The consumption of meat or, at any rate, intensively farmed meat and fish must be avoided. Food sustainability is synonymous of environmental sustainability and is also good for our health! “Zero kilometre” food (such as fruit and vegetables) is advisable! Decreasing consumption of those products and foods that exploit the earth’s resources is an important step for the planet and our own health and diet.

Going to the market for groceries should be seen as a real action of environmental sustainability. Using a canvas bag rather than a plastic bag is a “virtuous” example. Buying products in bulk or “zero kilometre” or even buying glass rather than plastic bottles are simple behaviours that improve our quality of life and protect the environment.

To improve the environment around us and, more generally, to safeguard the health of our Planet, the separate collection of our waste is one of the most “powerful” and “virtuous” actions; if implemented diligently, huge climate-changing emissions can be contained: by recycling even half of what we discard and throw away at home we can reduce CO₂ and polluting gases by almost 200 kilos per year.

Air conditioners and heating if managed diligently help not only our utility bills but more importantly help environmental sustainability. Insulating the house and limiting heat loss in winter or, using solar panels for home energy is really useful and important. In the home, the health of the Planet can also be improved by the use of condensing boilers.

Drought is a major factor in the climate crisis. Saving this precious ‘element’ must be of interest to everyone; For instance: collecting and reusing rainwater or water used for cooking to water our plants, or using dishwashers and washing machines at full load with “Class A” energy saving are “virtuous” actions to be taken on a daily basis.

Turning off the computer and printer before leaving the office or the television before going to sleep and using LED lamps certainly protect our wallets. Considering that energy use has, today more than ever, become considerable and a priority for almost all our daily actions, using renewable and clean energy tools and sources is a virtuous and winning behaviour.

To combat deforestation (which drastically affects climate change) saving paper and using recycled paper are key actions. The less paper we use the more trees we save! Just think that to produce one sheet of paper school size exercise book around 13 litres of water are necessary. Each of us consumes a considerable amount of paper: in fact, we use almost 200 kilos per year!

Any purchase we make contributes to consuming natural resources and producing waste, i.e., pollution. Think, for example, of the wrapper of a candy, as well as the production of the candy itself! Buying “second-hand” clothes, mobile phones or school books is wise and virtuous and even cheaper! However, before being thrown away, many products can be fixed and reused.

In Europe alone, just to give one example, climate-changing emissions due to mobility are around 30% of the world total. The choice of the means by which one moves becomes very important. If possible, it is recommended to avoid planes and petrol-powered cars. The best alternatives are bicycles, public transport and electric cars and motorbikes or, in any case, shared mobility services.

Planting a tree or participating in reforestation actions are simple gestures that bring us closer to nature, a need, today, more felt than ever! Trees produce oxygen and capture CO2, provide raw materials and food and improve the quality of air, water and soil, but above all, they improve animal habitats and mitigate climate change. Let’s plant a tree that is only good for us and our Planet!