15 JAN 2018, UN Environment Press Center

Do you want to take action to make sustainable lifestyles easier in Asia and the Pacific?

Young entrepreneurs, citizens, community leaders, activists, chefs, scientists and students!! Join The Asia Pacific Low Carbon Lifestyles Challenge!

This is an initiative under SWITCH-Asia’s Regional Sustainable Consumption and Production Policy Advocacy, the Asia Pacific Regional Roadmap on Sustainable Consumption and Production and the 10 Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production.

Enter here for a chance at a $10,000 grant to implement your idea!

The Asia Pacific Low Carbon Lifestyles Challenge aims to mobilise and support young people with business ideas on how to foster energy efficient, low waste and low-carbon lifestyles.

What’s the Challenge?

To start a business venture that will reduce the waste, energy and carbon footprint of lifestyles in Asia and the Pacific.

Am I eligible?

To engage in this challenge you must be less than 35 years old at the time of application.
Citizens of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, People's Republic of China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kiribati, Lao, People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor- Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Cook Islands, Niue.
Must be available to attend our training on 18-21 March 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Submit applications by 26 January (23:59 Bangkok time). Enter here for a chance at a $10,000 grant to implement your idea!

Background

Wait… Think you might have a great idea but aren’t totally sure if it contributes to a sustainable lifestyle?

Well, let us help you!

First of all, ANY idea that will lower the waste, energy and/or carbon footprint of a community is welcome, even if you think your idea might be a little crazy! Please tell us about it!

Second of all, here is a little more information on what we mean by a sustainable lifestyle:

Lifestyles define us; they are the way we live our lives, what we do, with whom, where, how and what we use to do it. This includes everything from the food we eat and how we interact with others to the way we get around. Lifestyles also define our identity; we express our social position, political preferences and psychological aspirations to others through our lifestyles.

But how does this relate to the environment? Well, everything we consume as part of our lifestyle has to be (1) produced – and production means extracting from the environment, (2) used – and use can mean harm such as emissions from cars, and (3) disposed of eventually – leading to waste. Our consumption decisions, which are defined by our lifestyles, trickle through our economy and end in one place: the environment.

Creating sustainable lifestyles means rethinking our ways of living, how we buy, what we consume and how we organise our daily lives. It is about transforming our societies and living in balance with our natural environment. All of our choices and actions - whether at home or at work - on energy use, transport, food, waste and communication contribute to sustainable lifestyles. Of course, people do not consume with the intention to harm the earth. We consume to meet basic and social needs (nutrition, health, convenience, traditions); to fulfill our personal desires (preferences in food or how we get around); due to the influence of advertising and marketing (consumer goods); and because there is no choice.

The problem is, humanity currently consumes more natural resources than what the planet can sustainably provide. Why is that? We like to blame business or government, but ultimately, the only reason we take natural resources out of the ground is because those materials are used to make the products and infrastructure that we use to enjoy the best of life. The sand and gravel under the roads we use, the steel in the buildings we live and work in, the copper in the phones we communicate with, the fish in our soup, and the cotton in our jeans—all of it comes from the earth. The extraction of materials from the environment is the start of a causal chain that serves our consumption patterns, which are shaped by our lifestyles. As consumers and voters, we ultimately determine the amount of mining, agriculture, forestry and fishing that occurs every year, which is what causes impacts on our environment.

Key elements of sustainable lifestyles

Knowing how to shift towards sustainable lifestyles involves understanding WHY people consume the way they do, and figuring out more sustainable options to meet those needs.