In 2017, a study conducted by the World Economic Forum (WEF) found that women have only 68 percent of the rights, opportunities and access to resources enjoyed by the world’s men. Those differences and the speed of progress in reducing them, vary from country to country. But according to the WEF resRead more
In 2017, a study conducted by the World Economic Forum (WEF) found that women have only 68 percent of the rights, opportunities and access to resources enjoyed by the world’s men. Those differences and the speed of progress in reducing them, vary from country to country. But according to the WEF researchers, at our current pace, it will take 100 years to eradicate gender disparities.S
HARE HOUSEHOLD CHORES AND CHILDCARE EQUALLY
Household chores and children’s care are every adult’s responsibility. Ask yourself if there is an equal division of labor in your home. The work of caring for children is still done mainly by women in much of the world. According to studies, the overload of household chores can increase women’s chances of mental illnesses, besides depressing their productivity at work, consequently affecting their salaries.
WATCH FOR SIGNS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Get some help and support if you know a friend or acquaintance is suffering from domestic violence or other abuse. This type of violence is not restricted to physical aggression. Verbal attacks and psychological abuse also affect women. Often, all these things occur together. If you experience domestic violence, be aware that you are not alone. Report it!
REJECT CHAUVINIST AND RACIST ATTITUDES
Do not make comments that ridicule, demean or humiliate women, black people, indigenous people, members of the LGBTQI community or any other historically marginalized groups. And don’t keep quiet if you hear such comments. Talk to your colleagues, friends and family frankly and tell them to stop with the chauvinist, racist, homophobic and transphobic insults.
HIRE DIVERSITY
Value, stimulate and hire diverse teams. A study by the Boston Consulting Group and involving 1,700 companies from eight countries showed that the more diverse the workforce, the better the company’s performance on measures related to innovation. Even small changes yielded results. The survey indicated that an increase of only 2.5 percent of women in a team of managers can increase innovation revenues by 1 percent.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND RACISM: ZERO TOLERANCE
Employees must have a safe channel to report bullying, sexual harassment and racism without being exposed or dismissed. Proven cases should be punished.
Toilets: Don’t Use the Toilet as an Ashtray or Wastebasket. Every time you flush a cigarette butt, facial tissue, or other small bit of trash, you’re wasting gallons of water. Put them in the garbage, or better yet, recycle. Put Plastic Bottles or a Float Booster in Your Toilet Tank: To cut down onRead more
Toilets:
Don’t Use the Toilet as an Ashtray or Wastebasket. Every time you flush a cigarette butt, facial tissue, or other small bit of trash, you’re wasting gallons of water. Put them in the garbage, or better yet, recycle.
Put Plastic Bottles or a Float Booster in Your Toilet Tank: To cut down on water waste, put an inch or two of sand or pebbles inside each of two plastic bottles. Fill the bottles with water, screw the lids on, and put them in your toilet tank, safely away from the operating mechanisms. Or, buy an inexpensive tank bank or float booster. This may save ten or more gallons of water per day.
Buy an Adjustable Toilet Flapper: Installing an adjustable toilet flapper will allow for adjustment of each per flush use; the user can adjust the flush rate to the minimum per flush setting that achieves a single good flush each time.
Install Composting Toilets
Install Low or Dual Flush Models
Shower:
Install Water-Saving Showerheads, Shower Timers, and Low-Flow Faucet Aerators Inexpensive water-saving low-flow showerheads or restrictors are easy for the homeowner to install. Long showers can use five to ten gallons every unneeded minute.
Take Shorter Showers. One way to cut down on water use is to turn off the shower after soaping up, then turn it back on to rinse. A four-minute shower uses approximately 20 to 40 gallons of water.
Leaks:
Check Faucets and Pipes for Leaks
Use Your Water Meter to Check for Hidden Water Leaks. Read the house water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak.
Laundry:
Use a clothes Washer for Only Full Loads. With clothes washers, avoid the permanent press cycle, which uses an added 5 gallons (20 liters) for the extra rinse.
