SDG 15: Protect ecosystems, forests and biodiversity loss

I would like to organise a beach cleanup with my friends to help protect the marine life of Port Philip Bay

If it is the middle of a 40 degree summer, where is our English Spinach coming from? How many kilometres of freighting and kilowatts of refridgeration have been used to bring this out of season leaf onto the market shelf? I strongly believe that our dietary choices/preferences can have some of the largest impacts on climate change and sustainable development as a whole. My step for 2019 will be to restrict my diet by consuming "in season" produce only. I will do this by continuously researching the fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts that are in season (via websites such as environmentvictoria.org.au) and only purchasing these from local farmers at the markets around town. I plan on creating blog posts explaining the connection between out of season eating, the produce mileage associated with it as well as the detrimental environmental impacts it causes (blog currently under construction, check out the FriedEggsClub soon!)

Farmers markets have so many positives that will help me in becoming a step closer to sustainable living. A personal goal of mine is to reach 0 single-use plastic consumption, as well as the reduction of plastic in the bathroom and kitchen. In many of out supermarkets so many products are packaged in plastic, whereas a farmers markets little to no plastic is used. Produce is fresh being a plus for our health, but as it travels from the local farms CO2 emissions are not as significant compared to what a regular supermarket are likely to produce. Additionally, you are supporting local farmers and their livelihoods, where they have much more flexibility in setting their own prices. Lastly, it brings together the community, where people are able to socialise, give each other sustainable tips and talk about what they have been working on - where healthy communities are vital in propelling a sustainable future! So in understanding the effects of all these positives I am eager to take this step and make time to go to my local farmers markets.

I was inspired by the opportunities that Monash students have to take "One Step" towards a more sustainable lifestyle. I've been taking advantage of these, and trying to come up with my own steps that are relevant to student life. I will try my best to document these and post them here! Starting with... Walking and taking the bus from the Bus Loop!

Only use bamboo straws for two months

Be vegetarian for another year.

By only cooking meals that are vegetarian/pescatarian (and cooking at home more often than eating out), my overall meat intake will drastically reduce. Though it is theorised that going fully vegetarian can cut one's carbon footprint in half (which is an amazing incentive to do so), it is unlikely that everyone will be able or willing to make this drastic change, due to habitual eating patterns and different biological needs. However, the 'flexitarian' option provides a perfect and realistic solution, since it allows for the consumer to enjoy the occasional 'meat' meal whilst remaining vegetarian for the majority of the time. Thus, by even just reducing one's meat intake (and not cutting it out completely) we can massively improve our current environmental situation, in a way that is realistic and very achievable. Therefore, by pledging to ensure all the meals I cook at home are pescatarian/vegetarian (while still allowing myself to pick a meat meal if I so wish when eating out), I am exercising a perfect example of the flexitarian diet and how easy it can be for everyone to jump on board - now, even those who think they can't live without meat can get involved and make a huge difference!

Awareness of problems should be followed by action. We need to win this war against Irresponsible, Selfish, Unsustainable Homo sapiens. @worldwidegreenewarriors (Facebook page)

The world's most used vegetable oil is the main reason for the rainforest disappearing in Indonesia and Malaysia. For us, the problems with palm oil are not so visible in everyday life, but the use of palm oil has severe consequences for humans, animals, rainforests and the climate. Most of the palm oil comes from Southeast Asia, and to meet the enormous global demand for palm oil, Indonesia plans to double the production of palm oil to 40 million tonnes annually by 2020. As a consequence of this biologists fear that orangutans will become extinct in Southeast Asia in less than 10 years due to deforestation. In other words, it is necessary to reduce demand, and it is here we as consumers can play an essential role as around 50% of packaged supermarket products in Australia contain palm oil. Hence, I pledge to use less palm oil (preferably none) by using the Palm Oil Barcode Scanner App made by Palm Oil Investigations. With it, you can easily find out which foods contain palm oil and how much.

Meat consumption has a multitude of detrimental effects on our planet. Not only do ungulates such as cows and sheep contribute to land degradation, livestock farming also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts. I am pledging to cut out meat from my diet, and transition to a more environmentally-friendly plant-based way of life.