ECOLOGICAL MANIFESTO
Second Edition
A Socio-Ecological Framework to Build Sustainable,
Resilient Communities
|
Author: Vihren
Mitev, PhD (Founder & Director, ManEco Foundation)
Editor: Elischia Fludd, MBA (Founder & Executive Director,
EOTO World)
List of Supporters:
Earth Charter International
Regions of Climate Action (R20)
Raza Rumi and
Erum Yawar (Daily Times,
Pakistan),
Emiliy Rushton (director of Care About Climate),
Balkan Agency for Sustainable Development
(BASD)
Special thanks to:
Dr. Annamaria Lehoczky, Christine Lacayo (Earth Charter), David Mei (AEGEE Wien), Radostina Slavkova (Zazemiata.org),
Bulgarian Young Greens and many more who dedicated time to read and discuss
the manifesto.
Foreword:
The Ecological Manifesto was
written mostly during the months which Vihren spent abroad for two Ph.D.
exchange programs. But his desire for writing such document had already begun.
The first ideas about the Ecological Manifesto were born in his hometown
(Sofia, Bulgaria). However, the work continued when he was staying in a
dormitory for nine months in Amiens, France, while walking along the corridors
of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, shopping in modernized shops with
recycling vending machines in Amsterdam and cycling on his route velo around
the Picardy region. Most of all, the time spent abroad, the people he met and
the differences in cultures that he saw helped him to set his mind and to think
of formulating the Manifesto. At first, it had to be only rules of everyday
activities that anyone can do in favor of nature, energy and decreasing consumption,
but later on it turned out that the text has to have deeper and far more humane
goals in itself, which, we believe, would help us to be better human beings on
the one hand, and on the other, to deal with the most serious of the problems in
front of humanity – global warming and
raising of CO2 levels in the atmosphere.
This is the second edition of the Ecological
Manifesto.
Introduction
Each of the past five years
have been ranked among the warmest on record,
18 of the 19 warmest years have occurred since 2000. This phenomenon is a
direct consequence of the
world population growth - in 2018/19 at the
rate of 1.07% per year (down from 1.09% in 2018, 1.12% in 2017 and 1.14% in
2016) and the processes of industrialization taking place mostly in Europe in
the beginning of 18-th century. The current average population increase is
estimated at 82 million people per year. Through the processes of production and consumption the level of
carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is forecasted to rise by a
record amount in 2019.
Consequently (just a few):
1.
Earth’s climate
is changing causing displacement of people and disturbances of societies
all over the globe, damaging ecosystems and threatening the future of humanity.
2.
Global sea level has been rising over the past
century and the rate has significantly increased
in the recent decades. In 2014, global sea level
was 6.6 cm above the 1993 average – which makes it the highest annual average
in the satellite record (1993-present). Sea level continues to rise at a rate
of about one-eighth of an inch per year.
3.
In the food sector the
Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that the global number of ruminant livestock
(that is cattle, buffalo, sheep and goats) will raise from 4.1bn to 5.8bn
between 2015 and 2050 under a business-as-usual scenario which we now follow.
4.
Rapid growth in global
plastic production was not realized until 1950s. Over the next 65
years, annual
production of plastics
has increased nearly 200-fold to 381
million tons in 2015
.
This is roughly equivalent to the mass of two-thirds of the world population.
5.
Overall 1,600 coal plants are planned or under construction in 62 countries around the world. These
new plants would expand the world's coal-fired power capacity by 43 per cent and will continue
polluting the atmosphere and damaging human health.
ECOLOGICAL MANIFESTO
According to some as branch of biology (
βίος,
bíos, “life” and
λόγος, lógos, “speech, discourse,
reason”) - which is a
natural science that studies
life
and living
organisms -
ecology (
οἶκος
“house/home, environment” +
λόγος) studies the interactions among organisms and their environment
(e.g. climate and ecosystems with the living species). While there are others
pointing the genesis of ecology coming from the environmental science which
provides an integrated, quantitative, and
interdisciplinary
approach to the study of
environmental
systems (ecosystems). As these two main sub fields of the environmental
science – the environmental studies incorporates more of the social sciences
for understanding human relationships, perceptions and policies towards the
environment. Environmental engineering
on the other hand focuses on the design and technology for improving
environmental quality in every aspect.
Here we regard ecology in a very close relation to the
environmental studies which are opening the social dimension of ecological
threats as existential threats (social ecology) and negative factors to
resilience, sustainability and peace. We believe that fighting ecological
problems on social level should be achieved through mass public awareness on
the seriousness of those problems, their consequences and hierarchy. Second is
the unity of agreement on the most appropriate measures that should be taken
(individually and collectively). In addition, regional centers can act as hubs spreading
information to the most marginalized individuals. The school system should be
reformed allowing students to be part of the real-world issues, connecting them
one to another but also connecting them with nature. They should be thought on
such values that are helping them grow as human beings (earthians) with high
moral grounds. More than twenty centuries of human civilization should have been
enough for nowadays people to realize their nobility which has to lead them to
more empathy, generosity, kindness and humbleness. More than two centuries of
our current educational system should be also enough to point out its weak
points – inability to include everyone in the educational process, stop
violence, provide understanding of the cosmic existence of humans and their
inseparable connection with nature. We cannot anymore afford to pursue the same
economic growth just for the sake of progress. We need better quality of life
based on higher emotional intelligence. Such intelligence is gentle enough to
find environment as a precious ally of the human existence. We need to rethink the conditions in which we are
living and build new type of attitude towards everything that is surrounding
us. We need change in the mindset of influential and powerful individuals as
well as their active involvement in this change which is crucial for the
establishment of a new culture of cooperation. We need to understand that as
humans, natural species and items have dignity and we should respect and
protect them.
