In the last two centuries, humans have achieved amazing achievements. A technological development never seen before. The negative side is that, on some occasions, it has been done from a linear interpretation, that is, from consuming as if resources were unlimited. The planet now suffers the consequences in the form of climate change, imbalances in biodiversity and scarcity of some material resources.
We are in the Atropocene. This is the term with which UNESCO has designated this geological epoch in which some of the changes are a consequence of the important modifications caused by Homo sapiens. But this same sapiens, much more committed to the environment, is also capable of turning the tables and developing circular strategies to protect the environment, recover the green spaces lost in previous decades and manage natural resources in a more conscious way.
Planting trees is one of the alternatives that most and best mitigates greenhouse gas emissions. But there are many more gestures that we can incorporate into our daily lives to reduce our carbon footprint without hardly realizing it.
Without oxygen there is no life. Neither human, nor animal, nor plants, at most, some anaerobic microorganisms that would not leave a planet to come to live. Each Spaniard produces on average about 8 tons of CO₂ per year when getting into the car, turning on the heating, turning on the light, getting dressed or buying a vacuum cleaner, to give some examples of daily actions.
In return, a single tree absorbs between 10 and 30 kilograms of CO₂ per year to carry out photosynthesis, which is its daily way of eating. In about 20 years it absorbs the equivalent of the CO₂ emitted by a vehicle traveling 10,000 to 20,000 kilometers. Obviously, little can be achieved with a tree, but if we think about a forest things change. To make it possible, initiatives such as Cofidis must be on the radar, which plants a tree for every loan contracted.
Thanks to this reforestation project, in the last year and a half they have planted 142,772 trees through Tree-Nation, a company specialized in reforestation projects. With this initiative, those who have requested a loan to paint the living room, renew their computer or pay for an English course for their children have managed to neutralize 5,711.02 tons of CO₂.
Forests are also the natural habitat of millions of species on whose biodiversity the biological balance of the planet depends. When forests are missing, many species die. Others migrate in search of shelter and food and become invasive in other ecosystems, in turn forcing other species to migrate and creating a vicious circle of natural deterioration.
Single-use clothing is a true shredder of material resources and an important source of CO₂. To put it in figures, manufacturing five t-shirts generates 13 kilos of CO₂. To compensate for this, it would be necessary to plant a tree, or two, if we are talking about three dresses or three jeans (46 kilograms). A good argument to rethink whether it is really necessary to accumulate clothes that we do not wear in the closet or compulsively buy cheap clothes to wear only once and let them languish at the back of the dressing room.
The textile industry generates 10% of total CO₂ emissions, more than the aeronautical and shipping industries combined. This situation, however, is beginning to change. Many of the fashion giants are already implementing more sustainable modes of production, rationalizing the use of water and increasingly incorporating recycled materials. That is, they begin to reduce their carbon footprint. A simple way to reduce our carbon footprint is to bet on those brands with a marked sustainability roadmap. Much better if, in addition, these clothes are manufactured in Spain, thereby reducing the environmental impact of transportation.
Most of the objects around us have a longer life than we usually give them. It's that air fryer that we eagerly buy and never use, the paddle surf board that we never go sailing on, or that barbecue that we never light up because we're too lazy to prepare it. The rise of applications for buying and selling second-hand items fulfills three functions: to get rid of those unfortunate purchases, to find cheaper items and to prevent them from ending up in the trash prematurely. We save euros and, without realizing it, many greenhouse gas emissions.
The future Ecodesign Directive will bring measures to ensure the repairability of everything put on the market by 2030 and a prohibition on destroying unsold items, returns with damaged packaging or damaged display items. Until recently, many of these ended up in landfills or incinerated.
Now they are reconditioned, a term that refers to a fine-tuning of all the product systems to put it back on sale, but at a lower price. It may have damage to the packaging, some chips on the outside, but it works and has the same warranty as a new one. So we can get everything from the latest smartphone model to mountain bikes or high-quality wool coats, but at the price of something second-hand.
Another way to reduce the carbon footprint that some fashion companies already use is to reuse unused scraps to create new clothes. The result is unique, new, seasonal and much more eco-friendly garments.
Without forgetting something that previous generations already did: mend, repair and put patches on those pants with a hole that are still in good condition. Many companies already sell patches and adhesives in different colors and fabrics to repair everything from armchairs to hiking jackets.
A poorly sealed window, a poorly insulated blind or an entrance door through which the cold sneaks in make it difficult to maintain a comfortable temperature at home. The immediate reaction is usually to put on a thicker sweater, fluffy socks, raise the thermostat and let the heating compensate for the cold.
That simple gesture makes us look like human stoves huddled under the blanket in the living room. But boiler consumption also increases by 7-9% for each extra degree, with its corresponding CO₂ emissions if the boiler is gas and a considerable jump in the bill at the end of the month. Putting silicone on the window frames, weather stripping on the doors and properly insulating the blinds will help us not get cold at home without spending more.
If the problem is structural, it is a good time to consider rehabilitating the façade to incorporate an exterior thermal insulation system or SATE. Also to assess self-consumption with photovoltaic panels. These are large investments that contribute to reducing energy consumption and have aid to finance them from European Funds.
In fact, the EU's objective is to rehabilitate 3% of the old housing stock each year, which is why, predictably, there will continue to be aid in the coming years. These works can also benefit from discounts on the Real Estate Tax (IBI) and the Personal Income Tax (IRPF). These three incentives are compatible, so the final price of the work is significantly reduced.
Fumes from combustion engines are one of the causes of the greenhouse effect, very evident in the pollution 'beret' of some large cities such as Madrid or Barcelona. For this reason, there are more and more eco-friendly mobility alternatives: car sharing, electric car rental for short trips, electric motorcycles, bicycles and scooters for small urban stretches... And, of course, using public transport more and walking to our place of work. destination.
Many of the objects we use every day are designed with recycling in mind. But no object is recycled alone, it must be placed in its corresponding container. We are increasingly aware of separating our trash and leaving glass in the green container, paper in the blue and packaging in the yellow.
Organic waste can go brown or, why not, we can compost it on the terrace at home. After a few months we will have fertilizer for the geraniums. We can leave everything else at the clean points, where they are already in charge of separating electronic equipment, used frying oil, x-rays... and recycling it conveniently.
We can further reduce our footprint without having to modify our shopping basket, purchasing more in bulk, carrying our bag or a shopping cart and, whenever possible, buying local, organic and sustainable products. It doesn't matter if it's lettuce, a towel or shoes. They are small subtractions in our daily carbon footprint that add up to ensuring that this Anthropocene does not end up being a disaster.
