SUSTAINABILITY FAQ
Where can I learn more on the topic of sustainability?
Here are a few links where you can find information on different topics related to sustainability and climate change:
Here are a few movies and books recommendations:
Books
- This changes everything, Naomi Klein (2014)
- Our House Is on Fire, Greta Thunberg (2019)
- Life on our Planet – My Testimony and Vision of the Future, David Attenborough and Jonnie Hughes (2020)
- The Eco Hero Handbook, Tessa Wardley (2021)
Movies
- Home, Yann Arthus Bertrand (2009)
- Tomorrow, Cyril Dion and Mélanie Laurent (2015)
- Before the Flood, Fisher Stevens (2016)
- Anthropocene: the Human Epoch, Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier and Edward Burtynsky (2018)
- Brave Blue World, Tim Neeves (2019)
- I am Greta, Nathan Grossman (2020)
- Don’t Look Up, Adam McKay (2021)
- Seaspiracy, Ali Tabrizi (2021)
Sustainable development and Agenda 2030
1. When did we start talking about sustainability?
The starting point for the concept of “sustainable development” is the Club of Rome report “Limits of Growth” from 1972.
(Check page 1 of the Guide for more info)
2. What does the motto "Think Globally-Act Locally" mean, and where did it first appear?
This slogan emphasises the close connection between global and local aspects. It first appeared at the UN Earth Summit of Rio de Janeiro in 1992. (Check page 2 of the Guide for more info)
3. What is one of the key sections of Agenda 2030?
The 17 new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets that aim to eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable development by 2030. (Check page 5 of the Guide for more info)
4. What is one of the main characteristics of the 2030 Agenda Objectives?
The three dimensions of development (economic, environmental, and social) are closely interlinked, so that each Goal cannot
be considered independently but must be pursued on the basis of a systemic approach that takes into account their interrelationships. (Check page 7 of the Guide for more info)
5. How can the implementation of the 2030 Agenda be accelerated and how have all sectors of society been called upon to mobilize in the new "Decade of Action"?
Through greater leadership, greater consideration of the transitions needed to support sustainable development in policies, and greater activism of civil society and all stakeholders. (Check page 8 of the Guide for more info)
Ecological and carbon footprint
1. What is Earth Overshoot Day?
Earth Overshoot Day is the day on which the world’s population officially exhausts all available and renewable terrestrial resources for the current year. (Check page 9 of the Guide for more info)
2. What does it mean that Earth Overshoot Day is every year earlier?
Every year Earth Overshoot Day comes earlier because of the steady increase in global consumption.
(Check page 9 of the Guide for more info)
3. What is the ecological footprint?
The ecological footprint is an indicator that measures human beings’ consumption of the natural resources that the Earth produces.
(Check page 10 of the Guide for more info)
4. What is considered in the calculation of the ecological footprint?
It measures how fast we consume resources and generate waste compared to how fast nature can absorb waste and generate new resources. (Check page 10 of the Guide for more info)
5. What are some actions that can reduce your ecological footprint?
Actions as simple as turning off the light when we leave the room, moving around by bike instead of by car, buying seasonal food products, etc. (Check page 12 of the Guide for more info)
SDG 12 - Responsible consumption and production
1. What is SDG 12?
SDG 12 calls for responsible consumption and production, essentially decoupling economic growth from unsustainable resource use and emissions and improving the management of hazardous substances and waste, which is key to sustaining the livelihoods of current and future generations. (Check page 15 of the Guide for more info)
2. What are some responsible consumption habits, and how can you help?
You can adopt a more sustainable lifestyle based on responsible consumption by minimising food loss and waste. Reduce, reuse and recycle! (Check page 16 of the Guide for more info)
3. How should companies respond to SDG 12?
Companies should enable sustainable consumption by developing innovative solutions that can reduce energy needs in usage and educate consumers about these benefits. (Check page 17 of the Guide for more info)
4. What are the consequences of a lifestyle based on overconsumption?
Overconsumption makes ecosystems unable to cope with excessive resource extraction which results in a bigger level in biodiversity loss and the deterioration of the natural world. On the personal level, it can also have psychological effects, such as hoarding, self-esteem issues and depression. (Check page 18 of the Guide for more info)
Climate change
1. What are some possible consequences of global warming?
Global warming could have damaging consequences, such as loss of up to 100% of species in certain areas of the globe, higher mortality rate due to heat and humidity and/or food insecurity, etc. (Check page 23 of the Guide for more info)
2. What are the actual causes of climate change?
Greenhouse gas emissions originating from human activity are the major culprit in the case of climate change.
(Check page 25 of the Guide for more info)
3. What can humans do to limit the future effects of climate change?
Humanity needs a global framework and concrete policies, but we can also find solutions at the local level.
(Check page 27 of the Guide for more info)
4. Will every country be affected in the same way by climate change?
Climate injustice is a genuine concern. The individuals who will suffer the most from the impacts of climate change are also the ones who contribute the least to pollution. (Check page 32 of the Guide for more info)
Overconsumption
1. What is overconsumption?
It is a consumption model based on eternal growth. “The more, the better”.
(Check page 35 of the Guide for more info)
2. How does overconsumption affect the environment?
It is exceeding the carrying capacity and life-supporting systems of the planet and its ecosystems.
(Check page 35 of the Guide for more info)
3. How does the “greenhouse effect” work?
The greenhouse gases absorb the Sun’s heat that emanates from the Earth’s surface and trap it in the atmosphere, thus making it warmer, just like in a greenhouse. (Check page 42 of the Guide for more info)
Zero waste and principle of 5R
1. What is the principle of 5R?
The 5 Rs are Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot. This zero waste approach seeks to maximise recycling, minimise waste, reduce consumption and ensure that products are made to be reused, repaired or recycled back into nature or the marketplace.
(Check page 43 of the Guide for more info)
2. How to recycle properly?
Check pages 47 to 52 of the Guide to learn how to recycle properly.
3. Why does recycling come as the last option?
We actually consume and dispose at a higher rate than we are capable of recycling.
(Check page 52 of the Guide for more info)
4. Why is composting bio waste a good idea?
It is a natural process that recycles organic matter into a valuable fertiliser.
(Check page 53 of the Guide for more info)
5. How to compost properly?
Check pages 53 and 54 of the Guide to learn how to compost properly.
How to live more sustainably?
1. What actions allow us to use water more correctly?
For example: prefering showers to baths, turning off the water when it is not needed, etc.
(Check pages 61 and 62 of the Guide for more tips)
2. What actions allow us to manage waste more correctly?
For example: buy “family-size” packagings or buy food items in bulk.
(Check pages 63 to 65 of the Guide for more tips)
3. What actions allow us to manage energy consumption more correctly?
For example: close the doors to prevent heat losses in the winter, let your clothes dry naturally after washing, etc.
(Check page 66 of the Guide for more tips)
4. What actions allow us to improve our sustainability regarding food consumption?
For example: buy local products, respect seasonality of the products, etc.
(Check pages 67 to 69 of the Guide for more info)
5. What actions allow us to improve air quality?
For example: prefer environmentally friendly means of transportation.
(Check page 69 of the Guide for more info)
The Save&Game project is co-financed by the ERASMUS+ program of the European Union, and will be implemented from January 2023 to January 2024. This website and the project content reflects the views of the authors, and the European Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
(Project code: 2022-3-HR01-KA210-YOU-000097125)