THE ANATOMY OF ACTION FOR ACTIVATE SUSTAINABLE LIVING DATA VALIDATION REPORT RESEARCH OVERVIEW AND DATA VALIDATION REPORT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF EVERYDAY ACTIONS FOR ENACTING SUSTAINABLE LIVING AND LIFESTYLES BASED ON MICRO ACTIONS THAT CAN LEAD TO MACRO CHANGE JUNE 2019 THE INITIATIVE This initiative set out to research and develop an action map that connects tangible everyday actions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and develop a set of achievable high-priority lifestyles areas where micro actions taken by individuals will contribute to sustainable macro changes in SUSTAINABLE the economy and society at large. LIVING EVERYDAY The project saw the identification of everyday actions based ACTIONS SET on recent best-practice scientific data and aligned with clear actionable outcomes. This document summarizes the research that informed the development of the Anatomy of Action designed to help make sustainable living tangible, actionable and irresistible. www.AnatomyofAction.org #AnatomyOfAction 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This initiative was developed to support the collaboration Research and Contributions between the United Nations Environment Programme and The UnSchool of Disruptive Design, “who work to promote UnSchool: Leyla Acaroglu, Emma Segal, Roxanna de la Fuente, Sumita Ghosh, Rebecca McMaster,, Jes Lee, Scott Reeves. sustainable leadership and living through uniquely disruptive approaches to activating change”. UN Environment: Garrette Clark, Julie Guichard; James Lomax, Carly Koinange, Bert Fabian, Natacha Nass, Sharon Gil, Nora Steurer, Martina Author: Dr. Leyla Acaroglu Otto, Helena Rey De Assis, Maelys Nizan, Margarita Pirovska, Rebecca Illustrations: Emma Segal Elliott, Sandra Averous-Monnery, Kristina Bowers, Llorenc Mila I Canals, Fang Wang, Madeleine Travers, Sarah Yvonne Harper, and Kathryn Published: June, 2019 Carruth Copyright and Attributions: Copyright UN Environment 2019 Reviewers Creative commons Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial UnSchool: Leyla Acaroglu, Emma Segal, Jamie Ferrell, Roxanna de la Fuente Disclaimer: The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the UN Environment: Steven Stone, Elisa Tonda, Garrette Clark United Nations Environment Programme concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Moreover, the views expressed do not necessarily represent the decision Citation: Acaroglu, L. 2019. The Anatomy of Action for Sustainable Living. or the stated policy of the United Nations Environment Programme, nor does citing of Nairobi: United Nations Environment Programme. online: trade names or commercial processes constitute endorsement. www.anatomyofaction.org 3 WELCOME There is no shortage of global environmental issues and they The AoA presents everyday lifestyle swaps which help anyone can sometimes feel overwhelming, but there is a movement transition from damaging daily actions to more sustainable ones. underway towards a sustainable future, whereby individuals all These swaps help achieve the SDG's and move us towards a more over the world are taking micro actions that when copied and circular economy replicated by others, accumulate to have a positive impact on the planet and help to orientate the economy. All actions in the Anatomy of Action are some of the most effective undertakings an individual can make to contribute to Every choice we make has an impact. This we each have the this transition to a more equitable and sustainable future. They potential to either reinforce undesirable outcomes or to help are framed as lifestyle swapes and are intended to not be path the way towards more sustainable solutions, so that they dogmatic instructions, but more invitations to making different become normal parts of everyone's daily lives and help bring choices based on what means you have to do so. about a better future. Course there are many more actions you can take! Our list is by That’s the purpose of the Sustainable Development Goals no means an exhaustive account of all the aspects of our daily (SDGs), to support the rapid transition away from old, polluting, lives that we need to tackle in order to meet the SDGs. But it’s a inequitable, and unsustainable ways of meeting human needs, great starter list and the memetic reference of all the everyday toward more regenerative, thriving, and positive societies. I actions you take with your hands, offering a helpful reminder of came up with the AoA concept as a way to quickly reference swapping out unsustainable lifestyle choices everyday. everyday actions that we can all take in our everyday lives to have a positive impact, no matter how small it seams Dr. Leyla Acaroglu, June 2019 4 CONCEPT