Level 1: Things you can do from inside your home
- Engage in initiatives and support local businesses that don’t harm people or the planet. (1)
- Are you looking for ways to take community action? YouthXChange has some ideas.
- Share, don’t just like. If you see an interesting social media post about a climate-friendly business or product, share it so your network can also see and support it.
Level 2: Things you can do outside your home
- Shop local. Supporting neighborhood businesses keeps people employed and builds the local economy.
- Bring your own bag when you shop. Pass on the plastic bag and start carrying reusable bags.
- Participate in ethical shopping. When possible, try to buy sustainable, fair trade, cruelty-free, organic, recycled, reused or locally produced items in order to directly support innovative and environmentally friendly companies. (2)
Level 3: Things you can do at work
- Stay informed. Read about climate-friendly businesses and practices in your community. Talk to your colleagues and brainstorm solutions to support these businesses. (1)
- Examine and change everyday actions. Can you recycle at your workplace? Is your company buying from merchants engaging in harmful ecological practices?
- Encourage your company to work with civil society organizations and find ways to help local communities and businesses achieve climate-friendly goals.
Visit our YALI4OurFuture page for more tools and resources.
(1) United Nations. (n.d.). The Lazy Person's Guide to Saving the World – United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. United Nations. Retrieved April 13, 2023, from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/takeaction/
(2) Cade, A., & Bowden, R. (2011). Chapter 11: Shopping for Stuff. In Climate change and lifestyles: Youthxchange guidebook series (pp. 42–45). essay, UNESCO. From https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000212876
