Environmental Challenges and Solutions

Our environment plays a crucial role in the sustainability of life on Earth with its vast and rich life-supporting ecosystems and natural resources that are inherently efficient, interdependent, and resilient. However, over the last 50 years, expansive changes in human population, urbanization, and economic globalization have detrimentally disrupted and changed the sustainability and regenerative nature of the planet.

By learning about the causes of these environmental changes, not only can we better understand the interconnectedness between their challenges and solutions, but we are also more empowered to take informed, sustainable, and restorative actions. Now.

Science reveals that humanity can reduce and begin to reverse climate-change impacts by midcentury (a pivotal turning point known as drawdown) through a committed and unified global response that includes greater environmental awareness, protection, conservation, efficiency, innovation, and restoration. With a collective and informed resolve moving forward, some of the most pervasive and compelling environmental challenges and solutions are featured below.

• Overpopulation

• Natural Resource Depletion

• Deforestation

• Biodiversity Loss

• Unsustainable Agricultural Practices

• Food Waste

• Plastic Pollution

• Water Quality and Scarcity

• Global Warming and Climate Change

• Unifying A Global Response

Overpopulation

In 1950, The United Nations estimated the world population to be 2.6 billion people. It reached 5 billion in 1987 and 6 billion in 1999. In October 2011, the global population was estimated to be 7 billion and is expected to increase by 2 billion people in the next 30 years, from 8 billion currently to 9.7 billion in 2050. The causes of this dramatic growth and overpopulation has been driven largely by increasing numbers of people surviving to reproductive age, major changes in fertility rates, and lack of family planning, as well as increasing urbanization and accelerating migration. The critical environmental impacts of overpopulation include natural resource depletion, biodiversity loss, pollution, global warming, unemployment, wars and conflicts, pandemics, malnutrition, and water shortages. These impacts also disproportionally affect poor populations in low-income communities and developing countries around the world.

Solutions

Family planning offers access to reproductive health services that include sex and reproductive education, affordable health care, and contraception. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change included access to reproductive health services in its 2014 synthesis report and pointed to population growth as a significant factor in greenhouse-gas concentrations. Growing evidence suggests that family planning has the additional benefit of building resilience — helping communities and countries better cope with and adapt to inevitable changes brought by global warming.

Educating girls is the most powerful lever available for breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty, while mitigating emissions by curbing population growth. According to the Brookings Institution, the difference between females with no years of schooling and with 12 years of schooling is almost four to five children per female. Women and girls with more years of education have fewer, healthier children, actively manage their own reproductive health, and are more empowered at home, at work, and in society.

Natural Resource Depletion

Experts widely agree that human activities are harming the global environment fueled by population growth and increasing consumption of natural resources such as fresh water, healthy soil/land, sea life, forests, natural gas, and oil. Studies released from The Global Footprint Network and the journal of Nature Sustainability indicate that this threat is amplified by global overshoot in that humanity already demands more from nature each year than the planet’s ecosystems can regenerate; and as resource depletion becomes more acute, competition for those resources will become more intense. This rapid depletion is already taking its toll through a litany of environmental challenges including excessive amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, biodiversity loss, freshwater shortages, overfishing, and deforestation. Sustainable development and solutions require investing in resilience and productivity that creates ways to satisfy human needs through far less resource-depleting options.

Solutions

Waste reduction initiatives engage the public in the daily practice of reducing, reusing, recycling, and composting waste thereby conserving natural resources and saving money.

Installing water saving fixtures and appliances in your home and office can save about 30 percent of indoor water use and yield substantial savings on water, sewer, and energy bills as well as divert less water from rivers, lakes, and reservoirs.

Renewable energy use that includes solar and wind power, is the healthiest, cleanest, and most cost-efficient source of energy on the planet, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IREA). It also offers a balance of sustainable supply, demand, and storage, as well as incentives to shift power demands to times of power abundance.

Reforestation is an element of a land stewardship ethic that includes intentional restocking of trees cleared such as replanting new trees in urban developments. Reforesting provides numerous benefits that include improved air quality, sequestration of carbon dioxide (C02 sinks), absorption of flood water, decreased soil erosion, protective shade, and restored habitats.

A plant based, no waste diet reduces an individual's carbon footprint from food by up to 73 percent and eliminates food waste from entering landfills which currently accounts for close to 40 percent of all the food produced in the world, according to the Food and Agricultural Organization.