Moreover, we need less competition, waste of energy,
speed and noise. We need proper management of the resources we have in order to
distribute them to everyone. This mean less consumption, better product
quality, repairing and recycling infrastructures based on the idea of a
circular and shared economy. Local or seasonal production should be preferable,
supported by a right personal diet while eliminating all food waste. Achieving this
personal example is very important and with its everyday practices the
Ecological Manifesto is drawing the proper direction in the way of thinking and
doing things which will lead us to a more sustainable future. In such a brave
new world education, science and medicine must be the most important fields for
which there always are going to be sufficient resources.
In the energy sector it is crucial for humanity to
switch its consumption to energy coming only from clean sources – preferably
solar, wind and ocean. The existing nuclear power may be labeled as bad from
some but it they should be used regarding the climate emergency situation and
the goals set in the Paris Agreement. Production of goods should be managed
according to the needs of consumers and not profit orientated,
energy-sufficient and sustainable.
We live in a time when most of
humanity has accumulated enough intellectual capital to realize that greed and
boundaries between people are absolutely useless for its further development.
The world has spent $27.3 billion on global
humanitarian aid in 2017. This aid helps large
number
of people in need to achieve the minimum
conditions for their survival and to contribute to their cultural, intellectual
and technological development. Many efforts for changing people’s attitude
towards environmental issues were made during the years - starting with Rachel
Carson’s book Silent Spring, Arne Naess and the Deep Ecology Movement,
the Earth Day Initiative, the UN Conference on Human Environment,
the birth of the Greenpeace Foundation, Our Common Future report
of the UN, the Rio Summit and Savern Cullis-Suzuki’s brave call
for action, the Earth Charter, the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris
Agreement, and the Noble laureates’ Mainau Declaration on Climate Change.
Unfortunately, much more work
is needed. It is extremely unfair when some people live in luxury, while others
have no roof over their heads, drink dirty water, eat scantily and have no or
just basic education. We have been keeping our eyes closed for these people
long enough and we continue to ignore their problems. The time has come for us
to resolutely begin thinking and acting on all these issues. This means to
self-educate ourselves - because such way of thinking cannot come from the
past, it is a product of the present. In such manner we should educate our
children. Often our personal problems turn out
to be insignificant compared to the problems of people in need. How many
material benefits do we need for living happily? And what makes us happier –
the material or the spiritual?
Part of humanity has long ago
entered a phase in which it is saturated with food, goods and comfort. The
problem is that those goods are not spread evenly. Every day, food, clothing,
and raw materials are thrown out while there are people who are still deprived from
them. It is therefore extremely important that such goods are used in an
optimal way saving some of the resources for their production. It is important
for self-education to include new principles and methods for solving these
problems because it is obvious that the momentary satisfaction of partial needs
does not result in their full satisfaction. Let us note here that it is not a
question of making some people living on the backs of others but to help those
in need so that they will be able to support themselves independently in the
future and rise their living standards by themselves. For example, feeding a
homeless person in need will save him for the day, but in no case will change
his conditions of living.
To be reliant solely on the
external assistance of the state and its institutions is not always the right
solution of problems because these organizational bodies not always have
opportunity or means to respond locally-occurring problems to which we are the
closest ones – we, the self-thinking, educated and down to Earth people. People
who do not think in terms of here and now and only of themselves but for the
future generations that will live in several places in space - another side of
the absurd situation in which we all will soon be.
One of the most important global
problems of mankind in the coming decades is the global warming and the rise of
CO2 in the atmosphere which endangers many by natural anomalies and upheavals.
People are living with this phenomenon and are neglecting it but climate
anomalies caused by significant human impact on Earth’s geology and ecosystems is
not normal! As a consequence, large number of people see themselves compelled
to look for new homes. It is becoming increasingly clear how important is
action to be taken in this direction. Exploitation of natural resources is different
aspect of the same topic. It seems that people are working towards solving
these problems but their full elimination is still far away. It is therefore
necessary new powers to be included in the struggle for preserving the natural
world. We can be these powers that will
radiate s new way of thinking about these problems, and with small personal
examples, will trigger a wave of greater self-awareness and action.
Self-education and new global self-awareness
are required, active follow-up and implementation of the ideas set in the
Ecological Manifesto, the purpose of which is to show how we can optimize the
use of energy and resources through small steps in our personal daily lives in
order to save them and redirect them to people in need or to pledge ourselves
to work in this direction. This is the task, this is our task. Change can come
from inside to outside. Even the responsibilities of the institutions depend on
the consciousness of individuals working in them. Doing good is always good for
someone. Caring for life, health, knowledge, and nature will always free up
time and resources that can be harnessed more efficiently. We have to realize
that saving our resources is aiming at the decrease of producing unneeded goods
– process based on self-incurred immaturity, greed and vanity on one hand, and
lack of understanding what
humans are and where they are going, on another. Something more – in a
long term perspective nature doesn't need man to survive, but man needs nature
for his survival.