Consider a High Efficiency Washing Machine. The most efficient washing machines use as little as seven gallons per load, compared to a whopping 54 for a traditional washer.
To break the cycle of poverty and ensure food security for villagers, Joséphine Nakakande and NGO Eco-Agric Uganda developed a simple yet innovative idea: use small spaces and locally available materials to create low-cost sustainable vegetable gardens. At least 20 % of women in southwest Uganda livRead more
To break the cycle of poverty and ensure food security for villagers, Joséphine Nakakande and NGO Eco-Agric Uganda developed a simple yet innovative idea: use small spaces and locally available materials to create low-cost sustainable vegetable gardens. At least 20 % of women in southwest Uganda live in extreme poverty. Agricultural practices are rudimentary with often negative impacts on crop productivity, the soil and human health. Having identified the challenges during a Participatory Rural Appraisal in 2018, NGO Eco-Agric Uganda launched a training programme to promote sustainable vegetable growing, particularly mushrooms, to improve subsistence for these communities and generate revenues. This will make it easier and faster for vulnerable populations in Uganda and across Africa to grow vegetables using low-cost materials available locally. In turn, this will improve the economic situation and nutrition of these fragile rural families, while increasing fresh vegetable supply for a growing market in Uganda and further afield. At the same time, the project supports environmental conservation by reducing negative environmental impacts. Sustainable vegetable gardens will promote sustainable agriculture and reduce food transportation costs and water runoff. The fruit trees planted will clean the air and water, create shade for birds and humans, enrich the soil and provide food.
CloudFisher is an innovation that convert’s fog into drinking water. Despite initial skepticism, fog water has proven an efficient way to provide rural communities – who previously travelled miles every day to collect water. Created by Aqualonis, CloudFisher could allow people living in coastal orRead more
CloudFisher is an innovation that convert’s fog into drinking water. Despite initial skepticism, fog water has proven an efficient way to provide rural communities – who previously travelled miles every day to collect water.
Created by Aqualonis, CloudFisher could allow people living in coastal or mountainous areas to convert fog into safe drinking water. This water can also be used to irrigate crops or for forestry efforts
It’s made from a 3D mesh that can withstand high wind speeds, while still retaining water. It comes in a variety of sizes to suit individual needs or the needs of an entire village. The green innovation example is already being used to help people around the world.
TexFad, a Ugandan company, is turning this waste banana pseudo stems and other waste materials into high-quality, sustainable textile products. The startup, founded by Kimani Muturi, extracts the fiber from parts of the banana tree’s trunks that can be used to produce environmentally friendly producRead more
TexFad, a Ugandan company, is turning this waste banana pseudo stems and other waste materials into high-quality, sustainable textile products. The startup, founded by Kimani Muturi, extracts the fiber from parts of the banana tree’s trunks that can be used to produce environmentally friendly products such as textiles, carpets, biodegradable hair extensions.
The banana tree trunks are first split in half with machetes and fed into a cutting machine. The machine then transforms these trunks into long, leathery fibers that are hung on lines to dry before being processed and used to make high-quality eco-friendly products.
TexFad isn’t the only company to use banana waste to develop eco-friendly products. Researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia, have developed a novel method to turn banana plantation waste into biodegradable and recyclable packaging material.
Water hyacinth, scientifically known as Eicchronia carssipes, is a weed from the Amazon basin in South America. The plant species has become a nuisance in water bodies, the fast-growing plant is invasive and negatively impacts the aquatic flora and fauna, thus the environment at large. However, toRead more
Water hyacinth, scientifically known as Eicchronia carssipes, is a weed from the Amazon basin in South America. The plant species has become a nuisance in water bodies, the fast-growing plant is invasive and negatively impacts the aquatic flora and fauna, thus the environment at large.
However, to solve the issues of the water hyacinth, a group of young women in Assam have converted the organic waste into an opportunity by turning them into environment-friendly, biodegradable yoga mats. Since February 2021, six women have been working to make it a source of livelihood and revive the lake to its old glory.
