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Friday 15 October 2021

Key takeaways from Anatomy Of Action for sustainable lifestyle. An article by Sofonie Dala - Angola

“This short period of my life was probably one of my most defining life experiences thus far.”


This Anatomy of Action Challenge is a life changing educational opportunity that will definitely reduce my carbon footprint based on scientific evidence. To live sustainably we must use less of the earth’s natural resources, replenish what we can and produce less polluting waste:

- Dear women and girls, reusable sanitary pads reduce energy use. It means switching to reusable pads significantly reduces the energy usage necessary in making plastic which is very energy intensive. It can result in toxic residual chemicals making it an all-round terrible thing for the planet.

- Stop using plastic straws, even in restaurants.

- Use a reusable produce bag. A single plastic bag can take 1,000 years to degrade. Purchase or make your own reusable produce bag and be sure to wash them often!

- Give up gum. Gum is made of a synthetic rubber, aka plastic.

- Buy boxes instead of bottles. Often, products like laundry detergent come in cardboard which is more easily recycled than plastic.

- Purchase food, like cereal, pasta, and rice from bulk bins and fill a reusable bag or container. You save money and unnecessary packaging.

- Reuse containers for storing leftovers or shopping in bulk.


Many of the global challenges we face today are caused by the rate we consume. Pollution, the over-extraction of resources and biodiversity loss are directly linked to increasing production to meet consumption demands. How we consume corresponds to how we live our lives.Taking individual actions to consume less, choose quality over quantity, buy local and reframe how we spend our free time sends power messages to not only our friends and family but also to the decision makers in our communities.

We all eat food, buy stuff, spend money, move in our communities, and like to have fun. These are the 5 main Lifestyle areas where each human has an impact and where you can make choices to have a more positive impact on the planet!



We help activate sustainable living for people!
Actions that you can take:

1. FOOD

PROTEIN SWAPS - Reduce meat and animal product consumption habits and adopt a more plant-based diet

USE ALL YOUR FOOD - Get organic waste out of trash heaps and landfills to reduce methane, improve soil fertility, and increase equitable access to fresh food

GROW YOUR OWN - Grow your own food and connect to where it comes from in order to save money and to reduce transport, packaging, and food waste

2. STUFF

BEYOND BUYING - Consider what you need and buy products that will last longer, be used multiple times, and are intended to be in use for as long as possible before being remanufactured or recycled

FASHION SLOW DOWN - Buy fewer and better clothes, stay away from fast fashion that mass produces at the cost of environmental and human justice

DITCH DISPOSABLES - Refuse everyday products which cannot be reused

3. MOVE

KEEP ACTIVE - Keep or take up walking and cycling to work and advocate for your government and local businesses to provide more sustainable and safer public transport options

SHARE YOUR RIDE - Continue or opt for public and shared transport instead of driving, and advocate for more options

GO CLEANER - Swap to options like electric vehicles, cleaner fuels, and fewer kilometers to reduce your transport footprint

4. MONEY

ETHICAL INVESTING - Use your principles to guide investing and consider socially and environmentally responsible options

DIVESTMENT - Actively swap your financial institutions or services to more sustainable options

ENERGY POSITIVE HOMES - Enhance your comfort, save energy and money by adapting your home and your habits to be more efficient

5. Fun

ENJOY THE JOURNEY - Staying local can reduce your carbon footprint, help local economies, and can be more cost effective. When you do go the distance, stay longer and choose better products

STAY CURIOUS - Embrace a life of constant learning, adventure, and curiosity, and keep an open mind

CHOOSE EXPERIENCES - Consider spending more time and resources on the experiences that add value to your life

The main objective of the challenge is to show that sustainable living is accessible, cool and fun – anyone, anywhere can make it!

Our everyday motto is: "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food"

Our guest today is, Engracia, she will talk about some unsustainable actions that affect the quality of life and opportunities of people in her community.


Hi, Good afternoon!

Hey, good afternoon. My name is Engracia.

Engracia how old are you?

I'm 15 years old.

Could you talk about your lifestyle and the environment where you live?

The situation in our environment is bad. People have been cutting trees constantly, there is a lot of garbage in the street and the burning of tires have been polluting the air.

What are some unsustainable actions in your view that man has been doing that harms the environment?

People urinate on the streets, some foods we eat are not so good, for example the excess of white rice causes anemia, inflames people's faces, eyes turn yellow, eating food without oil and food with a lot of oil also harms our health.




What do you consume that is good for your health?

I eat beans, vegetables and greens.

What kind of beverage do you drink?

I drink water.

Is the water you drink clean?

Some waters are clean and others are dirty.

What do you think we can do to change this situation?

We have to treat the water well. Because if we consume dirty water it will make us sick and we will end up in the hospital.


Humans impact the physical environment in many ways: overpopulation, pollution, burning fossil fuels, and deforestation. Changes like these have triggered climate change, soil erosion, poor air quality, and undrinkable water. These negative impacts can affect human behavior and can prompt mass migrations or battles over clean water.



Don't miss out, stay with us, you'll only win!

We are sorry that some of you were not able to attend all the 5 main domains of the Anatomy of Action Challenge 2021. We thought you might be interested in and benefit from watching the entire campaign.