It is time for a wave of
young people and warm hearted leaders for whom living in peace is the basis for development, and ecology - a mandatory foundation for sustainable progress. It is
time for rethinking the rapidly changing world. It is time to break the
previous stereotypes. We must be creative and proactive on these issues, we
should control our actions and always be aware of their consequences!
A
Call to Action
Understanding the set of
values in the Ecological Manifesto will help people to work for a positive
change. Forming communities endorsing the values of the Ecological Manifesto
will help for creation of centers of change. Then it will be a task of every
member of such center to care for his society and of every society to care for
its members. Both sides should work for the enlargement of the periphery of the
society - through education, raising awareness and consultancy reaching the uninformed
and unenlightened ones and changing the minds of those who think otherwise. The
only goal in this movement should be the better future for humanity and the
planet, protecting nature and assuring harmonic coexistence. Nothing less.
Rethinking our current
culture and the disastrous direction to where it is leading – us, human beings
living in the twenty first century - will help individuals to self understand
themselves better and will protect them from ill or false life goals. It will
show them clearly what has real value in life and what serves evil greedy
desires. Being better human beings will help us to raise smarter and more self
aware children that from early childhood will know that the Earth is home to
everyone. Education of children at home should be assisted by the education of
reformed school systems which include in their curriculum smart subjects teaching
children creativity, sustainable development, equality, justice, ecology, etc. Governments
and NGO’s should be part of this culture and should mobilize their potential to
make that change possible.
All the said has little
to do with right, central or left in politics, it is more about manifestation of our future, manifestation
of the new normal that we have to establish, manifestation of the future you
and the future of your children.
It
is an ecological manifestation.
Be part of this change
by manifesting your involvement in the movement. Use the materials and the logo
of the Ecological Manifesto in your daily life, in your professional career, on
your bicycle, on your electrical vehicle. Use the values of the Manifesto in
your relations with the others, in the contracts with others. Use them as a
code of honor with which you show trust and commonness with others.
Helpful
Daily Practices
At HOME:
OPTIMIZATION:
- Thermo-insulation of the rooms (sealed
windows and doors)
- Switch-off electrical appliances from
stand-by mode
- Optimize the
work of the washing machine, dishwasher and other household appliances, i.e. use
them only in their full capacity
- Decrease the
degrees of your heating system. Do not place thermostats on heating appliances
near windows. Do physical exercises, they will warm you up. Putting on another
garment is also an option.
- Use LED bulbs
- Turn off the
lights in the rooms that are not in use
- Keep your
heating appliances clean, you will increase their working capacity
- Replace old
fridges. They are “energy hogs” and can cost you extra per year to run
- Use containers
for separate waste collection
- Use vinegar
and soda bicarbonate for cleaning instead of different types of chemical
cleaners
- Forget coffee
capsules - too much material is spent on their production and their use might
harm your health. Try to avoid single-serve coffee creamers too by using milk
(soya milk, etc.); Always turn the coffee machine off after using, use reusable
filters and try making cold brewed coffee
- Heat and cool at
home with alternative energy sources (mostly RES)
- Use hot water
from the tap before boiling it
- Try to limit
your garbage to only one jar per year
- Don’t leave
your refrigerator open for too long
IN THE BATHROOM:
- When brushing
your teeth, stop running water (so you will save about 14 liters of water per
year)
- Make
your own toothpaste/soap/deodorant or buy natural ones that do not come in
plastic packaging. Try using bamboo toothbrushes
- Purchase
recycled/ethical toilet paper
- Consider using
a bidet or at least decrease the use of toilet paper
- For women, start
using menstrual cups. This tool that is currently fashionable has many
advantages over the known tampons and panties liner in terms of health, budget
and ecology.
- Do not give
your clothes to dry cleaning before you are fully convinced of the need for
this (use extremely environmentally friendly preparations; use al-fresco line
drying when possible). When it is not necessary do not use dryer or the drying
regime of your washing machine
- If possible,
use rainwater for washing (balconies, staircases, etc.)
- Use electric
shavers and toothbrushes, they last longer and safe the production materials
for ordinary razors. You can try also using zero waste safety razors
IN
THE GARAGE, BASEMENT, ATTIC:
- Almost
everybody has boxes of used paints, old paints, chemical preparations,
solvents, antifreezes, mercury thermometers, resins, tar, machine oils; Old
TVs, washing machines, stoves, refrigerators, and so on. To get rid of them,
use the services of specialized companies to collect, store and dispose
hazardous or electronic waste
- If you have
old electrical appliances in these places, you can ask your acquaintances or
people in “Free your stuff” groups whether they need them and give them away
ADDITIONAL:
- Drink tap
water if possible instead of buying bottled mineral water
- Grow plants at
home
- Instead of a
room freshener, just open the windows and ventilate the room
- If you have
the opportunity, grow your own vegetables and fruits
- Avoid ordering
at home globally and locally – the footprint for delivery and packaging is huge.