Integrated cities offer resource-efficient infrastructure and little need for mobility beyond walking, bicycling, and public transit.

Consumer education and sensitization drives environmentally conscious product demand and encourages people to preserve and restore the natural world through conservation efforts.

Eco Solutions educates our clients about environmentally-friendly best practices and the many beneficial impacts that result from pro-environmental behaviors and life-style choices.

Family planning education encourages smaller families and offers vast social and economic benefits, as well as enormous ecological advantages.

Environmental protection support empowers environmental initiatives and organizations to safeguard precious ecosystems and habitats, engage and educate the public, and co-create protective legislation with policymakers and stakeholders.

Deforestation

According to the World Wildlife Federation, approximately 30 soccer fields of forest are lost every minute due to deforestation. The primary causes are from agriculture that clears land for cattle ranching, soybean, and palm oil plantations; urbanization; homebuilding; paper production; and forest fires. The world's forests are home to approximately 80 percent of land animals and plants and cover 31 percent of the world's total land area. Deforestation is not only decimating habitats that contribute to species extinction; but it also removes the forest's capacity to sequester carbon dioxide, provide oxygen, improve air quality and climate, absorb water, preserve soil, and support wildlife.

Solutions

Land conservation, through the voluntary protection of private land, is essential to the conservation of forests and biodiversity. In January 2021, the investment group of Swedish retail giant IKEA purchased 11,000 acres of Georgia forest to protect it from development citing, "We truly believe responsible forest management is possible and we see that a large part of our responsibility towards the land we own -- and by extension the planet -- is to restore forests and plant more than we harvest."

Reforestation is an element of a land stewardship ethic that includes intentional restocking of trees cleared such as replanting new trees in urban developments. Reforesting provides numerous benefits that include improved air quality, sequestration of carbon dioxide (C02 sinks), absorption of flood water, decreased soil erosion, protective shade, and restored habitats.

Did you know?

Pulp and paper manufacturing is the 3rd-largest industrial polluter of air, water, and soil.

Eco Solutions helps to preserve our planet’s forests and reduce pollution by processing paperwork, documents, and assessments digitally, and so can you!

Reduction in paper consumption and waste involves more sustainable behaviors such as switching to on-line paper options for billing, work documents, magazines, news, and books; using reusable plates, napkins, and grocery bags; and recycling paper and cardboard waste.

Eco Solutions offers guidance on how to reduce, reuse, recycle and compost waste that helps save money, natural resources, and the environment.

Less meat consumption will benefit your health, reduce your carbon footprint, help save forests, and protect the environment. According to the Amazon Aid Foundation, "If all the grain currently fed to livestock in the United States were consumed directly by people, the number of people who could be fed would be nearly 800 million."

Forest friendly company support further encourages corporations to commit to reducing deforestation-related products and services, exampled by the Disney and Hershey corporations.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and drones are currently being used by the UK company, Dendra, to plant 500 billion trees by 2060 using unmanned, aerial technology that plants 120 seedpods per minute.

Biodiversity Loss

According to hundreds of scientists and researchers from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystems Services (IPBES), the diversity of species and ecosystems is declining faster than at any time in human history. Three fourths of the Earth's land surface and two thirds of its oceans have been significantly impacted by human consumption and population growth. The main culprits of this habitat and biodiversity loss are: 1) changes in land and sea use (e.g., conversions of forests to agricultural use); 2) the direct exploitation of organisms -- such as over-fishing and the illegal trade of wild animal parts; 3) climate change; and 4) pollution of fresh water, land, and oceans.

Solutions

Environmental protection support empowers eco-friendly initiatives and organizations to safeguard precious ecosystems and habitats, engage and educate the public, and co-create protective legislation with policymakers and stakeholders. Examples are organizations such as World Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, and Ocean Conservancy.

Consumer education and sensitization drives eco-friendly product demand and encourages people to preserve and restore the environment through conservation efforts. This includes becoming familiar with biodiversity-friendly labels featuring cruelty free, organic, and fair trade as well as avoiding products sourced from endangered species such as ivory and fur.

Eco Solutions shares environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) practices and resources with our clients that provide not only economic benefits but also ecosystem support.