Their experiments, while exploring multiple options, is what led them to make yoga mats. The mats are made by removing the water hyacinth from the water body and sun-drying them. About 12 kilos of water hyacinth shrink to 2-3 kilos. Once they are dried, their stems are used to weave between cotton threads to make these mats.
Since October 2018, the enterprise is supporting the women in the region through initiatives like creating fiber out of water hyacinth further recycling the invasive aquatic plant.
A company of Singtex industries discovers the way to use the coffee ground into wearable textile-like yarn which can further be converted into fabric. Coffee is one of the world's most popular drinks, as a result of this most of the coffee ground is discarded into the environment as waste but SingteRead more
A company of Singtex industries discovers the way to use the coffee ground into wearable textile-like yarn which can further be converted into fabric. Coffee is one of the world’s most popular drinks, as a result of this most of the coffee ground is discarded into the environment as waste but Singtex is now collecting the waste grounds from the drinks giant turns into sportswear.
Singtex successfully invented the S.Cafe eco-friendly coffee yarn in 2008, which was made from plastic bottles and coffee grounds. This green, high-tech yarn is environmentally friendly, deodorising, and fast-drying, UV-resistant and has many different applications.
S.cafe is technical composite fibre mainly manufactured from coffee grounds. Process of making fabric out of coffee grounds is just similar to that used to bamboo into viscose like material.
The manufacturing process of coffee fibre involves the use of chemicals which are non-toxic in nature, hence they do not create harm to the environment.
The manufacturing of a new product does not require high temperature for carbonization, so its manufacturing process is more efficient. More important point is that the process does not use hazardous chemicals as well.
S.cafe fibre comes under the environmentally friendly textile as the fibres are 100 percent biodegradable and do not create an impact on the environment as well.
Gender equality is a human right, but our world faces a persistent gap in access to opportunities and decision-making power for women and men. How can we change this and promote gender equality in daily life?
In 2017, a study conducted by the World Economic Forum (WEF) found that women have only 68 percent of the rights, opportunities and access to resources enjoyed by the world’s men. Those differences and the speed of progress in reducing them, vary from country to country. But according to the WEF resRead more
In 2017, a study conducted by the World Economic Forum (WEF) found that women have only 68 percent of the rights, opportunities and access to resources enjoyed by the world’s men. Those differences and the speed of progress in reducing them, vary from country to country. But according to the WEF researchers, at our current pace, it will take 100 years to eradicate gender disparities.S
Household chores and children’s care are every adult’s responsibility. Ask yourself if there is an equal division of labor in your home. The work of caring for children is still done mainly by women in much of the world. According to studies, the overload of household chores can increase women’s chances of mental illnesses, besides depressing their productivity at work, consequently affecting their salaries.
Get some help and support if you know a friend or acquaintance is suffering from domestic violence or other abuse. This type of violence is not restricted to physical aggression. Verbal attacks and psychological abuse also affect women. Often, all these things occur together. If you experience domestic violence, be aware that you are not alone. Report it!
Do not make comments that ridicule, demean or humiliate women, black people, indigenous people, members of the LGBTQI community or any other historically marginalized groups. And don’t keep quiet if you hear such comments. Talk to your colleagues, friends and family frankly and tell them to stop with the chauvinist, racist, homophobic and transphobic insults.
Value, stimulate and hire diverse teams. A study by the Boston Consulting Group and involving 1,700 companies from eight countries showed that the more diverse the workforce, the better the company’s performance on measures related to innovation. Even small changes yielded results. The survey indicated that an increase of only 2.5 percent of women in a team of managers can increase innovation revenues by 1 percent.
Employees must have a safe channel to report bullying, sexual harassment and racism without being exposed or dismissed. Proven cases should be punished.
See lessWater resources are finite, and they are getting smaller every year. How can we save water in the most effective ways at home?
Toilets: Don’t Use the Toilet as an Ashtray or Wastebasket. Every time you flush a cigarette butt, facial tissue, or other small bit of trash, you’re wasting gallons of water. Put them in the garbage, or better yet, recycle. Put Plastic Bottles or a Float Booster in Your Toilet Tank: To cut down onRead more
Toilets:
Don’t Use the Toilet as an Ashtray or Wastebasket. Every time you flush a cigarette butt, facial tissue, or other small bit of trash, you’re wasting gallons of water. Put them in the garbage, or better yet, recycle.