You will save transport expenses and unnecessary documentation as well
- Try to keep
clean the pizza box for your delivery and reuse it and finally recycle it
- Compost your
food waste (at home or in the neighborhood)
- Reduce your
meal portions – most of the times we are not really hungry, we are misled by
the size of the plates and rarely we need three meals at once
- After having a
meal think if there is something that you can do instead of lying or having a
rest. It will help your digestion and in the same time you will finish a
delayed task
- Coffee and the
tea from the tea bags can be used to fertilize your pots or patios – do not
throw them away
- Bring a
thermos cup in order to stop using the plastic cups from coffee machines. Or
even better – just carry a thermos with already prepared coffee or tea
- Eat mainly
chicken meat – compared to other animals birds are the animals that emit the
least amount of CO2 in the air. If possible, eat smaller amounts of meat. If
you do not want to eat meat, don’t do it just because on specific feast people
are supposed to eat such
- Eating only
locally grown food for one year would save the greenhouse gas equivalent of
driving 1,000 miles. Eating just one vegetarian meal a week for a year saves
160 miles more than that
- Donate the
clothes you no longer wear. You can also turn your old garments into: blankets,
dolls, clothes, make up removal pads, panty liners, carrier bags etc. Internet
is full of creative ideas. Some stores also take your old clothes and reward
you with vouchers. As well, organize or attend a clothes swap event
- Buy books from
second hand bookstores or buy e-books
- Manage the
mail that you receive and if needed unscribe from the unnecessary editions. You
can also place “No junk mail or advertisements!” sign on your mailbox
- Shop in
second-hand shops
- Use wind-up
devices (such as flashlights, radio, etc.) that do not need batteries
- Make notes
from the cash receipts. Keep track of your electricity, water and heating bills
on a monthly basis – it will help you to have a clear idea of your costs and how
to optimize them
- Use the
smallest possible number of plastic products
- If
you smoke buy a bottle of gas and refill your lighter
- Try not using
your grill with charcoal
- Remove the
caps of the plastic bottles and transfer them to the points where they are
collected - their plastic is of the highest quality and is the easiest to
recycle. Recycle
also your old paint tins, mobile phones, plastic bags and soft plastics,
printer cartridges, batteries, blister packs, contact lenses, tooth pastes and
tooth brushes, coffee pods, old towels and blankets, old bras (see what are all
products that you can recycle and where: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/10-things-you-didnt-know-you-could-recycle/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=global&utm_campaign=general-content&linkId=40546596)
- Recycle the caps
from your glass jars
- Avoid using
wet tissues because they are not recyclable. Instead try making normal ones’
wet
- Instead of
buying presents with the risk that they are not going to be liked or fit the
person you are giving to you can give him a non-material present. Buy
experiences not items
- If
you see an interesting social media post about women’s rights or climate
change, etc., share it
- Support
organizations that are engaged in global issues, including the pollution of the
planet (below is a list of such)
- If you want to
have a pet adopt one, this is how you can help for reducing homeless animals.
After having one know that 20% of
the overall global meat consumption goes for feeding our pets and consider
feeding them with protein from bugs and flies.
- Last but not
least address politicians, join a party, be active and vocal
IN
THE STORE:
- Use a cloth
shopping bag instead of plastic bags - it will last much longer. But you can
also use your plastic bags repeatedly until they are only suitable for garbage
disposal bags
- Shop wholesale
(once a week, monthly) – it saves your time and money. If you do not always
have the opportunity, walk to the neighborhood shop
- Do not buy
"2-for-1" promotions if you do not need the second product or find
someone who needs it
- Buy products
from recycled materials
- If possible
get milk-delivery and shop locally
- Buy electric
appliances with exchangeable individual parts and such on which it is written
the materials index (showing how much materials are being used for its
production)
- Buy in bulk - coffee
or tea, legumes and etc.
- Buy
energy-efficient electrical appliances
- Eat fruits instead
of buying factory-produced juices. If you drink juice - make it yourself.
This will reduce packaging production and consumption of preservatives
- If you can fix
something – fix it, do not buy new one
- Buy second
hand
- When buying
clothes, consider the fabric. Different materials have different environmental
impacts, so that’s something to take into consideration. Think wool over
synthetics
- Use larger
plastic bottles of some items like garbage bags. It is indeed not always
necessary to use garbage bags for this purpose
- Demand your
receipt in order not to be thrown away and use it or recycle it
- If you like
ice-cream, buy preferably handmade in a cone instead of the packed one. Or
prepare healthy one at home
- Bring your own
containers, packages, jars etc. in order to use them instead of using new ones
that you will throw away after consuming
IN
THE OFFICE:
- Make notes on
used paper
- Write with
pencil and use a rubber
- Always use the
backs of the already printed pages for working variants of subsequent projects
- Collect the
waste paper and transfer it for recycling
- Instead of
using plastic cutlery, use traditional utensils
- Fertilize
plants in the office with the used coffee and tea bags
- Bring your already
prepared lunch or prepare on place if conditions permit it
- If
you have to organize a public event (e.g. conference, seminar, etc.) think of
making it a green meeting or green event which incorporates
environmental considerations into the entire planning process to minimize the
event's negative impact on the environment
- Reconsider making
and accepting business cards for official meetings and exchanges of contacts (it
is totally normal to save new contacts on your smart phone, for example)
NOT
LEAST, FOLLOWING ALL THESE PRACTICES WOULD SAVE YOU OVER 13% OF YOUR MONTHLY HOME AND OFFICE EXPENDITURES!
OUTSIDE:
- Plant and care
for as many plants as possible
- For short
distances: walk, cycle, skate…
- For longer
distances: use train, bus or shared travel. If you are traveling with others on
the same route, offer to get together in one car instead of everyone traveling
with theirs.
