Monday, December 23, 2013

Celebrating a sustainable holiday…….tips for the season


                                          
The Holiday season is ideally a time to celebrate with family and friends characterized with excitement and a lot of activities ranging from shopping, partying, hosting friends and family, increase in travel, waste generation and energy consumption. Unfortunately, the holidays can also be a time when accidents occur due to increase in criminal activities during this period.
The objective of this write up is to increase our situational awareness during the festive season and to provide tips to ensure zero harm to people, assets and the environment. It also reminds us of the precautions we can all take to have a safe and happy season.                         
Tips for the holiday season
The following are precaution that should be applied during the holidays to ensure our safety and health are not compromised during the season.
Ø  Do not use your cellphone while walking in isolated areas and while riding a public transportation to prevent being a victim of snatching.
Ø  Make ATM withdrawals only from secure point and utilize Point Of Sale terminals and Internet banking for large cash transactions as much as possible.
Ø  Send e-Cards to friends and loved ones via the Internet, in place of traditional Christmas greeting cards.
Ø  Reduce energy consumption; use energy efficient bulbs or appliance as required.
Ø  Combine trips to reduce the frequency of travel; this reduces your fuel consumption and limits your exposure to hazards associated with commuting or travelling.
Ø  Eliminate food wastage:  Buy only required quantities of food items, especially perishable items and make necessary arrangements for storage and preservation. Excess food should be promptly packed and placed in the freezer. Apply the Eat, Think and Save principle.
Ø  Dispose of waste appropriately; gather waste in refuse bags and drop off at designated dumpsters or employ the services of approved Private Sector Partnership waste collectors.
Ø  Turn off all lights when you go to bed or leave the house/office. The lights could short out and start a fire.
Ø  Bacteria are often present in raw foods. Fully cook meats and poultry properly, and thoroughly wash raw vegetables and fruits.
Ø  Keep a list with all of the important phone numbers you may need for emergencies.
Ø  Ensure designated drivers are available after a party. Do not drink and drive.
Ø  For long flights/travel, ensure you move around to promote blood circulation and prevent DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis).
Ø  Listen to your pre-flight safety briefing and read the safety data card in the seat pocket to your front while travelling by air.
Ø  If attacked, do not argue or fight with armed criminals, be calm in speaking with them, avoid sudden movements or eye contact and remain subservient.

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Written by O’ Reese on behalf of En-pact Solutions Limited. 2013.
Twitter: @O Reese2
         @EnpactHSE




     

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Climate Reality Leadership Corps………………. a social revolution for climatic action.





Our planet is fast heating up by the burning of fossil fuels with several tons of carbon pollutants entering the atmosphere everyday through landfills, transportation (traffic), power plants, forest burning, oil exploration & production, fertilizer application, industrialized agriculture, coal/mining plants to mention a few. Carbon pollution is disrupting our lives daily and destroying the earth. How long will we continue to live in an unsustainable way? Now is the time to put a price on carbon and implement the ‘Polluters Pay Principle’ in order to combat the growing devastating impacts of climate change.

Nine of ten hottest years on record in the US were in the past twelve (12) years showing the rapid changes in climatic conditions. There is a thin distinction between the rainy and the dry (Harmattan) season in Nigeria making it difficult for farmers to predict the production season. Recently, extreme weather conditions have been experienced globally ranging from flooding in India, Pakistan, Argentina, Taiwan, Philippines, Brazil and South of Nigeria (Lagos, Delta and Ondo); droughts in Arizona, China, India, Spain, South Korea, Senegal, Switzerland and Northern part of Nigeria (Adamawa and Bauchi) and the raging fires in Colorado, Russia, Portugal, Turkey, Macedonia, Texas, also the hurricanes such as Sandy, Katrina, the recent Typhoon Haiyan in Philippines (one of the strongest tropical cyclones recorded in history) and other tornados round the world.

Climate change is happening already and influencing our lifestyles; this is a call for action. How can you contribute? Promote clean and renewable energy, which is affordable, reliable and available.


The Climate Reality Project, founded and chaired by former Vice President and Nobel Laureate Al Gore, is dedicated to providing a global cultural movement that demands action on the current climate crisis. The Climate Reality Project exists to forge a network of global support to create awareness on climate change and promote action. With that foundation, they kindle the moral courage in our leaders to solve the climate crisis.


The Climate Reality Project employs cutting-edge communications and community engagement tools to reach out and stir up proactive action to raise the profile of the climate crisis to its proper state of urgency. With a global movement more than 5 million strong and a mass network of Climate Leaders trained by Chairman Al Gore, they promote the climate change conversations in their local community.


The Climate Reality Project operates in eight international offices: Australia, Canada, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.


The Climate Reality Leadership Corps has hosted 23 trainings since 2007 in locations across the globe. In 2013, the trainings were held in Chicago and Istanbul. The 2014 trainings will take place in Brazil and South Africa.

                                   

You too can become a climate leader by joining the Climate Reality Corps so we can all work together and save our home.... the earth. With collective efforts, we can combat the impacts of climate change and make a difference in our world. Let us Inform, Influence and inspire others and be dedicated to demanding action on climate change, soliciting for solutions, spreading the truth about climate change to empower our leaders to solve the climate crisis. 

Further information on the Climate Reality Project: http://climaterealityproject.org.



Written by O’ Reese on behalf of En-pact Solutions Limited. 2013.
Twitter: @O Reese2
         @EnpactHSE