CIS FOOTPRINT
CIS FOOTPRINT
CIS FOOTPRINT
WHAT MARK WILL YOU MAKE?
CIS students have also been inspired to continue their sustainability efforts in different ways outside of DITO. We hope this display of individual student projects and collaborations will inspire YOU to take action.
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How can you impact the environment? Share your ideas and visions for a sustainable future!
VEGANUARY CAMPAIGN
Did you know that changing your diet is one of the most effective individual lifestyle choices to reduce carbon impact? Striving for a world free of animal slaughter and lower carbon emissions, DITO celebrated World Meatless Day in November by providing exclusively meatless options in the Cafeteria. We also promoted the Veganuary campaign, where 31 members of the CIS community shared their experiences going vegan for one day.
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A vegan diet for 1 month can save...
Whether it's January, March, or September, give vegan a try! You can start small by cutting down on red meat and dairy consumption, or go meatless every Monday. Find fun vegan recipes to make with your friends and family, discover new eco-restaurants, plant your own herbs, and talk about your experiences to spread the word!
Every little step counts!
No air-con day
No Air Con Day is an energy-saving campaign that promotes the wise use of air conditioning. Participants pledge to turn off their air conditioning for one day, with the option to extend this into the long term: turn off the air conditioning unless indoor temperature is higher than 27°C.
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Not only are air conditioners one of the largest sources of energy usage at CIS and in Hong Kong, but the synthetic chemical refrigerants commonly used to transfer heat in ACs have extremely high ozone depletion and global warming potentials, almost 2000 times greater than CO2.
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Check out the infographics below to learn more about how to do your small part in easing global warming!
sUSTAINABLE BAKING RECIPES
CIS Cooks | DITO
Below are some suggested SUSTAINABLE baking recipe ideas so we can protect our earth while treating others or ourselves. If you are gifting baked goods, also consider how to be sustainable with packaging. Happy Baking!
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Sustainable Packaging ideas
- Store the goods in a paper bag
- Soybean wax paper or parchment paper are biodegradable alternatives for plastic wrapping/Ziploc bags
- Be aware of plastic-lined paper bags. Those are NOT recyclable, nor biodegradable!
Your Impact on the environment
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Environmental Footprint Quiz!
https://footprint.wwf.org.uk/#/
After looking at our projects, it is time to make your own change! The first step to approach this is to identify where the problem lies. Take the quiz linked above and read up on how others have made changes in their habits to become more environmentally friendly! Perhaps this can inspire you to do something similar too :)
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Going Zero Waste
Kaitlyn started out as a Year 7 student with an interest in the environment, but it was only after a year in Hangzhou that she realised the complexity of climate change. She is currently trying out solutions to the rapidly increasing issue of waste accumulation in the consumerist society we live in today.
This started when she planned a zero-waste bike trip in the US around Connecticut with her father. The bike trip allowed her to appreciate nature, as well as explore some easy strategies to reduce her own carbon footprint. She was inspired to start the massive change in her life after reading other people’s stories online and discovering how simple it could be. She anticipated that it would be difficult to keep track of the waste that they were producing, but she realised it was simple as long as they were consciously aware of their choices. To combat this issue of producing waste from just purchasing and eating, she and her dad made sure to bring their own containers and cutlery when they entered a supermarket. That meant no plastic or excess packaging. To avoid using too many tissues, they simply switched to using towels. It was a simple solution that lasted a long time and was reusable for many things. People started asking her about her reasons for carrying out those changes and soon enough Kaitlyn was spreading the word without knowing it.
After completing the short trip, Kaitlyn noticed changes in her own habits - such as being more aware of excess packaging, bringing more things from home and consuming less at convenience stores. After discussing with her family, she also turned vegetarian about 2 years ago. Through her experiences, she learnt that it’s best to lead by example. If people are curious enough, they will ask, then you can start a discussion to spread the word. For those who are not so sure, talking it out and finding a compromise might be best. If you find common ground then you can start to bring in changes.
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Going Vegetarian
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Laetitia joined CIS Footprint after participating in the Environment program during HKEP Week. In Year 3, her father became a vegetarian and she started to learn more about how our food waste and food processing affects the environment. A year and a half ago, she decided to take the next step and become vegetarian herself. Naturally, the transition into vegetarianism was a lot easier for her than some as she’d already had prior exposure to proper and healthy vegetarian eating. After a while of vegetarian eating, Laetitia found that she felt a lot healthier and her energy levels were much better during the school day. She also found that having communication with parents and family members was a really important part of making it easier to eat a vegetarian diet. Cooking also became a lot easier for her as there are fewer health concerns when it comes to handling raw meats versus raw vegetables and fruits. At the end of the day, becoming vegetarian isn’t too complicated or difficult a process, it just requires patience and consistency.
