Szamira’s (15) entries

First of all, I would like to introduce myself. I am Szamira Özel, a 15-year-old vegan environmentalist and animal rights activist.

Ever since I was younger, I have been interested in how we can protect our environment so that our generation and the next onewill grow up in a green, clean world, but I’ve only incorporated a major lifestyle change into my daily life only a few years ago. In practice, this mainly presents itself in the field of ​​shopping. I no longer consume dairy and meat products, but I also pay attention to the packaging of plant-based products, and if I have the opportunity, I use linen bags and environmentally friendly packaging to store them. I usually travel by public transport, but during my walks I take care of getting trash left on the roadside or beside bins to the nearest trash bin. In addition, I collect my trash at home selectively and recycle the waste which is in good condition. I try to pay attention to my water and electricity consumption, but much development lies ahead until I achieve the Zero Waste lifestyle.

What could we change?

We could achieve one of the biggest changes at manufacturing companies. If we were to replace plastic packaging materials or many products made from non-degradable materials with environmentally friendly alternatives. Let’s take a simple example, which may be a little close to everyone: when we buy groceries, almost everything is packaged in plastics, even though degradable plastics have been discovered recently. And we could wrap a lot of products in paper. If we approach this from a profit-based production point of view, one of the most effective solutions would be a support.How should we carry this out? Entrepreneurs could once apply for a subsidy to help them produce their products in an environmentally friendly way. As with all grants, they could profit from this as well. And since I have experienced that young people tend to buy products that are more environmentally friendly, maybe they would be more in demand. This way, those who buy them would not produce as much waste. Of course, this is just a suggestion, there is a chance that in reality it would bleed from more than one wound, but everything can be solved with good planning.

However, the way people think should be changed. During a few shopping, I have found that those who can afford it also invest in things that they don’t really need. Instead of promoting the purchasing a given product and how good it is in every public media, rather, we should put more emphasis on the concept of conscious consumerism and encourage every generation to exercise it in their daily lives.

Much could be done to improve transport. We should establish infrastructures that provide convenient and secure public transport and environmentally friendly roads so that more people would choose buses and trains for travelling, thus reducing harmful emissions.

There is much more I could write about, say, conscious water consumption and environmentally friendly alternatives to power generation, but this all for now.