LED bulbs are now available for virtually all lamps, including those with pleasant warm light colours. You can certainly ensure that some lamps are LED. Simply check the bulbs to see if they are labelled LED. This also applies to schools.

Streaming means watching television and videos over the internet or playing computer games online. Streaming is now virtually unstoppable. It is convenient when all data is automatically backed up in the cloud and can be accessed from anywhere, and it is equally convenient when all programmes can be watched not only at a specific time, but also on demand. It can also be argued that computers no longer need such large hard drives and that CDs or Blu-rays no longer need to be produced. Ultimately, however, streaming around the world means considerable energy consumption, and the infrastructure for transmission masts takes up space and raw materials and probably also causes harmful radiation. One solution is therefore to give up some of the convenience and perhaps spend more time in nature instead of sitting in front of a screen. In detail, there is also the option of downloading something at home with fibre optics rather than on the go with older mobile networks.

Standby means that your computer, television or mobile phone is not completely switched off, but is merely “asleep” or still has a light on, and the devices can be easily switched on again with the remote control. Standby power consumption is often criticised and extrapolated. If a television consumes 5 watts in standby mode, for example, that amounts to 120 watt hours (Wh) per day, or approximately one-eighth of a kilowatt hour, which costs about 35 pence. Hardly anyone is going to get up from the sofa for 5 pence a day to press the switch on the television, or switch off the WiFi router at night, or shut down the computer. Or are they? And how many watt hours could be saved every day in all households? Would this consideration influence your actions?

Do you leave the lights on when you are no longer in the room? Modern lamps consume little electricity, but it is still worth not leaving them on unnecessarily, for example when we are not in the room for a long time.

Intelligent ventilation means not too late and not too long. It is too late when we become tired from stale air, get headaches and the humidity becomes too high. It is too long when the air has already been exchanged and is cool, but we continue to ventilate and then the materials (walls, furniture) also cool down. Ultimately, heat means that things or air vibrate. When the air has been replaced but the objects and walls are still vibrating, the fresh air quickly warms up. If the walls also become cold, mould can form on them and we need expensive heating energy to get everything vibrating again. CO2 measuring devices help to ventilate at the right time and not for too long. However, these should not be useless gadgets, but perhaps used to practise one after the other in the rooms and also lent out. A nice game is to compete to see how good people's sense of timing is when it comes to ventilating at the right time and not for too long.

Parents usually do the shopping, but perhaps you can have a say in the matter or your parents will listen to you. Or you could buy something just for yourselves that may have been transported unnecessarily long distances. Food from the region, from the weekly market and from farm shops has not been transported far (there are exceptions, of course) and strengthens the local economy. However, there are also inefficient short transport routes when vehicles with small loads drive to the points of sale. E-mobility and cargo bikes can help here. Unfortunately, regional products are often played off against organic products: regional, sprayed food is not as good as regional organic food, and regional meat is not as good for the environment as not eating meat at all.

Organic is extremely important for biodiversity. We have the greatest species extinction since the extinction of the dinosaurs and the consequences are greater than those of climate change. Pesticides and mineral fertilizers endanger our future. In addition, soils from organic farming usually store more carbon and thus help against the climate catastrophe. The counter-argument is often that the yields in organic farming are lower than in industrial agriculture and therefore more forests have to be cut down. This is true, for example, with cereals that are not unrestrictedly healthy. But if we eat less meat, waste less food and eat more healthy legumes, we have plenty of additional space available and can feed the entire world organically and even plant a little more forest. Organic is more expensive. But on the one hand, many costs can be saved by less meat and on the other hand, it can be bought and cooked intelligently …. of course, it is also to be questioned whether there must be such a low livelihood at all - environmental policy is also social policy.

Which is better – organic apples from New Zealand or sprayed apples from the local area? Answer: neither. Organic food from the local area means less transport and is therefore even better than organic food that has been transported over long distances. Conversely, it is also not acceptable if the apple is sprayed simply because it is from the region, causing damage to the bees and waterways in the region.

Seasonal organic products in addition to regional organic products also have less energy expenditure for storage. In the respective months, other products are available seasonally, so that we can eat healthy and tasty all year round with little transport and storage effort with regard to a seasonal calendar.

