SDG 7: Clean energy

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.

The amount of waste that comes from the car industry is huge! Every car that is built new takes up tonnes of the worlds resources bith in manufacturing, and in the product itself. As such, I am making an effort to keep my car for as long as possible without buying a new one, even if it broke down. I will of course be taking public transport whenever possible. However, never using a car in my life and location is unavoidable so I intend to perform as minimal waste as possible with it. This means whenever it needs servicing, I will find 2nd hand parts and search on how to fix it myself if possible, so I know that no environmental shortcuts are happening and I will aim to never buy another car until electronic (or another form of sustainable) cars are available. This money that I happen to be saving from self-services and not buy new cars, will be used to purchase this to then reduce emmissions.

- I have made a pledge to stop buying single use plastics and to always have a reusable bag handy whenever I go out shopping. People don't realise how much plastic they use and throw away with every purchase, and these usually end up in landfills or oceans, harming our environment and wildlife. If everyone made the commitment to stop using single use plastics, we could significantly cut down the demand for plastic, this will in turn reduce our global emissions energy usage. - aside from reusable bags, I have made a pledge to be cautious about the goods that I buy, sticking to more ethically packaged products.

I'm hoping to eventually eliminate my plastic packaging, but I think a good place to start is to look for alternatives before quitting cold turkey. Currently I cannot eliminate the plastic packaging on my food completely, since a lot of the things I eat for health reasons come in plastic, but I think that starting by choosing alternatives in cardboard or package free is a possible and important step to take. I want this to lead into a week going single use plastic free, and I want to be able to share this experience and create resources to educate and help others to make change in their own lives, through a student activist group I'm a part of called the Student Voice Network.

A renowned fashion brand just dropped a new collection of denim. The jeans' tag says its textile saved a million liters of water upon its creation. Would you buy them if you have similar jeans at home? Or would you purchase the whole collection to show your support? With different colors and designs to choose from, how can one resist buying only one metal straw and coffee tumbler? When promoted by influencers, the trending of greenwashed products leads to an aspirational culture. Acquiring a product made from plastic alternatives or recycled materials sounds sustainable. But buying more than necessary leads companies to produce more, which damages the environment. For example, a fashion brand may use Circulose sheets to make a thread. However, recycling used textiles may still require 20 percent of water used to process one kilogram of cotton. Thus, two garments made from Circulose would need at least 4,000 liters of water. To help minimize the environmental impact of consumerism, I will stop purchasing excessively, especially on apparel. Since fashion has a trend cycle, I will check my mom's closet for pieces that I can borrow. I will also do some do-it-yourself projects with old garments at home. I will take good care of my stuff to prevent buying a replacement. Finally, I will find others who will appreciate the pieces that I loved instead of donating them to charity shops, which contribute to the landfills of developing countries when they trade discarded items. Wouldn't it be nice to see the smile of the one receiving our stuff personally? Digital drawing by Ana Hard

I will raise awareness for the inequalities in global health, starting with the Fred Hollows Foundation. I will run 50km over next month and use social media to connect with my community to raise awareness of the need for equal access to healthcare. I really like how this foundation supports Indigenous Australian people as well as people without adequate access to healthcare from around the world. I think sight is something we can often take for granted but it is a lens in which we interpret the world. I chose to advocate for more accessible healthcare for all because simple and inexpensive treatments can help many people minor treat eye problems before it regresses into blindness. https://www.fredsbigrun.org/fundraisers/chloejensen To achieve this goal I will endeavour to walk, run and ride my push bike to work and within my immediate area to reduce my carbon footprint. Infographic: sourced from the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness

In regards to "Small Changes Count ", This step is that with one small action done by one person can change someone's life .During this pandemic we are in Lockdown and that should not stop us from being environmentally friendly and also being more healthy. Small changes we make in our everyday living will make a big difference in the environment .

Fast fashion and consumer culture are one of the most unsustainable practices in the developed world. For 1 month, I will buy not buy anything new as I believe I can decrease my footprint substantially by reducing. This also means that I will have to reuse various resources and recycle older things to get what I need.

I would like to see more pet-friendly public places like restaurants, gardens in China. Every pet would be taking good care of and no more stray animals

My One Step pledge is to adopt impact investing so that my investment approach is done through an ESG/SDG lens. Initially, when I began my investment journey, I invested with only aspirations of maximising monetary gains, setting aside or placing less emphasis on, the social and environmental impacts offrom the business operations. Whilst financial gain is still a key objective of my portfolio actions, it is now imperative to me that I invest in companies which value transparency and have transition plans that are aligned with the SDGs. I do this because I recognise the importance and influence that multinational cooperation’s play in this fight against social injustice and climate change. If we continue to financially support the types of businesses who are not adopting ESG principles and are not aligned to the SDG’s, it only reinforces harmful behaviour which further exacerbates our deteriorating global situation. The investments I make now and into the future will be for positive environmental, social and climate impact enabling me to participate in transitioning to a sustainable future.