Earth Day: 12x tips to invest in our planet
Today, April 22, is Earth Day. A good moment to reflect on ourselves! Our landscape architect Mary wrote tips for municipalities, sport clubs, project developers, and individuals on how we can invest in our planet.
Earth Day promotes international awareness of environmental awareness, protection, and earth conservation. This year marks the 52nd anniversary, the first official Earth Day occuring in 1970. It became globally recognized in 1990 and is now recoginzed by about one billion people - making Earth Day the largest secular observance in the world.
The official theme for Earth Day 2022 is Invest in Our Planet. It is focused on accelerating solutions to combat Mother Earth's biggest threat, climate change. This year's theme is meant to activate and motivate governments, citizens, and businesses to invest in our planet and recognize our collective responsibility. It is time to help accelerate action in protecting our planet. But how?
Invest in Our Planet tips
3x tips for municipalities
Embrace Green Transportation
Municipalities can encourage public transportation such as trains, buses, or trams through subsidized tickets or even free journeys.
Encouraging cycling (even more) by providing cycling infrastructure, city bikes (both traiditonal and e-bikes), more bike-sharing schemes
Adapt to electric by building charging infrastructure in city centers and neighborhoods. Reserve parking spaces for electric vehicles
Encourage walking by making it safer through infrastructure and crossing technology that provides longer green lights for pedestrians. City centers should be focused on pedestrians rather than cars to improve public health and safety.
2. Provide access to Green Spaces and Public Resources
More green spaces like parks, nature reserves and recreational areas can improve urban mobility, support biodiversity and benefit the mental health of the community, all while giving back to the earth through green and nature-based land use.
Take some of the environmental responsibility off of the indiviudal by providing public resources that make it easy to choose eco-friendly habits. Provide reusable bags, proper waste and recyling areas, more environmental public education (ie. informative signs in parks). Support urban farming so that community members can eat locally.
3. Invest in Nature-Based technology
Nature-based solutions integrate "smart" technologies and have a low impact on the environment and existing ecosystems.
Mitigate the urban heat island effect through green roofs (can also be used as a collection point of rainwater!)
Implementing nature-based rainwater harvesting technology, such as BlueBloqs will help preserve freshwater and help mitigate urban flooding.
Nature-based solutions conserve or restore nature to support our built infrastructure tend to produce more resilience and lower-cost services in cities.
© Interreg Europe
Remember:
Cities are major contributors to climate change, but their municipalities can help them become catalysts for climate action. Cities provide opportunities such as green buildings, reliable supplies of clean water and renewable energy, as well as green transporation systems that connect urban and rural areas to create a more inclusive and greener society. Want to know more about how you, as a municipality, can make a difference through nature-based solutions in your city today? See our circular water systems in action here. FieldFactors makes it easy for you to invest in our planet today.
3x Tips for Sports Clubs and Sport stadiums
1. Preserve water and create a reliable source for irrigation
Reduce water depletion by implementing green initiatives such as BlueBloqs for rainwater collection, purifying, and reuse for irrigation of fields.
Reduce water consumption (be conscious of irrigation times and relate it to upcoming weather patterns)
2. Reduce your energy use
Alternative energy sources that decrease energy use (solar and wind to power stadiums)
Minimal energy consumption
Alternative lighting systems, such as natural light permeal roofs or LED lights for fields
3. Become a pioneer in the (sports) field of sustainability
Invest in green solutions and water-saving technologies, such as BlueBloqs
Promote reusable or recyclable materials during your sports events (ie. compostable cups, organic materials for sports clothing or merch)
Remember:
Sports affect climate change and are deeply affected by this crisis. But, sports clubs and stadiums are in a positive position to be apart of the solution. Sports have a broad social platform that make them a strategic tool in influencing people's attitudes, as it extends to almost all geographical areas and social backgrounds. Sports can play a huge roll in raising awareness and education billions of individuals about the environment, all while keeping their fields green and climate resileint. Investing in our planet can be beneficial for you too! Adopt a nature-based technology and create a reliable resource for irrigation with rain. See how our solutions can help Sport clubs.
