Environmental Awareness

Environmental Awareness

Toiletries

What can we do?

• reusable water bottles
• keep cups!
• tote bags
• refuse
• toiletries!
• try and recycle what you can

Before I begin...

Why is plastic bad?

Why is this particularly bad on project?

What can we do?

Cost:

Per person

India: £7.02

Kenya: £7.04

Tanzania: £7.67

Nepal: £7.12

Malawi: £8.15

Carbon Imprint of our flights this year:

Adapting your diet

Nepal = 8 flights = 9.16

Kenya = 8 flights = 9.38

Tanz = 8 flights = 9.67

Malawi = 8 flights = 10.86

India = 6 flights = 7.02

What can we do?

What can you do?

TOTAL = 46.08

• these are recommendations
• it's my job to make you aware of all of the environmental impacts of your project
• and to make you aware of the way that you can reduce those impacts!
• however - you don't have to take my suggestions!

• try and limit your use (showers, etc)
• try and reuse what you can

• carbon offset flights
• be mindful of your energy consumption

Why is this a problem?

In places where water is scarce, using too much water can limit the use of it for other communities

In places where water is not scarce (comes out of tap), using too much water can take freshwater away from species that need it.

It also takes a lot of energy, time, and resources to extract, purify, and pump the water to your home to use

plastic waste

water waste

carbon footprint

Environmental concerns on project

construction site pollution

energy use

What can you do?

unsustainable building materials

What can you do?

• be wary of water sources nearby, try not to pollute them
• reuse what you can
• talk to your host about responsible waste disposal
• ... but really, there's not always a lot we can do about this

• switch off lights when you don't need them
• switch to energy saving light bulbs
• switch off your electronics and plugs
• try and limit use of air-con

food waste

What can you do?

• try not to take more than you will eat
• give any other food away that you can't eat

1. EGP recognises that social and economic development should not take place at the expense of the environment.

2. EGP must acknowledge that some projects have detrimental environmental impacts.

3. Recognising that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are produced in large quantities from the long haul flights that volunteers must use to travel to project, EGP will inform volunteers of the option to "carbon compensate" their flights as a method of reducing the effect of these CO2 emissions.

4. Volunteers will attend a training session on the environmental impacts of their projects and time should be allocated to inform volunteers of how negative environmental effects can be reduced to a minimum.

5. EGP will actively encourage volunteers to act in an environmentally responsible manner whilst on project and will be provided with a list of suggestions on how to reduce the negative impacts to the environment that their projects may bring.

Can development be sustainable without considering the environment?

Ecosystem loss

6. The Edinburgh Links Officer should make a concerted effort to facilitate environmental volunteering opportunities during the year leading up to the project.

Pollution

Biodiversity loss

8. On return from their projects, EGP volunteer groups will be required to report on Feedback Day regarding the environmental effects of their projects, and discuss how they attempted to reduce them. This feedback should be used to govern further EGP policy concerning the environment.

7. As the environmental impact of private transport and building materials on EGP projects are difficult to remedy, EGP must commit itself to focusing on various behaviour changes that can reduce the environmental impact of projects; e.g. walking wherever possible and limiting litter through the purchasing of unpackaged food.

Food Insecurity

Energy Demands

Ozone Depletion

Poor land Management

7 out of 17 of the sustainable development goals are environmental

Unsustainable Consumption

Water scarcity

Climate Change