WEBINAR: Getting Serious about Living
DATE: 23 June 2020
TIME: 1:30 PM - 2:45 PM CEST
Unprecedented events have thrust us to re-examine how we live. Not only our healthcare, but all the interlinked systems that meet our daily needs and even what we really want in life. In a world under threat from global health concerns, economic challenges and biodiversity loss and climate change, our living and lifestyle decisions will (collectively) determine our future. How can we better understand the impacts of what we need and want and find new ways for everyone to live healthy, better, and lighter? We need the evidence, new people centric models and to effectively tap into the power of people.
"Getting Serious about Living: 1.5-degree lifestyles and opportunities" will bring together experts from research, business and media to offer their visions on: What is sustainable living and COVID19 trends? How can business contribute to building back better with a people centric approach? How can media motivate the needed transformational change? These insights set the stage for the broader series webinars that will inspire participants to drive change, highlight real ways for more sustainable living; and provide evidence and messages for action.
This is a kickoff webinar in the series Sustainable Living 1.5: Empowering people to live better and lighter.
Agenda
1) Welcome: One Planet Network
2) Introduction and moderation: Garrette Clark, UNEP Sustainable Lifestyles Programme Officer, and Fabienne Pierre, 10YFP Secretariat
3) Panel of experts:
- Lewis Akenji: Member of Hot or Cool and a lead author in cornerstone research on sustainable living and lifestyles
- Malin Pettersson-Beckeman: Sustainability Communication Manager, Inter IKEA Group
- Claire Tavernier: Senior content and digital media advisor with a focus on young people, diversity and media-led behaviour change. Former Head of Digital and Drama for Fremantle, producer of American Idol, Got Talent and X Factor; former CEO of media intervention NGO Girl Effect.
Key messages from Getting Serious about Living: 1.5-degree lifestyles and opportunities from visionaries in a post COVID world
How can we live more sustainably? In this first kick-off webinar of the broader series Sustainable Living 1.5: Empowering people to live better and lighter three sustainability experts offered visions on sustainable living to a global audience -what it is, how it can fit within business models and how to make it irresistible- in the COVID-19 context. They explored the importance of evidence and leadership around the topic, and how we need to motivate behavioral change.
1. Rethinking approaches to sustainable lifestyles (Lewis Akenji: Member of Hot or Cool)
The urgency of transitioning towards more sustainable lifestyles is often underestimated. Everyday living needs to be transformed at the size, scale and urgency required by avoiding the small-action trap and letting go of certain things! Don’t forget that the decisions we make to meet our daily needs for food, housing, mobility and leisure greatly impact the planet and the people around us. Prioritizing what we can all do can generate the momentum for change we need! However, our individual behaviour changes must be accompanied by broader systemic and structural changes, including new institutions and infrastructures that embody the ethos of sustainability. Sustainable living includes more than just consuming ‘green’ products – it extends to themes such as living within our planetary boundaries, equal access to opportunities, and putting societal and community well-being first. Sometimes, the sheer complexity and amount of evidence and science that is out there might overwhelm us, yet, it is important to remember: Better, lighter and diverse sustainable living is possible for all and lifestyles are not static!
2. The importance of inspirational leadership and people-centric businesses models (Malin Pettersson-Beckeman: Sustainability Communication & Engagement Manager, Inter IKEA Group)
Empowering people to live better and lighter also requires the support of governments and businesses around the world. Sustainable living is at the core of the Swedish home furnishing brand IKEA. IKEA’s overall ambitions are to make sustainable living affordable, attractive and accessible while having a positive impact on both people and the planet. Especially now with COVID-19, it is important that businesses re-enforce long-term sustainability commitments and drive change collectively by finding and promoting more sustainable lifestyles.
3. Promoting sustainable living through stories (Claire Tavernier: Senior content and digital media advisor)
Media – but more specifically, stories – are another potential catalyst for transformational change towards more sustainable living. Stories have not only the potential to build awareness around sustainable living, but they also allow space to discuss complex issues and normalise different behaviours. Stories have the ability to create a long-term emotional connection between people and the various issues related to sustainable living. This makes stories a powerful instrument for changing our current social norms to make sustainable lifestyle practices the “new normal”. Put simply, engaging people’s interest in sustainable living and lifestyles requires three steps: Building awareness; creating an emotional connection; and lastly, changing social norms!
If you want to learn more check out the following links:
- Anatomy of Action: An evidence-based social media tool kit that translates science into what people can do in their daily lives.
- 1.5-Degree Lifestyles: Targets and options for reducing lifestyle carbon footprints: This report demonstrates that changes in consumption patterns and dominant lifestyles are a critical and integral part of the solutions package to addressing climate change.
- Fostering and Communicating Sustainable Lifestyles: Principles and Emerging Practices: This UN Environment report sets out a four-step strategy roadmap for fostering and communicating sustainable lifestyles, illustrated by 16 initiatives and campaigns from around the world.
Read more about how sustainable consumption and production can support countries to #BuildBackBetter from the Covid-19 pandemic
Food systems
Statement on the Covid-19 crisis and food systems
WEBINAR: Cities and Covid-19: food access for vulnerable communities in practice
Tourism
One Planet vision for a responsible recovery of the tourism sector
Global tourism sector should continue fight against plastic pollution during and after Covid-19
Lifestlyes
WEBINAR: Sustainable Lifestyles in a Pandemic World
Others
WEBINAR: Making sustainable public procurement part of the Covid-19 fiscal response
WEBINAR: Sustainability After Covid-19 - Building resilient supply chains