3x Tips for project developers | landscape architects | urban designers
1. Design Blue-Green infrastructure
Use water (blue) and nature, plazas, and parks (green) to protect against flooding and mitigate other climate challenges
Replace grey infrastructure such as large storm drains or hardscape flood walls with BGI (ie. constructed wetlands, BlueBloqs, etc.)
Increase urban resilience to climate change by reducing heatstress and increasing biodiversity with blue and green integration
2. Utilise your project site's existing resources
Design your project area with focus on existing natural elements (ie. native planting)
Use spatial design to develop areas that cultivate for natural resource reuse (ie. sloped spaces to collect rainwater or roofs to create a cascading effect for rainwater to fall onto)
Design with the sun position to create energy efficient buildings and spaces for cooling
3. Integrate green technologies in your spatial design
Integrate technologies that reduce energy such as solar panels on roofs or facades
Use nature-based solutions such as BlueBloqs, within your spatial design to optimize the landscape design so that it as an added function such as rainwater purification
Remember:
Landscape architects and urban designers have the opportunity to shape our public and private spaces. They can do this in a way that benefits the users and the environment. It is time designers and project developers Invest in our Planet, as the investment will save you long-term costs and make users happy. See examples of how BlueBloqs has helped project developers here.
3x tips for individuals
As an individual citizen you are a voter, an observor (or watchdog), and a consumer; your voice and choices has a powerful ripple effect on the ecosystem and the pace of government action.
So what can you do to help protect our mutual home, the Earth?
1. Be a Green-Conscious consumer
Avoid disposable plastics and paper: shop with your reusable bags, use a reusable water bottle, use reusable kitchen towels instead of paper towels or wet wipes or make cleaning rags from old shirts and fabrics.
Eat local: Support local farmers and venues by visiting farmers markets. Check the labels on your food to see where it's coming from! The less "food miles" your food travels, the less carbon emissions it creates. Find non-profit organisations that make it easy for you to shop locally and sustainably. For example, in Den Haag there is Lekkernassûh or throughout the Netherlands, you can find local food from this link.
Buy Green products: Look for eco-friendly products that are reusable, second-hand, sustainably sources, or made of recycled materials.
Shop clothes responsibily (buy second-hand): Shop quality over quantity, choose natural materials, buy 100% recycled fabrics, research brands that are ethical and practice transparency in their eco-choices. Avoid shopping from fast fashion brands or online and support brands that are created locally. Buy second-hand clothing.
Learn to mend: Repairing your clothes can be fun and make your style unique! The longer clothes are kept, the lower their emissions footprint.
Don't buy: Be conscious of the items you purchase, and ask yourself if you really need a new clothing item this month or can you go without?
2. Be water, heat, and electricity smart at home!
Take shorter showers and fix leaking fixtures in your faucets. If you can shower within 5 minutes, you've already done a lot for conserving freshwater! Save rainwater! Collect runoff from your roof in a rain barrel and use it to water your garden when there is no rain.
Regulate your home's temperature with a programmable thermostat. Lower your temparature at betime and turn it off when no one is home. Use fans to circulate air, instead of AirCo. Consider eco-friendly home insulation such as sheep's wool, a hypoallergenic, non-toxic, and eco-friendly insulation option.
Turn off household electronics when no one's using them. Use power strips to effectively unplug devices overnight. Replace all incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs (don't throw away your old light bulbs! Get crafty with them).
3. Use eco-friendly transporation!
Ride your bike to work or the store! If you're in the Netherlands, Dutch infrastructure has made it easy for you.
Take into account a longer transporation time by walking. It's good for your health and you'll spend more time appreciating the nature around you by slowing down and taking in your surroundings.
Consider trains or buses for international travel. Try your best to avoid traveling by airplane, as it contributes heavily to your personal carbon footprint! Calculate yours here.
Remember:
Don't forget your voice and choices matter as an individual. Vote for environmentally ethical laws and leaders. Have conversations with your friends and reevaluate your daily habits. How will you invest in our planet this Earth Day?