What we do locally has a global impact.
Make a start. Clean and green is our strategy. Remember one piece a day sends thebrubbish away. Don’t just clean, let’s Spruce!
Cheers,
Felicity
Clean and green is our strategy. Remember: one piece a day sends the rubbish away! Don’t just clean let’s Spruce.
www.thespruceinitiative.info
|
|