Reforestation is an element of a land stewardship ethic that includes intentional restocking of trees cleared such as replanting new trees in urban developments. Reforesting provides numerous benefits that include improved air quality, sequestration of carbon dioxide (C02 sinks), absorption of flood water, decreased soil erosion, protective shade, and restored habitats.

Waste reduction initiatives engage the public in the daily practice of reducing, reusing, recycling, and composting waste thereby reducing the “linear” material economy - where materials are extracted, made into goods, and disposed of in a one-way street.

Plastic use alternatives reduce harmful pollution in precious ecosystems as well as greenhouse gas emissions sourced from plastic's fossil fuel composition.

Pollution prevention includes anti-pollution and environmental protection laws and policies at the local, state, and international level. Individuals can also help to prevent water, air, and land pollution by embracing sustainable actions such as conserving energy at home, recycling, not littering, and use of and demand for safe and non-toxic products and services.

Unsustainable Agricultural Practices

A critical scientific assessment commissioned by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has confirmed that agriculture is having an enormous impact on earth’s finite resources and is second to electricity generation as leading contributors to climate change. Our World Data indicates nearly half of the Earth's land area today is used for agriculture and is responsible for over 70% of global freshwater consumption. Yet, much of the agricultural practices are unsustainable in efforts to feed the world's growing population. Such practices include over tilling of soil; government-driven subsidies for monoculture (one crop); use of toxic chemicals, pesticides, and fertilizers; deforestation; and cattle ranching-- all of which contribute to biodiversity loss, soil erosion, desertification, climate change, and fresh water depletion.

Solutions

Eating less meat and more plants (fruits, vegetables, beans, and grain) is crucial for a healthy lifestyle and planet. According to the World Health Organization, eating less meat dramatically decreases health related diseases such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. It also decreases the negative impacts of climate change caused by the greenhouse gas emissions of methane from cattle, nitrous oxide from synthetic fertilizers, and carbon dioxide from deforestation.

Organic food preferences offer more sustainable choices that are healthier for people and the planet. Organic farming rebuilds soil health and stops harmful chemicals from getting into our water supplies, does not rely on non-renewable oil-based fertilizers and pesticides, results in greater biodiversity, and releases fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

Crop rotation and diversity is the practice of growing a variety of different crops on the same plot in sequenced seasons. Polyculture is an important element of soil fertility and pest management, and therefore an asset for increasing yields.

Cover crop is a crop of a specific plant that is grown primarily for the benefit of the soil rather than the crop yield. Cover crops are commonly used to suppress weeds, manage soil erosion, help build and improve soil fertility and quality, control diseases and pests, and promote biodiversity. Cover crops also reduce the need for chemicals such as fertilizer.

No-till farming allows crops to grow without disturbing the soil arrangement and thus reduces soil erosion. It also increases the amount of infiltrating water and boosts organic matter retention and nutrient cycles.

Integrated pest management allows crops to develop in harmony with their environment and make them profitable. It takes into account biological methods of plant protection and ensures their integration in order to control the development of pests while minimizing the use of chemical pesticides.

Agroforestry and animal raising is the association of trees and crops or animals on the same plot. This practice allows for better use of resources, greater biological diversity, the creation of a microclimate favorable to efficient yield increase, and more profitable farms. The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines agroforestry as the intentional integration of trees and shrubs into crop and animal farming systems to create environmental, economic, and social benefits. Permaculture shares similar practices in that it integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial systems - imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in nature's diversity.

Renewable energy use is crucial for agriculture to be sustainable. Examples of renewable, efficient energy in agroindustry systems include solar irrigation (versus fossil fuel generated water pumps), geothermal heating (natural wells that release steam which generate electricity), and drip irrigation (reduces water usage, soil erosion, and nutrient loss).

Food Waste

According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, a third of the food intended for human consumption - around 1.3 billion tons - is wasted or lost globally each year and is enough to feed 815 million hungry people- 4 times over. Food waste and loss accounts for 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually and occurs at different stages in developing and developed countries. In developing countries, most food waste occurs at the post-harvest and processing levels; while in developed countries, much of the food waste occurs at the retail and consumer levels. At the retail level, a shocking amount of food is wasted because of aesthetic reasons resulting in about 60 million tons of fruits and vegetables ending up in landfills. Also, when food waste goes to the landfill, its anaerobic (without oxygen) decomposition releases the powerful greenhouse gas methane (80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over 20 years) which is one of the leading contributors to global warming. When we waste food, we also waste the life-sustaining resource of water since agriculture is where we use water the most.

