SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation

Do not buy or use anything processed or packaged. Support sustainable farming by buying groceries from sustainable farms. This helps avoid the use of chemicals in food growing, processing and packaging which ends up as waste in soil, water or air. Also, the process of processing and manufacturing consumes energy and emits gases that are harmful. I believe if each person can commit to sustainable eating which contributes largely to pollution and climate change, it will make a big difference.

I often find that at university I will purchase food that comes in cardboard or plastic packaging. Vendors such as wholefoods have proactively encouraged use of your own Tupperware. I will continue to make best use of this practice and attempt to do so from other food stores in addition to pre-preparing meals at home to reduce environmental impact as well.

Malaysia produces approximately 2.4 billion pieces of sanitary waste a year. This is equivalent to 2,400 tonnes or 480 garbage trucks full of sanitary pads. To counter this, my first step to reducing waste in landfills is to use reusable menstrual cups from this day onwards. I believe this is a small step to creating a big movement in the right direction.

- Stop using plastic bags and use reusable bags instead. - Use keep cup to reduce plastic and paper cups - Reuse, reduce and recycle more - Use an alternative source of energy, cleaner version such as solar and focus your future on that.

Although I have taken steps to reduce my reliance on commercially bought foods by implementing veggie patches and tailoring my diet to be more sustainable, sometimes it is very difficult to say no to the conveniently available products on grocery aisles. These shelves are usually filled with foods from large conglomerate companies with extensive outreach. It is important to be wise about each individual food item as detrimental climate harm can be wickedly masked behind bright branding, and sometimes even 'green-approved' labels. Therefore, I have been doing research before purchasing and when I do find a sustainable item, I am sure to advertise it to my friends and family so they can contribute towards a cleaner planet. I intend to do enough research into products to be able to form a weekly meal plan based on actual sustainable foods.

Since the beginning of this year, I have been trying to find more sustainable solutions when it comes to cleaning. The cleaning products found in commercial markets are often loaded with harsh and toxic chemicals that can pose serious health risks to both humans and animals with prolonged use. In a world where the 'DIY' movement is becoming increasingly popular, I thought I would focus my efforts onto DIY cleaning solutions. Some major benefits of DIY cleaners include: 1. Knowing exactly what ingredients are going into your products. 2. Getting to make more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY decisions: like switching to essential oils, creating unique concoctions using baking soda and vinegar, using sustainable packaging for storage etc. 3. Posing zero health risks as almost all the ingredients used can be found in your own kitchen. Here's a tip: These products are not nearly as strong as the ones you find in the market, so instead of opting for a deep clean every other week, try cleaning up every couple of days. This is when I've noticed them to be the most effective. My aim is to slowly transition into other DIY alternatives (e.g. sustainable bath products) once I have gotten used to creating and implementing these products in and around my home.

With economies like India advancing to middle class economies and increasing consumption levels, it is correct time to direct consumer towards sustainable living practices and products. Seeing a gap in this place, we are setting up an online sustainable living marketplace initially for the Indian Market. Where we are tying up with vendors having organic food material, Cycles, indoor and outdoor plants and planters, reusable sanitary pads and many more such products. Some of Earthgasm's own products are made by up cycling waste wooden products, and we tend to keep a branch which collects such waste products and make beautiful products using it. Currently we have secured partnership with 4 vendors, and our portal is under development. So, in the coming 1 month we will be launching our marketplace for India.

Single use plastics are made of petrochemicals and are commonly used in inordinate amounts to package foodstuffs and goods. Moreover, many of these are composed of endocrine disruptors and in addition to being damaging to the health of human beings, are also hugely detrimental to animals and sealife. Consequently, I want to reduce my plastic waste and I pledge to refuse to use single-use plastics.

The concept of Circularity and the Circular economy present a novel pathway to achieving sustainable development. Circularity creates alternate systems that keep products in a cycle of use and continual reuse as well as regenerating natural systems and reducing pollution and waste. These practices are best adopted by businesses and this should be encouraged and promoted. However, on an individual level I plan to increase my own circularity practices through a variety of different avenues. Firstly, I pledge to purchase more food products from bulk source shops and markets as opposed to supermarkets to reduce my plastic consumption. This will greatly reduce my contribution to land fill. Additionally, I will stop buying new clothes unless it is absolutely necessary (eg: I am going hiking and need protective equipment). It is widely known how destructive the fashion industry is to the environment, people and the planet so by removing myself as a consumer of products from this industry I will help to make a change, however small. Finally, I will educate my housemates and friends on what the Circular Economy is and why it is important for businesses to work towards as well as individuals. I have already shared many tips with my friends to reduce waste and I will continue to do this while also integrating Circularity concepts.

The impact of the dairy and meat industry on the world and its ecosystems is hard to overstate. In Australia, the agriculture sector produces 84 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent each year, most of which is a result of methane production by cattle and sheep (Department of Agriculture, 2014). Livestock also put strain on water sources with almost one third of freshwater globally being used for animal products (Gerbens-Leenes et al., 2013). Furthermore, the livestock industry is a leading cause for deforestation and land degradation. 80% of deforestation in the Amazon is a result of arigcultrual clearing which then provides the vast areas required for livestock food production and grazing (Nepstad et al., 2008). This leads to habitat destruction, land erosion and less carbon sequestering forests. While health conditions and access issues may mean that cutting out meat and dairy sources is not appropriate, the more we can reduce the reliance on the livestock industry the less it will weigh upon our environment. As such, I will be taking one step to cut out my meat and dairy consumption.