OVERVIEW The Anatomy of Action outlines everyday lifestyle swaps that Evidence shows us that if enough people start to adopt the individuals can make to support the growing shift toward global changes outlined in the Anatomy of Action key lifestyle areas of sustainability. food, stuff, money, move, and fun, then the global momentum of collective action will help shift the economy and address Each of us makes choices that have impacts on the world pressing social and environmental issues around us. Since we often use our hands to take these actions, the simple concept of the Anatomy of Action is a visual Individual changes help change the local and global economy reference to a hand. This supports easy identification and (which responds to consumer demand) and have impacts across memory around the everyday swaps you can do from the entire supply chain and help to normalize new actions for unsustainable to more sustainable lifestyle choices those around us - creating a change chain reaction. Furthermore, many companies and governments respond to There are thousands of possibilities for lifestyle swaps that are consumer preferences so these choices can help shift what more sustainable than the current mainstream status quo. We products and services are available. combed through them, looked at recent evidence and then refined the list to a set of high-impact, easy-to-remember If we all change the way we eat and buy, how we invest money actions that anyone, anywhere can take everyday to create and move, and what we do for fun and aspirations, we can positive ripple effects change how our world works for a better future 5 THE ANATOMY OF ACTION INITIATIVE The Anatomy of Action (AoA) initiative is the result of a The research conducted informed the creative development collaboration between UN Environment and The UnSchool of the Anatomy of Action concept and the campaign assets which set out to research and develop an action map that outlined in this Social Media Manual. connects tangible everyday actions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The research resulted in an The content created for the AoA is intended to support those action map of achievable high-priority lifestyles actions that interested in taking action by further building and expanding taken by individuals will contribute to more sustainable on the movement towards a sustainable and regenerative shifts in the the economy and society at large. future. This media manual is intended for influencers and people engaged in disseminating content on social media. The AoA is based on research conducted in the last 5 years and aligns this data to actions in main lifestyle domains that In the following pages you will find all the information you have the greatest impact. It is a contribution to the One need to help activate change through this initiative. Planet Network Sustainable Lifestyles and Education Programme and its global efforts to promote more Thanks for being a part of a positive future, by taking action sustainable living. today! www.AnatomyofAction.org #AnatomyOfAction 6 5 EVERYDAY AREAS OF ACTION We all eat food, buy stuff, spend money, move in our communities, and like to have fun. These are the five main lifestyle areas where each human has an impact and where you can make choices to have a more positive impact on the planet! These five areas of action form part of our everyday living needs and lifestyle choices that hold the potential, if enough people swap their actions, to support the global changes we need to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. FOOD STUFF MOVE MONEY FUN 7 THE ANATOMY OF ACTION 8 THE ACTIONS ANYONE CAN TAKE These are the everyday actions that anyone can take to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. This document outlines the data and research that supports this shortlist. FOOD STUFF MOVE MONEY FUN BEYOND ETHICAL ENJOY THE PROTEIN SWAPS KEEP ACTIVE BUYING INVESTING JOURNEY USE ALL YOUR FASHION SLOW SHARE YOUR DIVESTMENT STAY CURIOUS FOOD DOWN RIDE GROW YOUR DITCH ENERGY CHOOSE GO CLEANER OWN DISPOSABLES POSITIVE HOME EXPERIENCES 9 FOCUS AREA: SDG12 SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), is a To unravel status-based consumption patterns (Kim and critical focal point to address most SDGs, whether it be Jang, 2014), we must address individual choices and how biodiversity impacts from material extraction, marine they can influence producers to change to more circular impacts from plastic pollution, or the impacts on climate and sustainable means of production." change from the demands of disposable lifestyles on the consumer goods production. These are all directly impacted by the drivers and demands of consumption Goal 12.8 sets the target: