On the 9th August 2021 the United Nations Secretary-General declared the latest IPCC Climate Report ‘Code Red for Humanity’;
“The alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is irrefutable: greenhouse‑gas emissions from fossil-fuel burning and deforestation are choking our planet and putting billions of people at immediate risk. Global heating is affecting every region on Earth, with many of the changes becoming irreversible.”
We don’t know about you, but this terrifies us.
Changes need to be made, right here, right now.
Everyone has a role they can play for a more sustainable world and the first step we can take to be more sustainable is to examine our daily choices and see where to make a change.
Use green energy
Green energy is generated by natural, renewable sources such as the wind, the sun or the power of the tides.
You can opt to buy your gas and electricity from a specialist green energy company. Green energy suppliers include the likes of Green Star Energy, Ecotricity, Green Energy, Bulb and Octopus.
These companies encourage app-based account management and may offer paperless billing by default. Some green suppliers produce 100% of their electricity from zero-carbon sources.
Or you can ask your current supplier to increase the amount of energy from green sources your household uses. Many mainstream suppliers also offer green energy tariffs, which guarantee that some, most or even all of your energy comes from ecologically-friendly sources.
You can check how much renewable energy a supplier produces by looking at its ‘fuel mix’ information. This will show how much of the power they sell has come from coal, gas, nuclear, renewable and other sources. So that you can see just how green they really are.
Slow down your fashion
Fast fashion is the second biggest contributor to climate change next to fossil fuels. It’s a beast that is out of control and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Not if all the fashion hauls that hit Insta daily are anything to go by.
This fashion dilemma is largely down to the gorilla marketing of H&M, Zara, Matalan, ASOS *insert any cheap fashion outlet*. As well as the influencers working with these brands (no shade but COME ON PEOPLE can you not work with more sustainable brands??)
If there’s a brand that you buy from regularly (or want to buy from) who aren’t as eco conscious as you’d like, get in touch and let them know of your concerns. Reach out via social media, as a public forum it can be a powerful place.
Avoid single-use products
Another conscious change you can make that will save you money (alongside all the eco guilts) is to identify all the single-use products that you currently use. Single-use uses a lot of materials, a lot of transportation and a lot of energy just to literally be used just once and then thrown away. Look around you, what could be replaced for a more sustainable option?
Shop consciously and consider the journey products take from cradle to grave. Stop and ask yourself ‘how will I get the most use out of this’, not just ‘how will I get rid of this?’. Because that bio-degradable label they put on there babe? It’s very misleading. Single use products will only bio-degrade under certain circumstances, in certain environments. Landfill is not the right environment, and let’s face it – that’s more than likely where it’ll end up.
Make the switch to reusable period pads
Reusable period pads are a hugely beneficial switch to make for your planet and your health, but we understand that it can be scary. We get that you may have questions and that you may need a little guidance. That’s why we’re here. If you have any questions at all please head to our comprehensive FAQs.
We’re doing all we can to make it as accessible for as many as we can so we’re now offering a Planet Code Red Intro Pack.
We have three options available, each containing two reusable period pads with 25% off and FREE UK delivery.
1 Mini Flo pad and 1 Medium Flo pad
1 Medium Flo pad and 1 Mega Flo pad
1 Mega Flo pad and 1 Mega-Mega Flo pad
The Planet Code Red Intro Pack is great way to step into the reusable period pad world, and if two pads is all that you can stretch to right now, that’s still positive action. It’s still reducing menstrual waste month on month, year on year.
Learn and share
Educate yourself on what’s happening to our planet by reading books, watching documentaries and listening to podcasts. Start conversations with others and share what you learn. Because the more questions we can ask, the more we can listen and the more impact we will have. With knowledge comes motivation and power!
If your friends or family aren’t yet on board, making sustainable changes can feel very lonely. But don’t worry, you can find like-minded people, either local to you, or in online communities. It’s a brilliant way to see that your individual efforts are part of something much bigger.
As the Secretary-General concluded in his statement;
“If we combine forces now, we can avert climate catastrophe. But, as today’s report makes clear, there is no time for delay and no room for excuses.”
