Small Changes - Big Rewards

Picture by Markus Spiske via Unsplash

Little tweaks that everyone can implement to live more sustainably 

At the moment, sustainability is a hot topic, literally. There are enormous bushfires in Australia,  the Amazon is burning and on the other side, tsunamis are no longer rare. Did you know there’s a group of islands in the Pacific that are literally drowning? The islands of Tuvalu, between Hawaii and Australia, are lying no more than 4,500 meters above sea level, it’s easy to visualize the waves just washing over it. With each year more water is crashing through and crawling its way up to the pavement, leaving the inhabitants in water up to their knees during cyclone season. Once the airport floods and airplanes are no longer able to land, that would be the end of it. 
More than ever, the pressure to change our habits is increasing, and above all: it is very much needed. 

So, let us all take a look at what we can do to minimize our impact on the planet and reduce global warming causing islands like Tuvalu to flood more often each decade. Last year we addressed the topic of a sustainable office and what we did to make our agency more sustainable. Today we take a look at what you can do personally in the office and at home:

• Unplug.
  Did you know that power is still being consumed by just being plugged in? Install motion-activated light switches to improve energy efficiency and no need to ever worry again about colleagues  forgetting to switch off the lights!  

• Whenever possible, Cycle or walk as primary ways to commute: good for the environment and good for you. 

• Recycle unwanted items and donate items no longer needed to associations that will give them an extended life; f.e. Redi School Berlin, offers students your former belongings if you don’t need them anymore.  

• Buy less: simple and little behavior changes can help with this, ask yourself: do I really need this?

• Bring your lunch in reusable containers and when it’s time to switch, swap your backpack for one that may last longer and is made using sustainable methods and materials, such as  Airpaq. 

• Reduce chemical cleaners.
  Swap out the office cleaning chemicals for ones with nature-based active ingredients that are safer for the planet. Bonus points if you choose one with a fully recyclable container! 

• Shop for office lunches at farmers’ markets as much as you can. Making office lunches meatless, or swap from animal to plant-based meat. Meat production requires tons of land, chemicals and water. Reducing meat consumption will help cut down on the resources used to produce meat for food. You can also shop for food at places like Ankerkraut. 

• Replace as many items as you can with reusable items.
  Straws, bags, cups, beeswax wraps instead of cling wrap, washable paper, towels and cloth sandwich bags. The options are endless (in the office and at home). 

• Whenever possible, choose local and organic.
  Live an eco-friendly life by buying fruits and vegetables that are organic certified and ideally, support local businesses.

• Keep the office lunch containers.
  Sometimes plastic packaging can’t be avoided, when ordering office lunch, you can hardly ask your takeaway supplier to deliver the Falafels in a hemp bag. But, instead of throwing the containers out once the office lunch is over, reuse them as lunch boxes for work, and store leftovers in the fridge.

• Stop drinking bottled water.
  Instead of drinking bottled water, go for reusable drinking bottles you can fill up with tap water. Products like Doli Bottles, drinking bottles from The Avocado Store or Chillys Bottles look fun, are local and, above all, sustainable! 

• Buy recycled, second-hand, or local products instead of ordering online.
  By buying more recycled and local products you can increase sustainability and life cycle of products big time! Websites like Ebay Klein Anzeigen and the facebook page market place in Germany are great for reselling or donating things that still have life in them.

• Create bins to collect old batteries so they can be brought to battery recycling drop-off locations. 

• Set up an office herbal garden.
  At Laika, with the help of Urgrow, we have our own tiny herb garden.

• Swap big cans for tiny trash cans.
  Mini bans can make a bigger impact than you think. By using smaller bins for trash, people tend to produce less waste, both in the office and overall because you become more aware of it since there is less room. 

• Make sustainability a priority.
  When choosing suppliers and vendors, make sustainability a true priority and a deciding factor. Look for electricity providers that rely on renewable energy sources and go for local business for food- and beverages supplies. Engage with cafeteria food-service vendors that offer compostable packaging and plenty of meat-free options. Engage suppliers in an open dialogue about your goals and values, strive to build long-term relationships, offer sustainability incentives when necessary and use the fewest number of supplies possible.

• Wanna get more creative with it? Why not plant a tree for every new client your company scores? A fun and green way of celebrating! 

Want to do even more? 
One thing that, after years and years of studies and researches stands out, is in reducing one person’s carbon footprint, is a vegan lifestyle. A vegan diet is the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth. However, this is not easy peasy for everyone. Luckily, there are enough products that are like meat, fish and dairy made from plants that are just as good! Or how about replacing your meat with deliciously prepared insects as an alternative protein source? Crickets for example need 2000 times less water, 15 times less farmland and 12 times less food than cattle and their protein has the same nutritional value as meat. If you ask us, eating insects is the new normal! 

Just as with the pandemic, we are in this together. One small behavior change of one person might not seem as much, but count millions of people adjusting to these small changes; all of these actions add up. You can also find support and do a meatless month, together with colleagues and create togetherness at the same time. If you change your behavior at work, you will also take those behaviors home, perhaps even share it with loved ones, who in their turn make changes and pass it on to loved ones, this is what makes a difference. You will see soon enough: we can change the world, together.