1. Environmental Sustainability
By Anna Nepomuceno

2. The United Nations determined environmental sustainability as one of their Millenial
Development Goals. Under this goal, the UN set four key targets:
• Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and
programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources
• Reduce biodiversity loss
• Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to
safe drinking water and basic sanitation
• Achieve, by 2020, a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million
slum dwellers
Source: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/environ.shtml

3. Why this goal resonates with me
My family has always enjoyed
hiking, camping and exploring the
wonders of the Earth Mother. It is
my hope that my love for nature
and passion to save our planet is
passed down to my children and
future grandchildren
Environmentalism has been a
passion of mine since I was a
young child. As a teenager, I
experienced my first taste of
political activism through
environmental protests and
rallies. I have always had a
deep love of nature and I
believe it is the responsibility
of all people to ensure future
generations are able to enjoy
the beauty of this planet.

4. Taking action locally:
• Take steps to reduce your carbon footprint by buying locally,
driving less and eating less meat.
• Avoid the use of plastic to reduce waste and mitigate plastic
pollution of our streams and oceans.
• Donate to local food and clothing banks to help improve the
lives of those living in poverty.
• Reduce, reuse, recycle
• Ask your lawmakers to create policies that will reduce carbon
emissions, preserve natural resources and impose tougher
penalties against pollution
• Plant a garden or start a community garden in your
neighborhood

5. Take a stand for our planet and our future!
With the current state of our government
and the threat to environmental
protections from our new administration, it
more important than ever to take a stand
and make your voice heard. Show your
support to the public my attending
environmentally-motivated rallies and
protests. Spread your message to the
media, to your friends and to your family.
Write your state and federal
representatives and urge them to fight for
policies that help our environment, not hurt
it. Educate yourself and those around you
on how to mitigate the effects of climate
change.

6. The power of social media
• Writing blogs can educate the public on
environmental issues. It’s also a great way to
inform others about the negative effects of
climate change on the millions of people living in
developing countries.
• Social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter are
effective tools for calling people to action,
organizing grassroots movements and networking
with organizations that promote environmental
sustainability.
• Using picture-heavy platforms such as Instagram
and Pinterest can help instill appreciation of
nature and build stronger empathy towards the
living creatures that share the planet with us.