- If you have
option to chose your means of transportation consider that burning fuel in the
sky is more damaging to the atmosphere than burning fuel on the ground
- If you can,
buy an electric car or a hybrid one
- Turn off the
engine of your car when you are staying in the car and just waiting
- Stop eating
"fast food"
- Carry with you
pocket cutlery
- Avoid using
automatic car washes – they are ineffective and uneconomical
- If you need to
use a car during the winter or in cold days do not warm up it (nowadays the
cars are modern enough and do not need warming up)
- Dispose waste
only at designated locations
- Eat seasonal
fruits and vegetables. Buy mostly locally produced goods or buy from markets
- Help in humanitarian
causes as volunteers
- Beautify and
renovate your living spaces, take care of the green areas around them
- Calculate your
carbon footprint when traveling and plant the equivalent number of trees or
make donation to organizations that are specialized in planting trees
- Report and fix
any irregularities you notice in your daily life! Confront people who pollute
or misbehave
This
manifesto is just part of the self re-education that we need to self-enact in
order to speed up the processes of improving the living conditions of all
mankind. The Ecological Manifesto is showing you a number of activities you can
make or skip doing if you want to help in protecting the nature. The modern man
has to perform most of these activities even as unconscious habits for which it
is time to become conscious.
Pay attention to your
family, friends and colleagues - reorganize your home, the meeting and sports
venues, office and outdoors to rationalize the use of natural resources.
The change will start
with us!
Ecology first!
Thank you.
Many aims were stated but
the results are still insufficient. Hopefully on the horizon there are positive
examples. Following the recent Declaration of Ambition the Virtual
Climate Summit, hosted by H.E. Dr. Hilda
Heine and now the agenda is overtaken by the Fridays for Future climate
strikes lead by Greta Thunberg
and the Extinction Rebellion movement we are obliged to give our share
and work for better future.
ECOLOGICAL MANIFESTO
(first edition)
|
List of
Supporters:
Regions of Climate Action (R20)
Earth Charter International
Raza Rumi and Erum
Yawar (Daily Times, Pakistan); Emiliy Rushton
(director of Care About Climate); Balkan
Agency for Sustainable Development (BASD);
Selina Juul (founder of StopSplidofMad.dk); Jeni
Miller (Climate Health Alliance); Online Journal Cyber
Ecology; Sofia Civic Association Shtastlivetsa;
Educational Network A Place for Future; The
Human Library
We live in time when most of humanity has accumulated enough
intellectual capital in order to realize that greed and boundaries between
people are absolutely useless for its further development. Charitable
initiatives are currently in place to help a large number of people in need to
achieve the minimum conditions for their survival and to contribute to their
cultural, intellectual and technological development. Unfortunately, much more
work is needed. It is extremely unfair for some to live in luxury, while others
have no roof over their heads, drink dirty water, and eat scantily. We have
been keeping our eyes closed for these people long enough and we continue to
ignore their problems. The time has come for us to resolutely begin thinking
and acting on all these issues. This means to self-educate ourselves, because
such way of thinking cannot come from the past, it is a product of the present.
In such manner we should educate our children.
Often our personal problems turn out to be insignificant
compared to the problems of people in need. How many material benefits do we
need for living happily? And what makes us happier – the material or the
spiritual?
Part of humanity has long ago entered a phase in which it is
saturated with food and goods. The problem is that those goods are not spread
evenly. Every day, food, clothing, and raw materials are thrown out while there
are people who are still deprived of them. It is therefore extremely important
that they are used in an optimal way saving some of the resources for their
production. It is important for self-education to include new principles and
methods for solving these problems because it is obvious that the momentary
satisfaction of partial needs does not result in their full satisfaction. Let
us note here that it is not a question of making some people living on the
backs of others but to help those in need so that they will be able to support themselves independently in the future and rise their living
standards. For example, feeding a needy homeless person will save him for the
day, but in no case will change his way of living.
Relying solely on the external assistance of
the state and its institutions is not always the right solution of the problems
because such organizations have no opportunity or means to respond to any
locally-occurring problems to which we are the closest ones – we, the
self-thinking, educated and humane people. People who do not think in terms of
here and now and only for themselves but for the future generations that will
live in several places in space - another side of the absurd situation in which
we all will soon be. Would we have been valiant then if there are still in the
world starving and warring people?
One of the global problems that already have come to mankind
in the coming decades is the change of the climate which endangers many by
natural anomalies and upheavals. People are living with its phenomenon and
neglect it but climate anomalies caused by significant human impact on Earth’s
geology and ecosystems are not normal! As a consequence, a large number of
people see themselves compelled to look for new homes. It is becoming
increasingly clear how important it is action to be taken in this direction.
Exploitation of natural resources is different aspect of the same topic. It
seems that people are working towards solving these problems but their full
elimination is still far away. It is therefore necessary new powers to be
included in the struggle for preserving the natural world. We can be these
powers that will radiate a new way of thinking about these problems, and with
small personal examples, will trigger a wave of greater self-awareness and
action.
Self-education is required, active follow-up and
implementation of the ideas set out in the Ecologicalal Manifesto the purpose
of which is to show how we can optimize the use of energy and resources through
small steps in our personal lives in order to save them and redirect them to
people in need or to urge ourselves to work in this direction. This is the task,
this is our task. Change can come from inside to outside, if the opposite
happen we should be happy but experience is showing that this is highly unlikely to happen. Even the
responsibilities of the institutions depend on the conscience of individuals
working in them. Doing good is always good for someone. Caring for life,
health, knowledge, and nature will always free up time and resources that can
be harnessed more efficiently. We have to realize that saving our resources is
aiming at the decrease of producing unneeded goods, process based on self-incurred immaturity, greed and vanity on one hand, and
rethinking of what humans are and
where they are going, on another. One more thing – in long term
perspective nature doesn't need man to survive, but man needs nature for its survival.
