In honor of the upcoming Zero Waste Week that takes place annually during the first full week of September, we bring you tips on how to be more mindful of our surroundings.
We are aware that our planet has been subjected to serious damage that we have inflicted over the years. The environmental situation has deteriorated to the point where it can no longer be ignored. It is now crucial to recognize that every action, no matter how small, can make a difference. If we imagine that thousands of people around the world contribute daily to the Earth’s recovery, then together we have taken a significant step towards its restoration.
This week, our team participated in a Training for Trainers in Vlore, Albania, where they further refined and developed the strategy for environmental preservation. To actively contribute to saving our planet, we present a few simple yet immensely important tips to help preserve the environment:
1) Instead of plastic bags, use cloth bags. Today, they are especially popular with various designs and decorations. Instead of buying plastic bags at the store, use your cloth bag and contribute to protecting the environment.
2) Don’t let clothes you no longer wear end up in landfills. Instead, donate them to those in need or to organizations that recycle them.
3) The bathroom is where we use the most water. Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth and replace long baths with quick showers. Consider how much water it takes to fill a tub compared to just one shower (the ratio is about 3:1).
4) Don’t waste energy when it’s not needed. Turn off the radio in rooms where you aren’t, limit TV watching to two hours a day. In the summer, turn off air conditioners in rooms you aren’t using, or leave doors open so cool air can circulate.
5) Planting a single tree today might not seem impactful, but in 20 years, it could provide shade for ten people.
With small but steady steps, we can achieve great things. Zero Waste Week reminds us that the start of every change begins with decisive action, and that each of us can contribute to creating a more sustainable future for all.
More about "FAST FORWARD"
The project “Engage, connect and empower youth for a sustainable green future” is focused on two European Youth Goals: quality learning and sustainable green Europe. It aims at implementing a creative strategy in terms of capacity building for the new generation actually facing the problems of tomorrow related to environment degradation, climate change, and sustainability issues.
The target group of the project is youth trainers/workers, organizations, young activists in Albania, local/national authorities, and citizens of Albania and Europe. The project will focus in bringing the EU practices and translate them into tangible tools for youth in Western Balkan in order to fast forward the green transition. The core of the project, capacity building, will be achieved through a critical number of activities, such as ToT, Youth exchanges, toolkits and manuals. These activities will spill over throughout non-formal learning providers benefitting staff, youth, and key stakeholders in the process.
Overall, with this project Build Green Group will promote and improve capacity building for youth in important areas such as climate change awareness, environment digitalization, environmental justice, innovation & research, contribution to SDGs, and creation of fruitful partnerships. The topic addressed and activities designed to make the project have a local, national, and EU impact, specifically in bringing EU practices in WB.