What can we do?

i) As Consumers you hold ultimate power and you can exercise that power by demanding natural products that biodegrade rather than sit in landfill for a million years. The shift will take time but it will not happen unless enough of us say no, we aren’t buying products that pollute and destroy our resources. Write a letter to the manufacturer’s Managing Director. A million letters will force the company to sit up and take notice. Write in a supportive way, explaining that you understand it will take time and that the issues are complex, but asking for them to set a timescale for change, or politely pointing out that you will stop buying their products.

ii) Write to your political representatives to tell them that you will not support unsustainable energy like Nuclear Power which has already failed due to the £70 billion pound price tag to clear up the first generation, which will always present an environmental threat.

iii) Comment to the Local Planning authority about new developments and demand that they only be made of sustainable materials to the highest standards, and include local public transport links otherwise you are paying for the cleanup via your taxes

iv) Tell your energy supplier that you want to switch to sustainable forms of fuel production rather than those using coal, oil and gas as fossil fuels and ask the Government to fund it

v) In your own life try to consume less and conserve more ie consume less energy and try to reuse or recycle. Take a refillable bottle to a wholefood shop and refill it time after time for washing up liquid or cooking oil

vi) When buying products do some research first and ask to see an energy lifecycle analysis to see how much embodied energy it takes to make the product and what chemicals are used and whether they can be broken down safely into the environment

vii) Add your own, get together with others and produce an action list. Be realistic, work within your own resources, don’t burn yourselves out. Even a little step forward with a million others doing the same will change the world.

Download the Worldwiders Foundation Book to read more >