Many efforts for changing people’s attitude towards
environmental issues were made in the future including Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring, Arne Naess and the Deep Ecology Movement, the Earth Day Initiative, the UN Conference on Human Environment, the
birth of the Greenpeace Foundation, Our Common Future report of the UN, the Rio Summit and Savern Cullis-Suzuki’s brave call for action, the Earth Charter, the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris
Agreement, and the Noble laureates’ Mainau
Declaration on Climate Change. Many efforts were stated but the results are
still insufficient. Hopefully on the horizon there are positive examples. Following
the recent Declaration of Ambition
this is the Virtual
Climate Summit, hosted by H.E. Dr. Hilda Heine where a call for
achievement of every country’s climate targets by 2020 was made. We have to be
optimistic and feel as winners because “together we succeed; everyone can
contribute; join us”!
It is time for a wave of young people and warm hearted
leaders for whom living in peace is the basis for development, and ecology - a
mandatory foundation for sustainable progress. It is time for rethinking the rapidly changing world.
It is time to break the previous stereotypes. We must be creative and proactive
on these issues!
Here is a possible start for the necessary change:
At HOME:
OPTIMIZATION:
-
Thermo-insulation of the rooms (seal windows and doors during the winter
months)
-
Switch off electrical appliances with standby mode
- Optimize the work of the washing machine, dishwasher
and other household appliances, i.e. use them only in their full capacity
- Decrease the degrees of your heating system. Do not
place thermostats on heating appliances near windows. Do physical exercises, they
will warm you up. Putting on another garment is also an option.
- Use fluorescent bulbs
- Turn off the lights in the rooms that are not in use
- Keep your heating appliances clean, you will
increase their working capacity
- Replace old fridges. They are “energy hogs” and can
cost you extra per year to run
- Use containers for separate waste collection
- Use vinegar and soda bicarbonate for cleaning
instead of different types of chemical cleaners
- Forget coffee capsules - too much material is spent
on their production and their use might harm your health. Try to avoid
single-serve coffee creamers too by using milk
- Heat at home with alternative energy sources (mostly
RES)
- Try to limit your garbage to only one jar per year
- Don’t leave your refrigerator open for too long
IN THE
BATHROOM:
- When brushing your teeth, stop running water (so you
will save about 14 liters of water per year)
- make your own
toothpaste/soap/deodorant or buy natural ones that do not come in plastic
packaging. Try using bamboo toothbrushes
- use bar soap instead of the standard
ones coming in plastic bottle
- purchase recycled/ethical toilet
paper
- For women, start
using menstrual cups. This tool that is currently fashionable has many
advantages over the known tampons and panties liner in terms of health and
ecology.
- Do not give your clothes to dry cleaning before you
are fully convinced of the need for this (use extremely environmentally
friendly preparations; use al-fresco line drying when possible). When it is not
necessary do not use dryer or the drying regime of your washing machine
- If possible, use rainwater for washing (balconies,
staircases, etc.)
- Use electric shavers, they last longer and safe the
production materials for ordinary razors. You can try also to use zero waste
safety razors
IN THE GARAGE, BASEMENT, ATTIC:
- Almost everybody has boxes of used paints, old
paints, chemical preparations, solvents, antifreezes, mercury thermometers,
resins, tar, machine oils; Old TVs, washing machines, stoves, refrigerators,
and so on. To get rid of them, use the services of specialized companies to
collect, dispose and store hazardous waste (check this question on the
internet)
- If you have old electrical appliances in these
places, you can ask your acquaintances whether they need them and give them
away
ADDITIONAL:
- Drink tap water if possible instead of buying bottled
mineral water
- Grow plants at home
- Instead of a room freshener, just open the windows
and ventilate the room
- If you have the opportunity, grow your own
vegetables and fruits
- Avoid ordering at home globally and locally – the
footprint for delivery and packaging is huge. You will save transport expenses
and unnecessary documentation as well
- Try to keep clean the pizza box for your delivery
and reuse it and finally recycle it
- If possible compost your food waste (at home or in
the neighborhood)
- Reduce your meal portions – most of the times we are
not really hungry, we are misled by the size of the plates and rarely we need
three meals at once
- After having a meal think if there is something that
you can do instead of lying or having a rest. It will help your digestion and
in the same time you will finish a delayed task
- Coffee and the tea from the tea bags can be used to
fertilize your pots or patios – do not throw them away
- Bring a thermos cup in order to stop using the
plastic cups from coffee machines. Or even better – just carry a thermos with already
prepared coffee or tea
- Eat mainly chicken meat – birds are the animals that
emit the least amount of methane in the air. If possible, eat smaller amounts
of meat. If you do not want to eat meat, don’t do it just because on specific feast
people are supposed to eat such
- Eating only locally grown food for one year would
save the greenhouse gas equivalent of driving 1,000 miles. Eating just one
vegetarian meal a week for a year saves 160 miles more than that
- Donate the clothes you no longer wear. You can also
turn your old garments can into: blankets, dolls, clothes, make up removal
pads, panty liners, carrier bags etc. Internet is full of creative ideas. Some
stores also take your old clothes and reward you with vouchers. As well, organize
or attend a clothes swap event
- Buy books from second hand bookstores
- Manage the mail that you receive and if needed
unscribe from the unnecessary editions. You can also place “No junk mail!” sign
on your mailbox
- Shop in second-hand shops
- Use wind-up devices (such as flashlights, radio,
etc.) that do not need batteries
- Make notes from the cash receipts. Keep track of
your electricity, water and heating bills on a monthly basis – it will help you
to have a clear idea of your costs and optimize them
- Use the smallest possible number of plastic products
- If you smoke buy bottle of gas and refill your lighter
- Remove the caps of the plastic bottles and transfer
them to the points where they are collected - their plastic is of the highest
quality and is the easiest to recycle. Recycle
also your old paint tins, mobile phones, plastic bags and soft plastics,
printer cartridges, batteries, blister packs, contact lenses, tooth pastes and
tooth brushes, coffee pods, old towels and blankets, old bras (see what are all
products that you can recycle and where: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/10-things-you-didnt-know-you-could-recycle/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=global&utm_campaign=general-content&linkId=40546596)
- Recycle the cups from your glass jars
- Avoid using wet tissues because they are not recyclable.
