We are living an incredible present. The changes that come from all sides are impressive. Cultures are mixing at an unimaginable rate, technology is advancing in strides every year. But unfortunately the planet is also exploited more than ever. Those changes go hand in hand, but if we want to live to see where technologies can take us, we need to take care of the planet and take care of our lives.
Until now we have struggled to make big changes in our lifestyle and social consciousness. Individual changes are what transform the world, because by doing it collectively, things are never the same again. However, it is not about doing our part and forgetting about others. We must think of more than one way to save the world.
Forget plastic straws
This is the trend of people looking to help the planet. Straws are pieces of plastic that have a short life, are used once and take thousands of years to disintegrate. The campaign to end straws is big and it’s working and it’s the perfect example of how the following things, if they got more publicity, would also be prioritized.
These are the straws the world needs
One in nine people lacks drinking water. These people spend their lives sick from the little amount of clean water they consume and many times that is what leads them to the grave at an early age. Today there are (ironically) special straws that can filter up to 99.9% of bacteria and dirt from the water. With your help these straws can reach the poorest places in the world and save lives.
water wheels
There are communities where women and girls are exposed to many dangers just to get water. Sometimes they have to walk for hours to get the vital liquid and carrying buckets full of water for so long poses a great risk to their health and safety. A South African architect has invented a wheel that can hold up to 13 gallons and is easy to transport over even the harshest terrain. Many people can benefit from only one of these wheels and here you can make a difference.
Toxin-free stoves
Again it is the women and girls you can help with this. Much of the world continues to use rudimentary cookstoves that cause more than four million premature deaths each year. That’s why the African Clean Energy company invented easy-to-use solar-panel stoves that use 70% less toxic fuel and reduce toxic emissions by up to 95%. Contribute to this cause here.
Less expensive towels
Those who are lucky enough to live in the city know that perhaps menstrual cups are the best thing to use, but there are people in countries that are too poor to even have access to regular sanitary pads. In countries like Rwanda, 18% of women miss about 35 days of school a year due to lack of towels, some even risking infection or the possibility of becoming sterile by using dirty rags or even mud. A Harvard doctor helps these women with towels made from the fibers of banana trees that cost just four cents a piece. Here you can help.
Humanity needs many actions to be saved. We cannot think only of ourselves, that is why we must save the environment, but neither can we forget those who need it most. These actions are important, but we must also remember that reforms in our governments are essential to ending violence, injustice, poverty and hunger around the world.