You might recognize the quote: “Treat People With Kindness”. It is a quote from Harry Styles, who last year released a same-titled single. By spreading this thought, he encourages his fans to bring positivity and goodness to the world. This quote obviously refers to humanity. Fair enough, because we are the first to treat and be treated well.
https://open.spotify.com/track/03mMSLEJCPoGJwQhHpN5y0?si=8cb7c033cb594fc4
(link to the song: Treat People With Kindness, by Harry Styles)
The concept of empathy mostly refers to people. But (I think) empathy could be more than just that. What if we could not only pity people, but also pity things? If we do that, let’s refer to the most important thing firstly; our planet. Because who would we be without it, right? How could we care for other people around us, if we don’t even have a planet that we can care for and live on?
We are all aware that the world is not inexhaustible and needs our help. Treating people with kindness is easy. But how do we treat our own climate with kindness? The HUB is here to help you out! We have gathered a collection of things you can do to help save the planet.
https://open.spotify.com/track/2u6twH8SHtv37ctUqQ4iEX?si=194095945f624560
(link to the song: Groter dan ik, by Froukje)
1. Second-hand clothes
I dare to say that we are all guilty of this one; fast fashion. It is so fun to just keep scrolling through the new clothing collections online, and keep up with the trends in the cheapest way possible. Unfortunately, it is worse for the environment than you think.
The effects of fast fashion are immense: exhaustion of non-renewable sources, such as fossil fuels, emission of greenhouse gases and the use of massive amounts of water and energy. The fashion industry is the second largest consumer in water, requiring approximately 1000 gallons of water for one piece of clothing. In addition dying clothes makes sure that the fashion industry is the second biggest polluter, since leftovers from the process are often dumped into rivers.
Also, the fabric of the clothes is produced to be as cheap as possible. A lot of these cheap textiles are filled with microplastics such as polyester, nylon and acrylic. These products are very hard to biodegrade. Which means that even when they start to biodegrade, they still remain as small molecules that can get into food. This in a large volume is very harmful to humans and animals
Enough on how bad it is, how can we make sure to do better? And what is the best option? Thrifting or buying more expensive brands? A very interesting article is posted on the HUB for you to take a look at!
https://hub.buas.nl/read/why-you-should-buy-less-clothes/
2. Leave the car, get your bike!
If It may have passed your attention, the Netherlands is known as the bike country, so why not show off? Use your bike more and leave your car at home. By this daily outside exercise, you lower your risks in heart diseases and it increases your circulation. Besides, you get your daily dose of vitamin D; of which research shows that shows that over 50% of the Dutch population has a shortage of. You can save up on way too expensive parking fees and gas prizes, and (last but not least) it is good for the environment! A downside unfortunately is that you will have to leave your bed a little bit earlier. But that is just a side effect, right?
3. Reduce, reuse and recycle
Follow the three “R’s”: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Cut down on what you throw away, and be critical on things such as plastic and single use products. You may be surprised at how much waste you can save. Luckily, humanity is making it easier for us to do this better. As you probably already noticed, the EU has drafted a ban on disposable plastics for example. You can also take a look at possibilities for washable products for an even better outcome.
If you are interested, check ecowarehouse.nl for handy products!
https://www.ecowarehouse.eu/nl/
For tips on how to save up on energy use in your house, check out our other article!
Treat the Climate with Kindness – Energy saving tips
https://hub.buas.nl/read/treat-the-climate-with-kindness-energy-saving-tips-part-two-continuation/
