World Environment Day - Biodiversity is key to our wellbeing Kamwell

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World Environment Day 2020 - How biodiversity is key to our wellbeing

WELLBEING SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

World Environment Day has been celebrated globally on 5th June since 1974. On this day, we are encouraged to focus our efforts and take action on an important environmental issue. This year, the theme is biodiversity.

Why biodiversity?

Biodiversity describes the variety of life on Earth; from plants to animals, and fungi to bacteria. These various life forms are part of a complex web, where changes to one aspect affect the entire system. Biodiversity impacts every aspect of human health, from the air we breathe to the water and food we consume, as well as scientific and medical research.

Human activity is putting this system under threat - pollution, global warming and habitat destruction are just some of the challenges our natural environment is facing. So how can we move from being part of the problem, to part of the solution?

Be part of the solution

The United Nations Environment Programme has set a 2050 vision of living in harmony with nature. In order to achieve this, we all need to take a critical look at our own activity and how we can make positive changes.

At Kamwell, we understand how important social responsibility is to our wellbeing. This week we have been reflecting on the positive changes we have made within our own lives, and renewed our commitment to the health of our home planet.

“With two young children, food waste has always felt like an unavoidable part of my life. But I have taken a stand on this recently after learning that 1/3 of all food produced for human consumption is wasted. I am really disciplined about re-using leftovers and not overdoing portion sizes. Any food waste I am left with is added to the compost bin.” Emma
“In an effort to reduce single-use plastic consumption we have swapped clingfilm for beeswax wraps. I am also making much more conscious decisions about the companies I buy from, researching their environmental impact and policies. A great example of this is allplants.” Char
“We’ve started buying our veg locally from the farmers market (where you can avoid the dreaded plastic) and we’ve just recently started picking our fruit at the local fruit farm which both the 2 and 13 year old love.” Kirsten
“I am educating my children about the importance of looking after our planet. There are plenty of brilliant YouTube clips and books on the topic and I’ll take any opportunity to have a healthy debate with them about topics ranging from pollution and recycling to single-use plastic consumption.” Emma
“As well as making sure to involve the kids in our recycling efforts, as a family we go paperless wherever possible. Most service providers allow you to opt out of paper mail, receiving updates and bills electronically instead.” Kirsten
“I have a no-meat, low-dairy diet and try to buy sustainable produce whenever possible. I have also recently discovered a zero-waste shop in my local area where you bring your own containers to buy produce such as seeds, nuts, cereals, grains and pulses without any packaging.” Emma