What is your level of knowledge regarding sustainability?
86% of respondents claimed to have heard of the concept of sustainability.
The term "sustainability" was defined in 1983 by the Bruntdland Commission as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
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Sustainability has three pillars:
Environmental Sustainability
Economic Sustainability
Social Sustainability
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Find more information here.
What environmentally friendly initiatives have you noticed around Red Deer?
To see all the programs Red Deer offices, check out their website here.
The most common initiatives recognized by respondents were the city-wide compost / bin sorting program / change in garbage pick-up schedule, clean-air buses, banning of plastic bags or plastic straws at certain businesses, increased use of solar panels, plug-ins for electric vehicles, and community clean-ups.
What sustainable efforts would you like to learn more about?
The majority of answers were aimed at helping the students lead more sustainable lifestyles.
The topics pulled from the survey results included:
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sustainable lifestyles
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city initiatives
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air pollution
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plastic pollution
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solar panels
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renewable energy
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hydroponics
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water pollution/ water management
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climate change
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emission reduction
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zero waste
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and more!
What do you do to be more sustainable?
Compost and recycle were the top answers.
Efforts recognized by students:
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recycling
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environment club
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reusable bags
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turn off lights
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paper / metal straws
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save water
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limit food waste
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avoid fast fashion
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minimal plastic use
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buy organic
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reuse old items for another purpose
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plans to buy an electric vehicle in the future
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walk
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carpool
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take the bus
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bike
What is the only country in the world that is carbon negative (meaning it removes more carbon from the environment than it adds)?
9 respondents had the correct answer: Bhutan.
Interesting facts about Bhutan:
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The constitution mandates that at least 60% of the land must be maintained and protected as forest.
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Bhutan has won world records for planting the most trees per hour.
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Bhutan produces 1.5 million tonnes of carbon every year, but thanks to the country’s 72 per cent forest coverage, more than 6 million tonnes of carbon is absorbed.
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Learn more about Bhutan from the former Prime Minister of Bhutan, Tshering Tobgay, here.
If Red Deer held a Fridays for Future climate strike would you be interested in attending?
Join the National Climate Strike in Red Deer on April 3. More information can be found here.
27% of students responded that they would like to participate in a climate strike.
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Of the contestants who said that they would not participate, the most common reason was that they did not want to miss school or work.
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Some suggestions the students made were:
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a workshop on sustainable practices
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movements that focus on efforts at home
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a community meeting to bring awareness to our carbon footprint and focuses on how to reduce it