Hardly anyone knows how important legumes are for saving the world. But you're probably familiar with chickpea crisps, falafel, hummus or even delicious lentil spread, right? Legumes are not only an alternative plant-based source of protein to animal products, but also extremely important for feeding the world. They bind nitrogen from the air in the soil and can achieve just as high yields in organic farming as in industrial agriculture. This means we need to cut down fewer forests. Legumes are also healthier than grains. In Sapiens, Harari describes how we could probably live much longer if we didn't eat so many grain products. Finally, legumes are important for bees and biodiversity. Lupins, for example, also grow in northern Germany and can be used as a meat substitute, in yoghurt, as a coffee substitute, in ice cream or even in pasta.

Fortunately, tap water has long been a trend. Schools have drinking fountains and pupils bring their own water bottles, and managers also bring their water bottles to workshops. Many children are not even accustomed to unhealthy sugary drinks. Tap water is more strictly controlled than bottled drinks and saves a lot of energy and packaging. Even in motorhomes or boats, or in places where the water smells of chlorine, we can save a lot of money, energy and packaging by using good filters that are changed regularly.

Do you sometimes throw food away? Or do your parents throw away food that you didn't eat in time? Food is wasted from the field to the factory and transport routes to the point where we, restaurants and supermarkets throw it away. Ultimately, this means that more land is needed for cultivation, which leads to deforestation and endangers biodiversity with pesticides and fertilisers. We can shop more selectively, avoid throwing away goods just because of their best-before date, save food in the household (e.g. freezing bananas or making long-life spreads and soups from leftover vegetables), saving specifically rescued food (e.g. goods that are too small or shriveled) and, in many places, donating leftover food, e.g. to food banks.

Not having your own car, although there would be a driver's license, means not only saving money, but also raw materials, parking space and a lot of energy. In addition to flexibility and necessity in rural areas, car ownership means above all status, distinction and attribution (the infamous "phallus substitute with roaring sound). Alternatives are the bicycle, public transport and car sharing. For young people, the renunciation also means solidarity with those who cannot afford mopeds - as difficult as it is. Most households have never calculated the actual costs of their car ownership - from the purchase to taxes and insurance to energy and wear https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/05/one-less-car-how-this-country-is-encouraging-green-mobility/

Local public transport and also long-distance transport by train and bus (in the case of bus, the road infrastructure is still required) means considerably less energy and resource requirements than individual transport with cars or motorcycles. Long-distance buses only perform so well because they are limited to well-used routes, while the train also runs at unfavorable times and has to connect remote places, which then leads to less than half-full trains.

Many children cannot really decide whether to fly or not. But perhaps you can have a say and discuss it? For most people, flying is a great experience, like visiting faraway places. Flying short distances should rightly lead to “flight shame” – some countries are planning to ban domestic flights altogether. The problem with flying is, on the one hand, that we cover a lot of kilometres, even if the energy requirement per kilometre and person is not that high. On the other hand, greenhouse gases are transported directly to the altitudes where they harm us. We should therefore only use aeroplanes for rare long-distance trips and then stay longer in those places. Many people, however, fly several times a year, sometimes within Europe – some even to sustainability conferences or simply to escape the harsh weather in the UK on a whim. Unfortunately, flying is even subsidised and is often cheaper than travelling by train or car.

Many routes and times are not served by public transport. It is often worthwhile to drive in the car together with others. Even if the car is left at home and the times have to be adjusted, it can make us proud to do the right thing with a view to a better world. In addition to carpooling in the circle of acquaintances, there are also portals that organize carpooling - often also for longer trips.

We are used to the fact that everything is packed and we don't care much about the packaging. For some foods, the packaging is more expensive in the production than the content. Paying attention to the packaging sends a signal to manufacturers and retailers. Refills are an option as well. For food, there are so-called unpackaged shops or at least the possibility of using deposit containers (own step) or cotton bags brought along for loose vegetables and fruit. In basically all markets, we should have our own bags with us.

Consistently separating waste, including green waste, glass and paper, is not as self-evident as can be assumed. Many make little effort here and don't really know what belongs in which bin. But also special waste, such as batteries, incandescent lamps, electrical appliances, etc. must be disposed of properly.