Regardless of the reason, the outcome is the same. Producing uneaten food squanders a whole host of resources - seeds, water, energy, land, fertilizer, hours of labor, and financial capital while generating greenhouse gases at every stage. By managing food sustainably and reducing waste, businesses and consumers can save money, provide a bridge in our communities for those who do not have enough to eat, and conserve environmental resources for future generations to come.

Solutions

Grocery planning can save money, time, and food when making a list with weekly meals in mind. If you buy no more than what you expect to use, you will be more likely to keep it fresh and use it all. This includes checking your refrigerator and cupboards before shopping to avoid buying food you already have. Also, reducing the amount of food purchased to manageable, consumable amounts, is the easiest way to reduce food waste and save money. Both homes and businesses can reduce the amount of food they purchase through smart meal planning.

Food storage efficiency prevents food spoilage by familiarizing yourself with optimal food preparation such as storing fruits and vegetables in refrigerator drawers where they'll stay fresh longer; freezing fruits and vegetables such as berries, bananas, and mushrooms that tend to ripen faster; and waiting to wash produce until it's ready to be eaten to avoid mold.

Food preparation such as preparing meals in advance for the week, as well as freezing larger food items consumed over time such as bread, soups, and casseroles, helps to prevent food spoilage and waste.

Economical approaches toward food involve consuming food you may already have prior to purchasing more. This includes using leftovers or produce that's already ripened in soups, casseroles, stir-fries, and smoothies. At restaurants, order only what you can finish by asking about portion sizes; take home leftovers and use them to make your next meal; and at all-you can-eat buffets, take only what you can eat.

Composting food waste can remove 20-50% from your household waste stream thereby reducing the burden on landfills while replenishing your lawn, trees, houseplants, or garden for free. Composting food waste is easy and comes in many different lifestyle options such as freezing mostly plant-based food waste and then burying it directly into the ground, yard, and flower/vegetable gardens. There, it will biodegrade naturally, feed microbes and worms that further contribute to its decomposition, provide rich nutrients for your soil (no need for chemical fertilizer feed), and help retain moisture (less need for watering).

Eco Solutions helps our clients incorporate eco-friendly design, maintenance, and composting into their landscaping that helps save time and money, conserve water, protect habitats, and nourish the soil.

Plastic Pollution

In 1950, the world produced more than 2 million tons of plastic per year. By 2015, this annual production swelled to 419 million tons. The international organization, OCEANA, estimates 33 billion pounds of plastic waste (the equivalent of two garbage-truck loads every minute) makes its way into the oceans every year - primarily from coastlines and rivers littered from street flooding. Strong ocean currents circulate this waste often far out into the oceans where it is accumulating into enormous concentrated garbage patches. The largest of five of these patches is known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and is primarily composed of accumulated plastic waste that is twice the size of Texas! Plastic waste (including microplastics) is uniquely problematic because it’s non-biodegradable and can last up to 500 years, unlike other forms of garbage. Marine animals, fish, and seabirds get tangled up in this trash or ingest it—either because they mistake it as prey or because the plastic has been broken down into tiny particles by seawater. Plastic pollution is not only contributing to the loss of marine life but also poses a threat to human health through the cumulative exposure to plastic's toxic fossil fuel composition manufactured into plastic drink bottles, clothing, and food packaging. Moreover, people in the U.S. throw away more than 60 million plastic water bottles daily - most of which end up in landfills or as litter in America’s streets, parks, and waterways. And because plastics are produced with fossil fuels, not only does that make them an environmental hazard, but also an enormous waste of valuable resources.

Solutions

Plastic-use alternatives will reduce the single-use plastic crisis of throwing away 90% of items such as plastic grocery bags, plastic wrap, disposable cutlery, plastic straws, and plastic coffee pods or lids after one use. By replacing these items with reusable versions that include bringing your own reusable bags to the store and reusable silverware, plates, and drinking glasses to the office, you can help reduce harmful pollution in precious ecosystems as well as greenhouse gas emissions sourced from plastic's fossil-fuel composition.