Instead try making normal ones wet
- Instead of buying presents with the risk that they
are not going to be liked or fit the person you are giving to you can give him
a present. Buy experiences not items
- If you see interesting social media post about women’s
rights or climate change, etc., share it
- Support organizations that are engaged in global
issues, including the pollution of the planet (below is a list of such)
- If you want to have a pet adopt one, this is how you can help
for reducing homeless animals. After having one know that 20% of the overall global meat consumption goes for feeding our pets and consider
feeding them with protein from bugs and flies.
- Last but not least address politicians, join a party,
be active and vocal
IN THE STORE:
- Use a cloth shopping bag instead of plastic bags -
it will last much longer. But you can also use your plastic bags repeatedly
until they are only suitable for garbage disposal bags
- Shop wholesale (once a week, monthly) – it saves your
time and money. If you do not always have the opportunity, walk to the
neighborhood shop
- Do not buy "2-for-1" promotions if you do
not need the second product or find someone who needs it
- Buy products from recycled materials
- If possible get milk-delivery and shop locally
- Buy electric appliances with exchangeable individual
parts and such on which it is written the materials index (showing how much
materials are being used for its production)
- Buy coffee or tea that is sold in bulk
- Buy energy-efficient electrical appliances
- Eat fruits instead of buying factory-produced
juices. If you drink juice - make it yourself. This
will reduce packaging production and consumption of preservatives
- If you can fix something – fix it, do not buy new
one
- Buy second hand
- When buying clothes, consider the fabric. Different
materials have different environmental impacts, so that’s something to take
into consideration. Think wool over synthetics
- Use larger plastic bottles of some items like
garbage bags. It is indeed not always necessary to use garbage bags for this
purpose
- Demand your receipt in order not to be thrown away
and use it or recycle it
- If you like ice-cream, buy handmade in a cone
instead of the packed one
- Bring your own packages, jars etc. in order to use
them instead of using new ones that you will throw away after consuming
IN THE OFFICE:
- Make notes on used paper
- Write with pencil and use a rubber
- Always use the backs of the already printed pages
for working variants of subsequent projects
- Collect the waste paper and transfer it for
recycling
- Instead of using plastic cutlery, use traditional
utensils
- Fertilize plants in the office with the used coffee
and tea bags
- Bring your already prepared lunch or prepare on
place if conditions permit it
- If you have to organize public event (e.g. conference,
seminar, etc.) think of making it a green meeting or
green event which incorporates environmental considerations into the entire
planning process to minimize the event's negative impact on the environment
- Reconsider making and accepting business cards for
official meetings and exchanges of contacts (it is totally normal to save new
contacts on your smart phone, for example)
NOT LEAST, FOLLOWING ALL THESE PRACTICES
WOULD SAVE YOU OVER 13% OF YOUR
MONTHLY HOME AND OFFICE EXPENDITURE!
OUTSIDE:
- Plant and care for as many plants as possible
- For short distances: walk, cycle, skate…
- For longer distances: use train, bus or shared
travel. If you are traveling with others on the same route, offer to get
together in one car instead of everyone traveling with theirs.
- If you have option to chose your means of
transportation consider that burning fuel in the sky is more damaging to the
atmosphere than burning fuel on the ground
- If you can, buy an electric car or a hybrid one
- Turn off the engine of your car when you are
standing in the car and just waiting
- Stop eating "fast food"
- Bring with you pocket cutlery
- Avoid using automatic car washes – they are ineffective
and uneconomical
- If you need to use a car during the winter or in
cold days do not warm up it (nowadays the cars are modern enough and do not
need warming up)
- Dispose waste only at designated locations
- Eat seasonal fruits and vegetables. Buy mostly
locally produced goods or buy from markets
- Help in humanitarian causes as volunteers
- Beautify and renovate your living spaces, take care
of the green areas around them
- Calculate your carbon footprint when traveling and
plant the equivalent number of trees or make donation to organizations that are
specialized in planting trees
- Report and fix any irregularities you notice in your
daily life! Confront people who pollute or misbehave
(91 practices)
This manifesto is just part of the self
re-education that we need to self-enact in order to speed up the processes of
improving the living conditions of all mankind. The Ecological Manifesto is showing
you a number of activities you can make or skip doing if you want to help in
protecting the nature. The modern man has to perform most of these activities
even as unconscious habits for which it is time to become conscious.