Non-recycled paper is often cheaper, but means cutting of forests, contamination of water during production and a high energy requirement. Recycled paper for toilet paper, writing paper, packaging, envelopes, wrapping paper, etc. should be a matter of course today. But we have to pay attention to it and choose it. Recycled paper is also snow-white, but it should then not be bleached with chlorine but oxygen.

Young people could also take pride in looking after the compost at home, producing soil and storing carbon in it. The minimum requirement is to use the compost bin provided by the waste disposal company. Anyone with a garden should make their own compost and see what can be put in it, from coffee filters and organic fruit and vegetable peelings to, of course, garden waste. Food scraps do not belong in the compost because of the risk of rats. However, there are other options here too. For example, bokashi with so-called effective microorganisms is one way to ferment the compost into acetic acid so that it can then be directly decomposed by compost worms. Plant charcoal and clay minerals can also be added to support the microorganisms (EM^2). Incidentally, biochar can also be produced quite practically using pyrolysis cookers from your own garden prunings – a nice alternative to barbecuing and a separate item on the list of possible steps. This type of compost then stores a lot of carbon (CO2) and moisture to combat dry summers and ensures high yields in the garden. In fact, many compost heaps tend to undergo physical decomposition and release a lot of CO2.

Canned drinks are truly awful! After buying unpackaged goods and drinking tap water, the best thing we can do is to buy our food in reusable containers. (Incidentally, there are also reusable shipping boxes for office supplies, as well as some regional delivery services). It is also important to ask whether the containers are transported empty throughout Germany, or whether North German beer is poured into empty Bavarian beer bottles and vice versa. The next question is how much energy it costs to clean the containers. Composite packaging or easily recyclable cans are the better alternative in some studies. In such studies, it is important to look closely at what is being compared. Ultimately, the aim is to close regional cycles. The next question is whether the containers should be made of glass or plastic – glass is recycled more often, while plastic is lighter and requires less energy to transport.

A lot of things are actually thrown away, even though others could still use them. It is more convenient for us not to repair them than to have a stall at the flea market or to have to send them off for little money. But the good feeling of doing the right thing is motivating.

We are used to buying safe and durable food conveniently at the supermarket. It is packaged, and since we separate our rubbish, we hardly have a problem with it. In reality, however, only a certain amount of waste is recycled – much of it is incinerated or still exported. But we can make many foods ourselves and buy the ingredients unpackaged or with minimal packaging. It takes a bit of effort, but it saves money and a lot of packaging. We can make bread, spreads, sauces, juices, jam, etc. ourselves – everything that would otherwise be bought packaged. The fruit can come from the garden or orchards – this promotes the demand for insect-friendly orchards, and if we do all this together with others, or at least exchange the yield with each other, we strengthen the community.

Insect hotels or just old, higher tree stumps and dead wood on the ground, nesting boxes and, if useful, bat boxes are great ways to maximize biodiversity in your own environment.

Volunteering, whether it's with the fire brigade, a sports club or helping out in the neighbourhood, is hugely important for community spirit and society as a whole. As children and young people, you also have the opportunity to do things like go shopping for elderly people, read stories in retirement homes or get involved in youth groups run by nature conservation organisations. Not only does this make you proud for life, it also looks good on your CV later on!

Much of what we afford, we afford because others do too. What we then have and do goes far beyond what we need to be happy. Therefore, every euro donated on our site is first and foremost a sacrifice in consumption. Whether the donated money simply leads to consumption elsewhere is open to question. What does the youth fire brigade do with the donations, what does Greenpeace do, what does Plan Germany do, what do the Reef Reporters do, etc.? A useful perspective here is to look at so-called sources and sinks. The crate of beer is gone, a sink. But if it leads to more people wanting to get involved in the youth fire brigade, it is a source of more good. However, many donations are also questionable – for example, when it comes to the scandals behind clothing donations or when some organisations spend most of their money on administration. With a little research and by paying attention to donation seals, we can find great opportunities. It is also popular not to give your own family gifts in kind, but rather specific donations such as hygiene items or goats in developing countries. Plan Germany, among others, offers this. When your own children are proud that they are not getting more stuff, but can tell their friends what good they have done in the world with their Christmas present, then we are already in a better world. The benchmark for willingness to donate can be your own wealth, which the linked online calculator calculates. If you have more than those around you, you should definitely consider donating more. Children and young people should not donate their limited funds, unless they themselves feel they have enough. One option is to give meaningful gifts, as is possible with Plan: https://www.plan.de/spenden/sinnvoll-schenken.html Putting something like this on your wish list instead of more toys you don't really need will impress your grandmother and parents. But this really only applies to those who have a lot!

