SDG 13: Climate action

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.

Grocery shopping in today's world is not only simply sustaining your own nutrition and buying supplies, it is now an indication to corporations which products speak to the consumer market. The rise of green advertising and green product packaging is now leading to greenwashing and manipulation of culturally and environmentally aware consumers. My one step is to shop with awareness as an active consumer and buy food products only in biodegradable and recyclable packaging. Beyond this the idea is to also ensure that products are not greenwashing, such as Woolworths did in 2007 through APP with non sustainable tissue products despite labeling. I dedicate myself to being aware of this, knowing which paper and plastic products are recyclable and encouraging others to do the same.

Clothes and other items never remain forever by our side. Eventually they become smaller in size, out of style or etc. I have many such items such as shoes, clothes, bags and jewelleries that I do not use. After giving so much to orphanages, after a while they told us that they had enough items for twice the amount of children. Therefore I came up with an idea. THRIFTING! It was a win-win situation and got some friends to embark on this journey with me. I plan to start a website or a page on social media to sell my items at very low prices. In this way, I am decreasing wastage. Also, I am decreasing my carbon footprint, since the production of clothes and its shipping costs a lot of non-renewable energy. With thrifting, people will buy less new clothes and will only aid in recycling old ones. Win-win indeed!

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.

I will start planting more flowers and herbs in my garden. I can use the flowers for my prayers instead of always buying them at the florist. As for the herbs, my family and neighbours can use them for cooking instead of buying those filled with herbicides and pesticides.

In the most recent census conducted in Australia (2016), over 65% of people travelled to work in a private car, whilst only 4.5% rode a bike or walked. Given that emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) have grown more quickly between 2000 and 2010 than in each of the three previous decades, I’ve decided to do something about it. To reduce my carbon footprint, reduce my emissions of greenhouse gases and to limit my contribution to air pollution from vehicle use in urban areas. Therefore, I pledge to cycle to the places within a 20km radius, this includes; going to the shops, the doctors, to work and especially when commuting to the Clayton campus. I will limit the usage of my car to only emergencies and if commuting to further places are required then the use of public transport in conjunction with cycling will be utilized. I will give weekly updates of the places I’ve travelled to using this sustainable method of transportation, along with the positive effect I’ve had on the community. Such as the amount of greenhouse gasses that I’ve saved from emission, along with other detrimental effects that I have limited due to my action My pledge along with my application for greensteps encompasses several sustainable development goals, which involve; goal 3 – good health and wellbeing, goal 9 – industry, innovation and infrastructure, goal 11 – sustainable cities and communities and finally, goal 13 – climate action.

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

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.

There is an average of 65 power outlets in every household which amounts to 18KW per day. By efficiently using the energy, we can reduce the pollution that is emitted from non-renewable sources of energy. Starting from a small step, I can get into the habit of pulling the power plugs, turning the lights off, and shutting down the computer. Starting from today, I am looking forward to taking one step forward towards sustainability!