UCLouvain / Behavioural Ecology
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As part of my thesis, I study the impacts of global warming on a tropical butterfly species. The effects of this warming could potentially lead to the extinction of this species, which is, however generalist and widespread in southern Africa. These observations and my readings have made me aware of the idea of taking action on my own scale to try to limit my impacts on biodiversity and climate.
My daily motivation is to consume less and this is, according to me, a key point that policymakers should take into account. I ended compulsive purchases. I now prefer homemade and second-hand products. Almost all my furniture has already known different owners. I no longer buy ready-made meals, by example, I make my own marmalade and breakfast cereals and I would like to make my own toothpaste. For cleaning, I often use white vinegar. I have also chosen to reduce my meat consumption and avoid plastic packaging as much as possible. But if I have no choice, I still try to find a new use for them. I would also like to recycle my old trousers to make bags, pillow cases and even a new dress out of them.
Last year with my boyfriend, we started creating a small vegetable garden by rehabilitating a strip of land along the parking lot close to my house. For some people, this space was just a giant ashtray. We first cleaned up the ground by replacing the hundreds of cigarette butts with fresh soil and we sowed mix of native wildflowers seeds for pollinators. It was not much, just a few square meters, but enough for a passer-by to thank us for adding a little more greenery in the neighborhood.
Reducing our ecological footprint requires organization and a deep change in our habits, but it is not impossible and we try every day to add a little more ecological thinking to our daily actions.
Originally posted 2019-02-24 21:32:35.