12 things everyone can change in 2022

Everyone can do small things in their everyday life that make a big difference. Our contribution should serve as a first suggestion for a more conscious and sustainable 2022. But it should also inspire you to think further. Because opportunities for entrepreneurs can open up everywhere. We urgently need smarter solutions to our social problems. Entrepreneurship is the opportunity to find entrepreneurial answers to pressing questions.

https://stolzekuh.de

Reduce your meat consumption

Our environment pays a high price for our cold cuts for breakfast, steak for lunch and schnitzel for dinner: via the large areas of land needed, climate gases and fresh water consumption. 

Since 2014, Veganuary in the month of January has been trying to encourage more people to adopt a vegan lifestyle. One does not have to practice itself equal in complete renouncement, already a more conscious contact with animal products helps environment and animal welfare. Try it out nevertheless simply times, whether for the month January or a regular day in the week. Animal-friendly husbandry is offered, for example, by the Stolze Kuh farm. The animals will thank you!

 

1961

71 Tons

2020

338 Tons

1980

137 Tons

2000

230 Tons

weltweiter Fleischkonsum 1961- 2020 Quelle: Statista.de

Leave things out

Surely you too will find things in your household that may be convenient, but not really necessary. Baking paper, for example: Cookies and co. can be prepared on a baking tray without baking paper. The only "disadvantage" is that you have to clean the baking tray afterwards. But that should be worth it for our environment. Cling film: Beeswax wipes are a great substitute and also reusable. Or kitchen roll: an invention that didn't exist in the past and is unnecessary today. Old cloth napkins, dish towels cut into small pieces or rags can be used just as well. After use, rinse briefly under running water and you're done. Go in search of such simple things that seem obvious to us, but once left out have a great benefit for our environment.

Regional & sesional

Avocados from Mexico, raspberries from Morocco and grapes from Chile: as tempting as it is to be able to buy all these products all year round, it is fatal for the environment. Long journeys are bad for the climate balance and the freshness also suffers. With a simple seasonal calendar to download, you can always keep an eye on the vegetables and fruit varieties.

 

To Seasonal Calendar

Collective orders

Bulk ordering is a great way to do something good for the environment and your wallet. If you join forces with friends, relatives, neighbors or colleagues, you can order many products in bulk. This saves on packaging, transport and, of course, money. Win-win-win!

Donate used clothing where it makes sense

If you want to help people in need directly with a clothing donation, you are unfortunately at the wrong address for used clothing containers. Here are some places where you can donate your used clothes and help others:

• DRK Clothing Closets
• Berlin cold aid
• Directory of Caritas clothing stores
• Clothes closet of your local Stadtmission, e.g. Berlin and Munich
• The site wohindamit.org shows Germany-wide social institutions on a map.
• at your local Workers' Welfare Association (AWO)
• at church associations, train station missions, emergency shelters in your neighborhood or surrounding area
• at smaller, regional aid organizations
• Book donations are in good hands at SinneWerk

Kettle instead of hotplate

Water that is heated in a kettle instead of in a pot on the stove (e.g. for pasta) requires significantly less energy.

WWF calculation example: by using 1 liter of water per day, we can save 90 kilograms of CO2 and 40€ per year.

Do not waste food

A conscious use of food should actually be self-evident. According to the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, consumers in Germany throw away an incredible 75 kg of food a year! Valuable tips and recipes against food waste can be found, for example, on zu gut für die Tonne. Leftovers that you no longer have a use for can be shared with others via foodsharing. With the app Too Good to Go, you can order leftovers from restaurants near you.

More serenity

For everything that might happen to you in 2022, ask yourself: Will this still be important to me a year from now? The answer will help you filter out unimportant things and face them with more serenity. Try it out!

Say no to palm oil

Palm oil is also called a possible "nail in the coffin" of our society. Through palm plantations, often ecologically very valuable areas are razed to the ground and thus also - various animal species (such as the orangutan) are threatened in their existence. Therefore, if possible, avoid products that contain palm oil. Unfortunately, this is also the case with many organic products!

Sharing is Caring 

Sharing is good for the environment and the common good. Sharing saves resources and money. Sharing is the trend.

Examples of unusual sharing platforms in the food sector:

Mundraub.com - Platform for the discovery and use of edible landscapes.

Marktschwärmer - fresh products from regional producers

urbane Gemeinschaftsgärten

But not every digital platform has the good of the community and the environment in mind. Harald Welzer shows us a critical way of looking at things when he talks about "platform capitalism" and an economization of everyday life.

Drink tap water

The association a tip: tap campaigns for a water turnaround: "At 177 liters per person, bottled water consumption in Germany today is 15 times higher than in the 1970s. This means we create a lot of plastic waste and unnecessary CO2 emissions." 

Gratitude Diary

In difficult times, we tend to focus on our problems and worries. In doing so, we do ourselves no good. When we focus our thoughts on positive things, we help our psyche and move forward. Why not create a gratitude diary? Simply write down at least three things every day for which you are grateful. The positive effect is scientifically proven