Purchase a BPA free, reusable, stainless-steel bottle that is healthier than the plastic alternative and will help minimize the nearly 20 billion plastic bottles (and caps) that make their way into landfills and waterways each year.

Eco Solutions shares environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) practices and resources with our clients that are economical and support human and environmental health and wellbeing.

Home or office water-filtration systems provide a healthier, more sustainable, and cost-effective alternative to plastic water bottles or jugs.

A water-cooler delivery service can provide your home or business with 3- and 5-gallon returnable water dispensers that are convenient, cost effective, and reflect eco-friendly initiatives by those who use them.

Reduce, reuse, and recycle plastic waste at home, school, church, and office. You can also champion new policies and practices where they are needed and not in use.

Buy in bulk while saving money and the planet. According to the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC), approximately 45% of waste in landfills can be attributed to food packaging and containers. When you buy an item in bulk, there is less packaging, less resources used, and less waste.

Water Quality and Scarcity

Water is Life and one of the most precious resources on the planet! Water covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface and comprises nearly 96% of Earth's oceans. The planet’s remaining fresh water, that sustains human, plant, and animal life, is threatened daily by depletion, droughts, and pollution. According to the World Water Council, water scarcity is an ongoing challenge for the 2.2 billion people around the world who currently do not have access to fresh and safely managed drinking water- while at a time when most global freshwater withdrawals go toward agriculture (70%) and industry (19%).

The impacts of a growing population and the effects of global warming have contributed to increasing competition for water resources as well as rising temperatures that are contributing to droughts. In the U.S., the Colorado River, Utah's Lake Powell, and Nevada's Lake Mead (one of the largest man-made reservoirs) have all significantly decreased in volume and are drying up. In addition, outdated infrastructure, aging water systems, and agricultural and chemical pollution (such as PFAS or “forever chemicals”) in waterways are alarmingly prevalent throughout the U.S. and around the world. Water-system crisis have become more common utility disasters impacting the health and economic well-being of millions of people.

Solutions

Updating infrastructure and water systems such as the U.S. federal government's $111 billion infrastructure plan that would fund measures to protect millions of Americans from water contaminated by lead, other toxic chemicals, and pathogens.

Creating and enforcing governmental water protection laws such as the Clean Water Act which became law in 1972, and is the primary federal mechanism by which streams, lakes, and wetlands are protected from degradation and pollution in the United States. Enforcing these water protection laws requires the prioritization of human and environmental health and well-being over corporate and stakeholder monetary gain.

Supporting water conservation and protection organizations such as the Soil and Water Conservation Society, the Cape Fear River Watch, and the NC Conservation Network through donation and/or membership helps support dedicated researchers, administrators, planners, and policy makers preserve water as a natural resource; develop state-of-the-art conservation systems; improve policy; sustain ethics; and educate the public.

Using less toxic products and cleaners such as the EPA supported Safer Choice label that helps consumers, businesses, and purchasers find products that contain ingredients that are safer for human health and the environment. 

Installing water saving fixtures and appliances, with the WaterSense label, in your home and office can save about 30 percent of indoor water use and yield substantial savings on water, sewer, and energy bills, as well as divert less water from rivers, lakes, and reservoirs.

Fixing water leaks in plumbing and irrigation systems can save not only many gallons of water lost every day but also money and resources. According to the EPA, the average household's leaks can account for nearly 10,000 gallons of water wasted each year and at least 10% of homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons or more per day. Common types of leaks found in the home are from worn toilet flappers and dripping faucets.

Eco Solutions offers our clients many zero-cost and efficient ways to protect water quality and reduce water consumption inside and outside their home or business.

Developing green infrastructure into built spaces such as permeable soils or pavements, green roofs, rain collection barrels, and native plants and landscapes can reduce runoff, protect water quality, and conserve water.

Properly disposing of hazardous waste such as paints, motor oil, and industrial solvents by taking them to a local household hazardous-waste collection center prevents toxins from otherwise polluting the soil, public water systems, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs.

Avoiding use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers prevents harmful impacts on human and environmental health (including pets and pollinators). Many fertilizers and pesticides contain harmful chemicals which travel through the soil and contaminate groundwater or run off in storm water to rivers, streams, and lakes.

