Environmental sustainability

More and more we hear people speaking about environmental sustainability, but in reality what does this expression it mean? With environmental sustainability we mean the necessary conditions to maintain the stability of our eco-system so that we can ensure in the future the ecological processes and biodiversity that currently exist.

Many people consider environmental sustainability as a philosophy of life, so much that they take important decisions for their lives so that they can satisfy their needs without compromising the survival of future generations.

There are many habits that can create a society which is environmentally sustainable, helping our Planet and its survival. We leave aside global politics, that are for sure fundamental and that we have already spoken about in our blog. We would like to suggest you some small habits that are useful to try to save the Planet. It is not about radical choices but about small details, that, if shared, can really make all the difference.

 

Use of cars 

Using cars is really conveniente. We leave home whenever we want and we come back as soon as we need to. But one of the main reasons for co2 emissions in the atmosphere are cars. Have you ever looked over the rear window while driving? Have you ever notice that the number of average passengers (driver included) in a car lined in a queue of a traffic light is a little more than one person? We go alone by car even if our colleague lives 50 metres from our home;  sharing the journey we could halve our emissions of co2 and pollution in our cities…think about it! Even outside schools the lines of cars are always there in the morning. But is it really necessary to bring our children to school by car? A healthy morning walk, maybe organising a “footbus” with other parents of the same neighbour could be a good idea for the health of our children, a way to save time for the parents and to save co2 emissions for everybody.

Waste of water

We use home’s tap water as an infinite source of water that we use for everything: for cooking, for washing ourselves and for many other things. Not always it is essential to use water. And if the old saying to turn off the tap while brushing the teeth is always true, let’s think about how much water we use to wash our car. And this is just an example among many… Think about the recurring dilemma between bath and shower, and any time you choose bath you are choosing (knowingly or not) to use about 50 litres of water more than with the shower… Naturally turning off the tap while soaping.

Sustainable food

The current food model is not sustainable for the Planet. The excessive use of meat coming from intensive farming in the West world generates a series of disastrous consequences for the Earth. Let’s go back to the problem of water: a diet rich in meat generates the consumption of 5000 litres of water per capite per day, while a vegan diet generates 1000 litres. We are not saying the the final solution is a vegan diet, but that a more reasonable consumption of meat, maybe high quality meat, is definitely useful to preserve the water resources of the Planet. But our nutrition has not only consequences on the water but also on co2. Strange? Not at all, because among the main producers of co2, after the cars that we have already mentioned, there are cows. Then, eating less meat not only allows us to save many litres of water, but also to reduce the problem of global warming.

At the table there is really a way to make a difference in the match of sustainability. Starting from the moment when you buy food, choosing food without useless packaging or with recyclable packaging, or looking for seasonal food, avoiding those coming from the other side of the world and that run across thousands of km to reach the shelf of the supermarket. Then, avoid waste: every food has not only an economic cost, but also a cost in terms of pollution and exploitation of resources. Every time you throw in the garbage some food, maybe because you heedlessly forgot it in the fridge or because you just don’t want it anymore, think about how many litres of water were needed to produce it and how much co2 emissions that food has generated.

Inside Nature

When you find yourselves inside nature, contemplating its beauty, let’s try to let our grandchildren to enjoy it as well in 50 years from now. Do not throw any waste inside a forest of any other natural place. Try not to interfere with animals and plants, changing the conditions of the ecosystem. To love nature means, first of all, to respect it and preserve it.

These are small habits that, if everybody is forward-looking, will help to ensure a great future for our Planet. They are not radical choices but small things. There are many more: we have just took the liberty to give some advices.

And what about us? In our own little way we have tried to create a product, Bivo, with a small packaging, without useless plastic bag with just aesthetic reasons. We try to use recyclable and re-usable materials because aesthetic is important, but not as much as environmental sustainability. In the powder we wanted to use only ingredients of plant origin, preferring Italian ingredients and buying them from companies of our Region, Veneto. The choice of the suppliers took in consideration the distance, because the more a supplier is close the less transportation you need in the supply chain.

Bivo tries to give its contribution for environmental sustainability, and you?