Do you ever wear very old or second-hand clothes – perhaps from your older siblings? Many people enjoy the variety that new clothes bring, or simply grow out of their clothes quickly. Those who only wear clothes for a short time should try second-hand clothes and at least sell the clothes they no longer wear or donate them to a charity shop. Others wear few clothes without any desire for variety until they fall apart. Of course, this works best with higher-quality clothes.

Globally, conventional cotton is an environmental problem due to the use of sprays and the high water consumption. In addition, the textile factories poison entire rivers and exploit people during conventional dyeing. In addition to ecological cotton, there are other natural fibers with sometimes much less damage to the environment. In the case of virgin wool, attention must be paid to the certification, which excludes animal suffering. By the way, there is now also outdoor clothing made of densely woven organic cotton as an alternative to the plastic fibers. Plastic fibers always allow microplastics to enter the wastewater during washing and microplastics in the environment may lead to multi-resistant super germs - a long history. With the points for clothing, if you do not buy conventional cotton, but choose sometimes recycled and sometimes organic cotton, you can give yourself a full 3 points for both. By the way, organic is also possible with curtains, tablecloths and bed linen!!!

In particular, the manufacturers of outdoor clothing now use recycled PET bottles for their yarns and they also do without the worst chemicals, such as PFCs. Nevertheless, the question is always whether we have to wear clothes that are designed for the Himalayas in everyday life. Because synthetic fibers also release microplastics from the plastic fleece sweater to the wastewater. Some use a washing bag that is supposed to collect these plastic fiber remains. Of course, the three points only apply to clothing that is not made with organic natural fibers, such as swimming trunks or trekking sandals.

Vegan shoes and belts are no longer distinguishable from their leather variants. And who pays attention to the fact that the tanning processes do not allow heavy metals to enter the environment or that the leather is certified accordingly? We should be careful with some plastics, such as PVC with plasticizers, which are also not good for the environment.

All major drugstore discounters now have natural cosmetics in all areas - from deodont to lipstick to sunscreen (although sustainable sunscreens are a real challenge, as tests prove again and again). On the one hand, natural cosmetics are usually healthier, and on the other hand, no non-degradable substances enter the environment and no animals have been tortured to test the effects.

Organic cleaning products can be found in all supermarkets and chemists. Their key features are their biodegradability and, of course, their plant-based raw materials as an alternative to petroleum-based raw materials. Even though conventional cleaning products are classified as harmless, organic cleaning products are certainly safer.

It is amazing what we can make with citric acid and household vinegar on our own cleaners.

Many furniture cannot stand being moved or even disassembled and reassembled. They are primarily cheap and the business model is that after a few years we want to buy new furniture. Looking at how valuable the furniture is and then being able to repair it takes us a whole lot further on the way to a better world. It is also amazing what good pieces there are on the used market.

Many devices from vacuum cleaners to cordless screwdrivers to TVs are amazingly inexpensive today. Relying on valuable devices that last a long time, or even buying used devices, helps to save raw materials and energy. Look for refurbished products.

Precisely because devices are so inexpensive, we tend to buy all kinds of devices ourselves and not borrow them, whether from the neighbors or from the tool rental company. The large DIY stores now all offer a rental service.

Unfortunately, many devices can no longer be repaired at all, for example if the control unit breaks down from the washing machine and costs more than a new washing machine. And yet there are workshops that also repair mobile phones, washing machines, lawn mowers, etc. - and even if it is as expensive as a new device, it is the good feeling of having done something for a better world again.

Having something new makes you happy. We are offered more and more technical products, from flashing children's shoes to cheap e-scooters to the grill with a built-in fan. To consider here whether it can also be done without it and how long the devices will last and what the disposal of such electronic waste means emancipates us from the consumer traps.

Returns have become a big problem - many returns are simply burned because the logistics are more expensive than the goods. Especially with clothing, we should research for detailed size specifications so that the clothing also fits. Simply ordering three sizes and of course sending two back is a waste of energy and resources. But other products would not have to be returned if we researched better beforehand whether they meet our expectations.