Collaborating with your local water-utility company provides opportunities for exchange of ideas, concerns, resources, and solutions regarding local water quality and quantity. A water utility's role includes promoting source water protection, public education, safety monitoring, and emergency preparedness and response.

Global Warming and Climate Change

Global warming is the long-term heating of the planet’s climate system, which has dramatically increased over the last 50 years primarily due to human activities that release heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the Earth's atmosphere. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the 5 largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions globally from economic sector are from making electricity such as burning coal and fossil fuels (25%); food, land use, and unsustainable agricultural practices (24%); industry including making plastic, steel, chemicals, and waste management (21%); transportation and its fuel-related pollution (14%); buildings including inefficient energy use (6%); and other such as "fugitive leaks" like methane from fracking gas and fossil fuel pipelines (10%).

Trapped heat, from global warming, causes moisture retention in the Earth's atmosphere that contributes to changing weather patterns, known as climate change. These weather patterns impact global temperature, precipitation, wind patterns, and other measures of climate that occur over several decades or longer. Climate change is having a measurable impact on the planet triggering vast extremes in temperature with record-breaking summers and colder-than-normal winters; in extreme weather such as more destructive hurricanes, lightening strikes, droughts, and rainstorms; in ice melt with the reduction in Arctic sea ice that results in less heat being reflected back into the atmosphere; in sea levels where melting Arctic ice is anticipated to impact human populations living along coastal areas; in ecosystems where many species of plants and animals are perishing or are moving northward to higher altitudes as a result of warming temperatures, drought, and wildfires; and in society as global warming impacts fresh water and agricultural systems that can lead to food insecurity, economic and political instability, and civil unrest worldwide.

Solutions

Global governmental action such as the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement that has joined nearly every nation on Earth to address climate change and its negative impacts. The agreement aims to substantially reduce global greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to limit the global temperature increase in this century to 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, while pursuing the means to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees.

National governmental action such as the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act that includes the largest environmental, climate, and clean-energy legislation in U.S. history. This, along with the National Climate Task Force, is helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, build resilience against the impacts of climate change, assist developing countries in implementing emissions-reduction measures, protect critical ecosystems, and promote the flow of capital toward climate-aligned investments and infrastructures.

State governmental action in North Carolina includes a Climate Change Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan that highlights advancing clean energy, transitioning to zero-emission vehicles, and strengthening natural infrastructure. This includes a 40% drop in statewide greenhouse gas emissions by 2025, establishing the North Carolina Climate Change Interagency Council, and directing state agencies to take actions that reduce emissions and strengthen our state.

Local citizen action involves voicing concerns about global warming and protecting our environment directly to local, state, and nationally-elected officials, as well as encouraging congress to enact new laws that limit carbon emissions and require corporations to pay for the emissions they produce.

Switching to renewable energy such as solar, wind, and tidal power makes use of natural resources without the harmful greenhouse gas impact of fossil fuels. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) cites North Carolina as the South's leader, and fourth among U.S. states, in solar-power energy generation. The economic, environmental, and social benefits of switching to renewable energy in NC has created over 450 solar companies that support approximately 4,307 jobs and represent at least $2 billion of direct investment in the state.

Enrolling in innovative renewable-energy programs through local utilities, such as PWC and Piedmont Natural Gas, that offer solar or carbon-offset programs that help residential and commercial customers transition from fossil fuel’s harmful environmental impacts and into cleaner, greener, more cost-efficient solutions.

Weatherizing homes and buildings by insulating and sealing drafts will result in more energy efficiency while saving money and resources.

Investing in energy-efficient appliances such as ENERGY STAR-certified products also saves money and protects the environment.

Eco Solutions' Home and Business Sustainability Assessments help our clients and community reduce their energy consumption and recommend energy-saving resources that also help combat climate change.

Replacing incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient LEDs uses 85%-90% less energy and lasts 15-20 times longer.

Unplugging your appliances and electrical devices when not in use can save the average U.S. household approximately $165 a year, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. That's the equivalent of $19 billion worth of electricity saved across the county.

Efficient Transportation includes fuel-efficient and gas-smart cars, such as hybrids and fully electric vehicles that save money, fuel, and emissions. The Car Care Council recommends regular auto tune ups, including a new air filter and properly inflated tires, which helps boost miles per gallon anywhere from 4%-40%. Also consider the money and energy savings in walking, biking, public transportation, and even teleconferencing.