Put Plastic Bottles or a Float Booster in Your Toilet Tank: To cut down on water waste, put an inch or two of sand or pebbles inside each of two plastic bottles. Fill the bottles with water, screw the lids on, and put them in your toilet tank, safely away from the operating mechanisms. Or, buy an inexpensive tank bank or float booster. This may save ten or more gallons of water per day.
Buy an Adjustable Toilet Flapper: Installing an adjustable toilet flapper will allow for adjustment of each per flush use; the user can adjust the flush rate to the minimum per flush setting that achieves a single good flush each time.
Install Composting Toilets
Install Low or Dual Flush Models
Shower:
Install Water-Saving Showerheads, Shower Timers, and Low-Flow Faucet Aerators Inexpensive water-saving low-flow showerheads or restrictors are easy for the homeowner to install. Long showers can use five to ten gallons every unneeded minute.
Take Shorter Showers. One way to cut down on water use is to turn off the shower after soaping up, then turn it back on to rinse. A four-minute shower uses approximately 20 to 40 gallons of water.
Leaks:
Check Faucets and Pipes for Leaks
Use Your Water Meter to Check for Hidden Water Leaks. Read the house water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak.
Laundry:
-
-
See lessUse a clothes Washer for Only Full Loads. With clothes washers, avoid the permanent press cycle, which uses an added 5 gallons (20 liters) for the extra rinse.
Consider a High Efficiency Washing Machine. The most efficient washing machines use as little as seven gallons per load, compared to a whopping 54 for a traditional washer.
How can we break the cycle of poverty and ensure food security for villagers?
To break the cycle of poverty and ensure food security for villagers, Joséphine Nakakande and NGO Eco-Agric Uganda developed a simple yet innovative idea: use small spaces and locally available materials to create low-cost sustainable vegetable gardens. At least 20 % of women in southwest Uganda livRead more
To break the cycle of poverty and ensure food security for villagers, Joséphine Nakakande and NGO Eco-Agric Uganda developed a simple yet innovative idea: use small spaces and locally available materials to create low-cost sustainable vegetable gardens. At least 20 % of women in southwest Uganda live in extreme poverty. Agricultural practices are rudimentary with often negative impacts on crop productivity, the soil and human health. Having identified the challenges during a Participatory Rural Appraisal in 2018, NGO Eco-Agric Uganda launched a training programme to promote sustainable vegetable growing, particularly mushrooms, to improve subsistence for these communities and generate revenues. This will make it easier and faster for vulnerable populations in Uganda and across Africa to grow vegetables using low-cost materials available locally. In turn, this will improve the economic situation and nutrition of these fragile rural families, while increasing fresh vegetable supply for a growing market in Uganda and further afield. At the same time, the project supports environmental conservation by reducing negative environmental impacts. Sustainable vegetable gardens will promote sustainable agriculture and reduce food transportation costs and water runoff. The fruit trees planted will clean the air and water, create shade for birds and humans, enrich the soil and provide food.
See lessMany places in the world without access to safe drinking water experience foggy weather. How can we provide them with high-quality drinking water, as well as water for agriculture and forestry?
CloudFisher is an innovation that convert’s fog into drinking water. Despite initial skepticism, fog water has proven an efficient way to provide rural communities – who previously travelled miles every day to collect water. Created by Aqualonis, CloudFisher could allow people living in coastal orRead more
CloudFisher is an innovation that convert’s fog into drinking water. Despite initial skepticism, fog water has proven an efficient way to provide rural communities – who previously travelled miles every day to collect water.
Created by Aqualonis, CloudFisher could allow people living in coastal or mountainous areas to convert fog into safe drinking water. This water can also be used to irrigate crops or for forestry efforts
It’s made from a 3D mesh that can withstand high wind speeds, while still retaining water. It comes in a variety of sizes to suit individual needs or the needs of an entire village. The green innovation example is already being used to help people around the world.
