26
B RILLIA NT- ON LIN E SEP TEM B ER 2021
✦ PLANET EARTH IS HURTING ✦
A
recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) effectively announced “a code red” warning. It is now or never, the report intimated, in regards to taking decisive and immediate action on climate change and the planet’s future. It stated that humans have pumped around 2,400 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere since 1850, creating concentrations of the gas that have not been seen on Earth in the last 2 million years. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out we as a species and our planet are in a serious bind and something needs to be done. There are countless think-tanks and meetings at government level that attempt to identify a solution and a roadmap for recovery but much is just talk and no action. So what can we on an individual, family or business owner basis do to contribute positively to helping Earth at least try and heal? One word provides much, if not all, of the answer: Sustainability. It is a buzzword word that, understandably, has become much more common in recent years. Even large investment banks and financial institutions have been heavily focused on green and sustainable investment platforms for years now. And you know if the guys on Wall Street are backing it then it has to be big!
Gen Z in the driver’s seat For Generation Z (those born since 1997) and millennials sustainability is a huge deal, something that is important enough to define their lifestyle and them as a person. A recent UK survey revealed that 90% of Gen Z consumers have made changes to be more sustainable in their daily lives and they would be willing to spend 10% more to acquire sustainable products. They are also likely to make purchasing decisions based on values and principles that are personal, social, and environmental. Gen Z’s advocacy of a more sustainable world is also reflected in business with countless examples of new enterprises driven by ethical choices. This is something that Brilliant-Online strongly supports and is always happy to promote, particularly on a local scale. That is why Brilliant-Online does not print our magazines for distribution. We are paperless and friendly to the earth. Saving paper saves trees. So every Brilliant Magazine you read helps keep Mother Earth safe and growing. In any given year, we estimate our tree-hugging publishing community saves over 3.8M trees! That means lots of fresh oxygen getting pumped into the air for everyone to enjoy. Write to us about your company’s sustainability efforts editor@brilliant-online.com