Unifying a Global Response

The global environmental challenges and climate crises we face today require a global unified response in implementing their solutions. The reality, scale, and acceleration of these changes is impacting the world around us - not just in natural resources, ecosystems, wildlife, Arctic ice sheets, climate changes, coastlines, and cities across the earth, but also the health and wellbeing of every person and the generations to come.

Fortunately, through global environmental research and innovation, renewable and more efficient solutions are available now and scaling across the world. These include critical societal and cultural improvements such as empowering girls, reducing population growth, and expanding environmental awareness and education, as well as changing our diets, consumption, and waste patterns. They also involve reducing pollution and supporting nature through environmental protection initiatives such as regenerative agriculture, ethical political and corporate action, eco-friendly buildings, renewable energy, and efficient transportation, as well as updating, protecting, and conserving water systems.

Most importantly, these solutions illuminate the many ways we can live in harmony with the natural world and take actions now as individuals, families, businesses, schools, churches, communities, governments, and nations. We all have an essential role to play and science tells us, we also have the solutions and plans to create a more sustainable future.

Solutions

Global governmental action, such as the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, has joined nearly every nation on Earth to address climate change and its negative impacts. The agreement aims to substantially reduce global greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to limit the global temperature increase in this century to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.

National governmental action such as the U.S. federal administration's rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement; implementing reductions in greenhouse gas emissions; building resilience against the impacts of climate change; assisting developing countries in implementing emissions reduction measures; protecting critical ecosystems; and promoting the flow of capital toward climate-aligned investments and infrastructures.

State governmental action emphasizes a North Carolina Climate Change Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan that highlights investing in rural and urban communities, advancing clean energy, transitioning to zero-emission vehicles, and strengthening natural infrastructure. This includes a 40% drop in statewide greenhouse gas emissions by 2025, establishing the North Carolina Climate Change Interagency Council, and directing state agencies to take actions that reduce emissions and strengthen our state.

Local citizen action involves voicing concerns about global warming and environmental protection directly to local, state, and nationally elected officials; as well as encouraging congress to enact new laws that limit carbon emissions and require corporations to pay for the emissions they produce.

Environmental protection support empowers eco-friendly initiatives and organizations to safeguard precious ecosystems and habitats; engage and educate the public; and co-create protective legislation with informed policymakers and stakeholders. Examples of environmental protection organizations include the World Wildlife Federation, the Sierra Club, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Consumer education and sensitization drives eco-friendly product demand and encourages people to preserve and restore the environment through conservation efforts. This includes becoming familiar with biodiversity-friendly labels featuring non toxic, cruelty free, organic, and fair trade as well as avoiding products sourced from endangered species such as ivory and fur.

Waste reduction initiatives engage the public in the daily practice of reducing, reusing, recycling, and composting waste thereby conserving natural resources and saving money.

Installing water saving fixtures and appliances, with the WaterSense label, in your home and office can save about 30 percent of indoor water use and yield substantial savings on water, sewer, and energy bills as well as divert less water from rivers, lakes, and reservoirs.

Weatherizing homes and buildings by insulating and sealing drafts will result in more energy efficiency while saving money and resources.

Investing in energy-efficient appliances such as ENERGY STAR-certified products also saves money and protects the environment.

Supporting water conservation and protection organizations such as the Soil and Water Conservation Society, the Cape Fear River Watch, and the NC Conservation Network through donation and/or membership helps support dedicated researchers, administrators, planners, and policy makers preserve water as a natural resource; develop state-of-the-art conservation systems; improve policy; sustain ethics; and educate the public.

Creating and enforcing governmental water protection laws such as the Clean Water Act which became law in 1972, and is the primary federal mechanism by which streams, lakes, and wetlands are protected from degradation and pollution in the United States. Enforcing these water protection laws requires the prioritization of human and environmental health and well being over corporate and stakeholder monetary gain.

Enrolling in innovative renewable-energy programs through local utilities, such as PWC and Piedmont Natural Gas, that offer solar or carbon-offset programs that help residential and commercial customers transition from fossil fuel’s harmful environmental impacts and into cleaner, greener, more cost-efficient solutions.

Eco Solutions cultivates community relationships that inspire greater environmental awareness; encourage resource efficiency and waste reduction; and empower a more unified response towards sustainable action.