What hats do you wear in our quest to save the earth?
Most of us wear multiple hats in our lives. Perhaps you are an employee and a part-time tuition teacher and a tennis coach, or a CEO and a parent and a caregiver of an elderly relative. With different roles come different responsibilities and opportunities. How do the roles you play in your everyday life affect your role in saving the earth?
Parent
For most children, parents are their first role models in life. As a parent, you have the unique gift of shaping the way your child thinks before anyone else. This gives you a wonderful opportunity to positively shape your child’s relationship and role in tackling climate change.
Model deep appreciation for the Earth and the many gifts we receive from her; shady trees, beautiful flowers, nourishing rain, sustaining food, and indeed, diverse and incredible life itself. How do you model your deep appreciation for these unspeakably beautiful gifts? Do you show appreciation and gratitude? Do you speak about it? Can you start a small family ritual to show appreciation?
Cultivate eco-friendly habits by carefully and conscientiously considering possible impact on the earth before purchasing products - are they packaged in eco-friendly materials? Do you really need these products or will it just end up in the unwanted pile of waste at home? Always have a mind to reusing, reducing and recycling unwanted products. This can be carried over into how we consume food and energy too. Do you demonstrate an attitude of appreciation by reducing food waste and being energy conservative? As your child emulates such habits, an eco-friendly lifestyle will become second nature for them.
Encourage compassion for the earth by introducing your child to the suffering in our environment and discussing and modelling ways that you can reduce this suffering. Perhaps you can take the time to explain news about climate change to them and draw their attention to changes in our surroundings, such as rising temperatures. If your child likes animals, try emphasising the gravity of the situation by discussing animal extinction. Have conversations with them about how they feel about these matters and discuss how we may help alleviate such suffering.
Lastly, include them in practising kindness and compassion for the earth at home! Encourage them to carry out acts of kindness and to think about the impact of their choices and decisions daily. Let them be part of the solution. For example, have them help sort waste for recycling or have fun composting together. Find creative ways to reuse unwanted products, such as decorating shoe boxes to produce pretty storage boxes.
Remember, children learn from what we do, not from what we say!
Educator
Teachers help shape their students' attitudes, energy and character, and their influence can last even after their students graduate and leave the school environment.
As a teacher, aside from modelling conscientious and eco-friendly habits and exposing students to the ways in which our earth is suffering, you can also initiate and facilitate constructive conversations between students. Having students discuss climate change and brainstorm for ideas on how they may help teaches them that caring for our earth is a collaborative effort. Additionally, it encourages future generations to unite in caring for our earth together.
Additionally, try organising fun activities that build connections to nature, such as field trips to biodiversity centres, parks, conservation centres and more! This can cultivate a love for nature in your students and teach them about conservation technologies.
Constantly revisiting the topic of environmental care and conservation as you teach also tells students that this is an important part of their education and trains them to keep the environment at the forefront of their minds. For example, incorporating environmentalism into projects, having a recycling bin in the classroom and using an article on climate change as a comprehension passage can all work to emphasise the importance of having compassion for Earth.
Politician
The task of saving the earth is very large, and our community and government leaders need to play their part.
Priorities need to be set. Resources need to be mobilized. It is only with collective efforts that we can adequately care for and protect our environment. Clearly we need to live differently. We need to inspire and mobilize our communities to effect change. What better position to inspire, mobilize and encourage such unity than as a leader or politician, who speaks to an entire community or country? Here are some things you can do to drive environmentalism.
Lead by example. Live conscientiously, with kindness and compassion to Earth and her living eco-systems. If you are not clear on how to do this, then perhaps this should be your first priority. It is hard to be an effective leader without “walking the talk” yourself.
Support environmental groups, causes and initiatives by supporting and proposing policies that help them further their agenda. Such policies may include funding and subsidies for non-profit organisations, carbon taxes, eco-friendly waste management measures and more!
Bring attention to environmental sustainability by speaking about it at talks and organising community-wide activities. Encourage people to learn the skills to live and act differently. Furthermore, encourage people to face challenges and to take responsibility over the active ways through which they can make a difference. Activities such as a recycling competition in your constituencies or marathons to raise funds can be fun, educational and inspiring!
Corporate Executive
With the increased focus on environmentalism and a stakeholder-centric approach to corporate governance, environmental sustainability has gained ground in the business industry as a key parameter and topic. Moreover, activities of large corporations can have huge effects on our environment. For example, supply-chain choices, use of toxic substances in production, production waste polluting water bodies and more all have heavy implications on our environment. It is clearly important that companies acknowledge their contributions to environmental degradation and actively work towards environmental sustainability!
Making environmental sustainability a CSR objective is a common method used by companies today as they try to do their part for the earth. Through company-wide initiatives and donations towards environmental causes, CSR is a good way for companies to leave a greener impact. However, don't just stop at CSR!
Encourage a corporate culture of having compassion for the earth. Try implementing initiatives such as placing recycling bins around the workplace or canteen discounts for staff who bring their own containers when ordering takeaway. Company-wide challenges like rewarding the department that uses the least paper can be fun and meaningful too!
Additionally, educate your employees on going green by inviting renowned speakers and holding workshops that coach participants on practising compassion for the earth.
Employee
You may not be a CEO or top executive, but don't underestimate yourself! With the extensive network you've built up, you can encourage compassion for the earth from the ground up. Practice compassion for the earth, talk about how you've been doing so with your peers and encourage them to practice eco-friendly habits too. Make climate change part of everyday conversation. This normalises environmentalism and helps create a corporate culture of compassion for the earth.
Additionally, you can propose environmental initiatives to be implemented on a company-wide level. Even if your suggestions are not taken up, you can team up with like-minded colleagues to initiate your proposed activities outside of work.
Individual Actor
Regardless of the other roles you play in your life, you are first and foremost an individual actor! As an individual, there are many things you can do to practice compassion for the earth.
Incorporate simple acts of compassion for the earth in your lifestyle and encourage those around you to do the same! Small steps done on a large scale can have a huge impact. Find some friends to start composting with you or keep each other updated on brands that have eco-friendly production methods that you should support!
Participate in environmental initiatives. From Plant-A-Tree programs to volunteering with non-profit organisations that aim to achieve environmental sustainability, there are many ways to take an active step towards caring for our earth in your spare time!
As global citizens, we have an overriding responsibility to keep our planet healthy. If all of us were to make small changes to our lifestyle, the earth would be a much greener space!
