Sensibilisierungsarbeit

Have you ever calculated your own ecological footprint? If so, you will have been shocked to learn that we Swiss live on such a large footprint that we consume an average of 2.8 planets per year. This has drastic global consequences in terms of resource consumption and climate change, with people in poverty-stricken countries suffering the most from these effects.

As a geographer, I am actually very sensitive to the issue of sustainable lifestyles. That's why I try to make decisions that are as climate-friendly as possible in my everyday life. Nevertheless, according to the WWF Footprint Calculator (https://www.wwf.ch/de/nachhaltig-leben/footprintrechner), I have an ecological footprint of 2.95 planets. What went wrong there?

In the area of mobility, we Swiss produce the greatest greenhouse gas emissions in our private lives. This is also the case for me: although I don't have a car and mainly travel by bicycle and public transport, my air travel destroys my entire personal ecological footprint. If I reduced my air travel to less than 2 hours per year, I could halve my ecological footprint. However, since my job requires 1-2 plane trips per year, I don't have much leeway here, apart from CO2 offsets.

In the area of consumption (non-food), the second highest emissions occur in Switzerland. This includes spending on leisure time, holidays, furniture, household appliances, consumer electronics, pets, etc. Although I am below the Swiss average in this area, I consume significantly more emissions than the global average. In my case, it is my cat Jabari who causes 1,300 kilometres worth of greenhouse gases per year. This negates my efforts to buy as much second-hand furniture as possible at the Brocki or Tutti.

In the area of housing and energy, where the third most emissions occur in Switzerland, my carbon footprint looks quite OK since I moved with my partner into a rented flat with a geothermal probe. My ecological footprint in this area is even below the global average. However, the two of us take up a relatively large amount of living space and could easily get a roommate into the house.

In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, the area of food is the least important in the private lives of the Swiss population. As a vegetarian with vegan phases, I do well here: I am below the Swiss and global average. I also consume almost only locally produced, seasonal vegetables through my involvement in the vegetable cooperative "PuraVerdura".

Here you will find some useful tips from me on how you can reduce your ecological footprint in everyday life in a relatively simple but efficient way:

Mobility: Whether on business trips or holidays: Take the train whenever possible! On www.railtour.ch you can find an overview of the international trains in Europe. At Horyzon, we only travel by train in Europe, no matter if it takes longer or costs more.

Even though the goal should always be to avoid emissions and avoiding air travel is still the best thing for our climate, the option of CO2 offsetting offers us a last resort. (www.myclimate.ch or www.atmosfair.de perform very well in assessments.)

Consumption (non-food):
Fortunately, there are many second-hand clothes shops today, which successfully revise the reputation of rotten, shabby clothes. My favourites are:

• 2nd Peak: 2nd hand outdoor clothing at Freischützgasse 10 in Zurich or in the online shop: www.2ndpeak.ch
• Rework: Vintage upcycled clothes, in many major cities in Switzerland and in the online shop: www.rework.ch
• The NEW NEW: selected second-hand clothes and branded items. In Zurich at Rotbuchstrasse 16: www.thenewnew.ch

Pet food: Green Pet Food and FairCat offer climate-neutral food for cats and dogs. Various online shops offer the brands.

WOW Props upcycles discarded furniture and saves your favourite old furniture from the dump: www.wowprops.ch

Housing and energy: You would like to have solar cells on your roof, but you are a tenant or live in an unfavourable location? No problem, because there are now a variety of public solar systems in which you can invest. At EWZ, for example, you can buy a square metre of a photovoltaic system. You can find more information at https://www.ewz.ch/ewz-solar/de/startseite.html#/

Nutrition/waste:

As a member of a vegetable cooperative, you support local farms and enjoy delicious, fresh and seasonal vegetables that are transported over minimal distances. You can find an overview of vegetable cooperatives in Switzerland at www.solawi.ch.

With a worm compost you can recycle all your organic waste all year round and turn it into high-quality compost. Here you can find instructions on how to easily build a worm compost from an old wooden crate: https://utopia.de/ratgeber/wurmkiste-selber-bauen-einfach-kompostieren/ You can order a starting population of worms at www.wormup.ch.

You can also avoid waste by shopping in zero waste shops. You can find a map with all zero waste shops in Switzerland at www.zerowasteswitzerland.ch.