See lessBesides fruit, banana plants also produce giant stems. These stems wind up making up a huge portion of the billion tons of waste agriculture produces each year. How can we turn Banana stems into something useful?
TexFad, a Ugandan company, is turning this waste banana pseudo stems and other waste materials into high-quality, sustainable textile products. The startup, founded by Kimani Muturi, extracts the fiber from parts of the banana tree’s trunks that can be used to produce environmentally friendly producRead more
TexFad, a Ugandan company, is turning this waste banana pseudo stems and other waste materials into high-quality, sustainable textile products. The startup, founded by Kimani Muturi, extracts the fiber from parts of the banana tree’s trunks that can be used to produce environmentally friendly products such as textiles, carpets, biodegradable hair extensions.
The banana tree trunks are first split in half with machetes and fed into a cutting machine. The machine then transforms these trunks into long, leathery fibers that are hung on lines to dry before being processed and used to make high-quality eco-friendly products.
TexFad isn’t the only company to use banana waste to develop eco-friendly products. Researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia, have developed a novel method to turn banana plantation waste into biodegradable and recyclable packaging material.
https://youtu.be/Ust6Bh1D3GY
See lessWater hyacinth and water moss have been choking many water bodies in the country, causing serious ecological and economic problems. How can we solve the issues of the water hyacinth?
Water hyacinth, scientifically known as Eicchronia carssipes, is a weed from the Amazon basin in South America. The plant species has become a nuisance in water bodies, the fast-growing plant is invasive and negatively impacts the aquatic flora and fauna, thus the environment at large. However, toRead more
Water hyacinth, scientifically known as Eicchronia carssipes, is a weed from the Amazon basin in South America. The plant species has become a nuisance in water bodies, the fast-growing plant is invasive and negatively impacts the aquatic flora and fauna, thus the environment at large.
However, to solve the issues of the water hyacinth, a group of young women in Assam have converted the organic waste into an opportunity by turning them into environment-friendly, biodegradable yoga mats. Since February 2021, six women have been working to make it a source of livelihood and revive the lake to its old glory.
Their experiments, while exploring multiple options, is what led them to make yoga mats. The mats are made by removing the water hyacinth from the water body and sun-drying them. About 12 kilos of water hyacinth shrink to 2-3 kilos. Once they are dried, their stems are used to weave between cotton threads to make these mats.
Since October 2018, the enterprise is supporting the women in the region through initiatives like creating fiber out of water hyacinth further recycling the invasive aquatic plant.
See lessCoffee grounds are an unavoidable byproduct of coffee consumption which have a significant impact on the environment after ending in landfill. How can coffee grounds be reused further contributing towards a circular economy?
A company of Singtex industries discovers the way to use the coffee ground into wearable textile-like yarn which can further be converted into fabric. Coffee is one of the world's most popular drinks, as a result of this most of the coffee ground is discarded into the environment as waste but SingteRead more
A company of Singtex industries discovers the way to use the coffee ground into wearable textile-like yarn which can further be converted into fabric. Coffee is one of the world’s most popular drinks, as a result of this most of the coffee ground is discarded into the environment as waste but Singtex is now collecting the waste grounds from the drinks giant turns into sportswear.
Singtex successfully invented the S.Cafe eco-friendly coffee yarn in 2008, which was made from plastic bottles and coffee grounds. This green, high-tech yarn is environmentally friendly, deodorising, and fast-drying, UV-resistant and has many different applications.
S.cafe is technical composite fibre mainly manufactured from coffee grounds. Process of making fabric out of coffee grounds is just similar to that used to bamboo into viscose like material.
The manufacturing process of coffee fibre involves the use of chemicals which are non-toxic in nature, hence they do not create harm to the environment.
The manufacturing of a new product does not require high temperature for carbonization, so its manufacturing process is more efficient. More important point is that the process does not use hazardous chemicals as well.
S.cafe fibre comes under the environmentally friendly textile as the fibres are 100 percent biodegradable and do not create an impact on the environment as well.
See less