Zero Emission Day is today 🌱 Sept 21

Back in 2008, Canada decided to establish September 21st as Zero Emissions Day. The goal of this day is to allow our planet to breath a little greener during 24 hours. Today we are hopefully taking a break from fossil fuels and raising awareness about the consequences of carbon emissions. 

What are fossil fuels exactly? How are they linked to carbon emissions?

Fossil fuels are made of decomposing carbon-based organisms, such as plants and animals, that have died millions of years ago. 

You would think it is pretty natural and therefore not necessarily harmful for the planet. However, these fuels contain carbon dioxide and hydrogen that are released into our atmosphere once burned. Unfortunately, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has reported that in 2018, that 89% of global CO2 emissions came from fossil fuels which ranks as the dominant cause of global warming. 

To give you a better idea of what this represents - three types of fossil fuels exists: coal, oil and gas. 80% of the world’s energy is currently supplied by this non-renewable fossil fuels. 

That is why it is important to communicate about Zero Emissions Day, on September 21st. We need to bring awareness to this topic as much as possible. We need to make people feel more concerned by explaining the issue clearly and simply. We believe in education over making people terrorized by the consequences of this problem. We believe in suggesting solutions instead of stating all the facts that can create anxiety and stress. 

So here we go!

A positive about this situation is that many many many scientists around the world are trying to find alternatives to fossil fuels because they are aware of this problem. 

One solution would be to switch your house to be energy sufficient, protest fossil fuel infrastructures where you live, or also become vegan. But we would like to also suggest some more simple daily solutions that we hadn’t thought of before researching this topic: 

1. Switch to LED light bulbs - these decrease energy consumption compared to traditional incandescent bulbs and last longer 
2. Take public transportation or biker or walk - gasoline requires fossil fuels to be burned to be made. Public transportation reduces the number of cars on the road and therefore the amount of CO2 emissions. 
3. Drink more water to avoid having headaches - aspirins are made with oil product.
4. Use natural essential oils instead of perfumes - essential oils are made from plants unlike perfumes that are usually made of petrochemicals.
5. Wear glasses over contacts - Contacts and eye glasses both require fossil fuels to be made. However, glasses are most likely to last longer!

Here are also some broader tips:

1. Support local food systems - today’s global wasteful and destructive food system represents 1/3 of fossil fuel emissions. Buying locally and seasonal produce can already help reduce these!
2. Avoid single use products - by avoiding paper or plastic single use items, we can reduce the demand of the production process using fossil fuel. 

Hopefully one of these tips have inspired you to be more mindful of your fossil fuel usage today and maybe even tomorrow 🌸

Sources:

https://blog.arcadia.com/top-20-ways-can-reduce-reliance-fossil-fuels/

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/how-to-cut-fossil-fuels-from-your-life/

https://www.clientearth.org/latest/latest-updates/stories/fossil-fuels-and-climate-change-the-facts/

https://www.energy.gov/science-innovation/energy-sources/fossil

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/fossil-fuels/

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/how-to-cut-fossil-fuels-from-your-life/