The responsibility to protect the earth is a duty we all have as humans to ensure that we do not harm the planet. This duty comes with certain responsibilities, such as giving back and taking care of the environment.
This idea was first introduced by Kofi Annan, and is now an international norm that was created in 2005.
Climate Change…and our response
No doubt, climate change is an issue that affects all of us in different ways. It’s important for everyone to have a say in the discussion so that we can try and stop this trend before it’s too late.
As the world’s eyes turn to Scotland, the nation that will host the COP26 Conference, where heads of States will come together to discuss the future of climate change. It is the most important meeting for all of us to learn what will happen in the future and how it will affect our lives.
It will be incumbent upon all of us to play our role in helping reach the targets that will be set for each country at the COP26 with business and industry who will play a major role in this as well.
That being said, many companies are already making the switch to renewable energy sources. The future of environmental responsibility is one in which business and sustainability go hand-in-hand.
The decisions that the business makes not only affect the company but also impact their employees, consumers, community, and environment. There are many case studies to show this effect – like when Tim Cook (Apple CEO) convinced his board to start using 100% renewable energy for all of Apple’s global facilities.
Businesses should strive to be environmentally friendly and sustainable for many reasons!
One of the other reasons is the fact that it will make them more competitive in the marketplace. For example, a company can become more attractive to consumers and employees by adopting sustainable practices and policies. Consumers today want to purchase products from organizations that care about their environment and this trend has continued in recent years.
Policies such as recycling, energy-efficient buildings, green purchasing guidelines, company carpools, etc., all work together to create a sustainable organisation.
Much of the pollution that we see in the world today is due to human action…
However, we can take steps to help stop or reduce this pollution. Here are some things that we can do individually and as an enterprise:
1) Reduce, recycle and reuse ~ We can reduce our use of plastic by buying less products packaged in plastic, recycling any plastics we do buy and reusing plastics where possible.
2) Educate ~ We can educate others about the environment and how they can step up to help save it by recycling their waste, using green energy and reducing their energy consumption.
3) Support sustainable practices ~ We should not just focus on what we do individually but also support businesses that are taking action to be sustainable by investing in them or boycotting those that are not.