Pay attention to your family, friends and colleagues -
reorganize your home, the meeting and sports venues, at work and outdoors with
a view to rational use of natural resources. Ask your loved ones if they see
that they live in a way that is harmful to nature, others and themselves. The
change will start with us!
Ecology first!
Thank you.
Thе Ecological Manifesto
was written mostly during the months which I spent in Hue, Vietnam. But the
desire for its writing had already begun from before. The first ideas about it
were born in the home where I live in Sofia, Bulgaria. However, I had to think
about the same issues in my life also when I was staying in a dormitory for
nine months in Amiens, France, when I was walking along the corridors of the
European Parliament in Strasbourg, shopping in modernized shops with recycling
machines in Amsterdam and cycling on my route velo. But the time in Vietnam,
the people I met there and the differences in cultures helped me somehow to
clear my mind and to think of how to formulate the Manifesto. At first, it had
to be only rules of everyday activities in favor of nature, but later it turned
out that it included far more humane goals in itself, which, I believe, would
help us to grow as people, on the one hand, and deal with most of the problems
before us on the other.
Writing of the Ecological Manifesto included large number of
people who contributed with their knowledge, experience, expertise and
commitment to the green lifestyle and who constantly read the drafts of it.
After it was finally ready it received a small number of highly valuable
supporters which I will mention below.
The Ecological Manifesto
was presented at:
1. EUROMEC Summer School for Doctoral Students
at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
(http://www.euromec.eu/euromec-summer-school-2017/).
2. United Nations Institute for Young Leaders
at the British Council, Iasi, Romania (http://www.unyouth.ro/en/home-2/).
4. Multiple Diplomacies, International
Conference at Matej Bel University, Banska Bystrica, Slovakia (https://www.fpvmv.umb.sk/en/departments/department-of-international-relations-and-diplomacy-5153/)
8. HOPE Erasmus+ Project (https://www.facebook.com/groups/899272606892285/about/)
10. MUNESD 2018, UN hq Vienna, Austria (http://munesd-vienna.com/)
11. (Austrian
World Summit, R20, Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austria)
12. Eco
Circle Erasmus+ Project, Braila,
Romania
13. Mitev, Vihren. Un
"manifeste" pour une communication diplomatique écologique
préventive, Hermès, n° 81, 2018, p.
110-114.
14. Local Conference of Youth (LCOY), Amsterdam,
the Netherlands
15. ?
List of organizations
working for the benefit of humanity:
1. 1%
For the Planet - https://www.onepercentfortheplanet.org
|
2. Advanced
Disaster Relief - http://www.advanceddisasterrelief.com/
index.html
|
|
|
4. BLOOM
Association -http://www.bloomassociation.org
|
|
|
6. Conference
of Youth (COY) – https://www.coy13.org/
|
7. Climate
Action Network - http://www.climatenetwork.org
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8. Climate
Action Org - www.climateactionprogramme.org
|
9. Climate
and Migration Coalition - http://climatemigration.org.uk/
|
|
|
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12. Deep Ecology Movement - http://www.deepecology.org/deepecology.htm
|
13. Doctors Without Borders -
https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org
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14. Drawdown - https://www.drawdown.org/
|
|
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16. Earth Day Network - https://www.earthday.org
|
|
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18. Food For the Hungry - https://www.fh.org
|
|
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20. Friends of the Earth - https://www.foei.org
|
|
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22. Gates Notes - https://www.gatesnotes.com
|
|
|
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25. Global Fishing Watch -
http://globalfishingwatch.org
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26. Go Eco - https://www.goeco.org
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|
|
|
|
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30. International Volunteer Head Quarters -
https://www.volunteerhq.org
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31. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -
http://www.ipcc.ch
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32. National Wildlife – www.nwf.org
|
|
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34. ONE - https://www.one.org/us
|
|
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36. PAWS - https://www.paws.org
|
|
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38. Regions of Climate Action R20 -
https://regions20.org
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39. Rainforest
Alliance – www.rainforest-alliance.org
|
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41. Seafood
Watch - http://www.seafoodwatch.org
|
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43. Sustainable Development Goals:
http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/takeaction
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44. TED
Talks – www.ted.com
|
|
|
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47. The Ocean Cleanup
- https://www.theoceancleanup.com
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48. The Venus Project
- https://www.thevenusproject.com
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49. UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change - https://offset.climateneutralnow.org
|
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52. home.html
|
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54. UN
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) -
http://www.unocha.org
|
|
|
|
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57. Wildlife Alliance -
https://www.wildlifealliance.org
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58. Wildlife Conservation Society - http://www.wcs.org
|
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61. World Future Society -
http://wfs.site-ym.com
|
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63. World Wildlife Fund - wwf.to/1koXWzU
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64. Zero Waste Home - https://zerowastehome.com
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65. ManEco Foundation / Vihren Mitev -
https://twitter.com/VihrenMitev; #mitevfuture (FB + Twitter)
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66.
|
Climate Ambassador and Young
Leader (of the Earth Charter), E-mail: vihrenemitev@gmail.com