Don't worry, we care about you! In case you missed out, you can still watch the campaign recordings and summaries, and do not forget subscribe to our channels.

This campaign inspires and guides youth action for both individual and systems change that enables sustainable lifestyles.




Covid boosters: Who needs them and how do they help?



A panel advising the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is meeting to debate the need for additional doses of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

The meetings on Thursday and Friday come one month after the FDA authorised Pfizer booster jabs for some Americans, including those over 65 or at higher risk of severe illness and who work in frontline jobs.

Prior to the FDA’s decision, an advisory panel at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had recommended that only those above 65 and immunocompromised people between 50 and 64 receive boosters.

The Biden administration and the pharmaceutical companies involved have all offered broad support for boosters.

While the approval meant that tens of millions of US residents became eligible for a third jab, Americans across the country remain confused about boosters, who needs them and how they help.

Here’s what we know so far.

What’s the status of each vaccine?

Pfizer

Numbers: To date, more than 103 million US residents have been fully vaccinated with two Pfizer doses, while approximately 7 million have received boosters.

Efficacy: Data shows that a full dosage of the Pfizer vaccine is 88% effective in preventing hospital admission. CDC data released in mid-September shows that the vaccine’s effectiveness falls to 77% after 120 days.

Company Claim About Booster: Pfizer has been supportive of the need for boosters, with CEO Albert Bourla telling reporters that studies have shown that the vaccine’s effectiveness steadily declines to about 84% for vaccinated people four to six months after receiving their second dose.

FDA Ruling: Pfizer boosters have been approved for older adults and 50 to 64 year olds with medical conditions, as well as adults with underlying medical conditions or those who live and work in high-risk settings.

Moderna

Numbers: To date, more than 69 million people have been fully vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine, with about 1.5 million people having received Moderna booster jabs.

Efficacy: New data shows that Moderna’s vaccine was about 93% effective at reducing the risk of being admitted to hospital with Covid-19. It stays about 92% effective after 120 days.

Company Claim About Booster: Last month, Moderna said that a half-dose booster jab would boost antibodies to a higher point than the initial two shots and believes a booster will be necessary “prior to the winter season”. Currently, Moderna boosters have only been approved for certain people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients or transplant recipients.

FDA Ruling: The FDA has yet to decide on the safety and effectiveness of the Moderna booster shot.

Johnson & Johnson

Numbers: Nearly 15 million US residents have received a Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine, which is administered in one dose. CDC data shows that only about 9,800 people have so far received J&J boosters.

Efficacy: Research shows that the J&J vaccine is 71% effective in preventing the need for hospital care. After just 28 days, the vaccine’s effectiveness falls to 68%.

Company Claim About Booster: Like Moderna, J&J has submitted a request for emergency use authorisation for its booster jab. In late September, the company said that research shows that a booster provides a 12-fold increase in antibodies and continued to climb to 12-fold higher four weeks later.

FDA Ruling: The FDA has yet to decide on the safety and effectiveness of the Johnson & Johnson booster shot.

Preliminary data from a federal clinical trial released on Wednesday suggested, however, that those who received a J&J vaccine may benefit more from having a Moderna or Pfizer booster.

The research showed that those with a J&J vaccine followed by Moderna or Pfizer boosters saw significantly higher antibody responses than with an extra dose of J&J.

The researchers noted that the data suggests “that if a vaccine is approved or authorised as a booster, an immune response will be generated regardless of the primary Covid-19 vaccination regimen.”

What Americans are saying

Tens of millions of Americans are eligible for a booster shotIMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,Tens of millions of Americans are eligible for a booster shot

A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that a vast majority – 76% – of Americans that have been partially or fully vaccinated want a booster jab.

Many Americans, however, say they are confused about who can receive the boosters and what the benefits are.

“Of course, I’m confused. On one day the White House said that they’d give boosters to everyone. It turns out only some people can get them. I still don’t know who decides,” said Virginia resident David Williams. “It seems to me there’s been a lot of contradictions.”

Others have reported being confused by the difference between the term “booster” and “third jab” and whether they mean the same thing or not.

Doctors typically use the term “booster” when referencing additional doses being given after the protection provided by the original vaccine begins to decrease. A third dose, on the other hand, typically refers to additional doses being given to immunocompromised people. Over the course of the pandemic, however, the terms have been used interchangeably in many instances.

“I wasn’t confused until recently when I began seeing the language of ‘third or booster’,” said Nevada resident Doris Rueda. “I think so many people think they are one and the same, but I think knowing there is a difference is important, especially [if one has] immunocompromised relatives.”

Greg Samuel, who lives in Washington DC, said that while he isn’t confused about boosters, he doesn’t expect a smooth roll-out process.

“The guidance I have received from my healthcare provider has been decent,” he said. “I think most people will know how this game works after the first go-round, but since that system was a huge disaster…I expect another disaster rollout to follow.”

Among unvaccinated Americans, a recent poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 71% believe boosters are a sign that vaccines are not working.

“I do not see a need for boosters if the vaccine doesn’t work like it’s supposed to,” said Jenson Bland, a 21-year-old unvaccinated resident of Georgia. “I only see it as a money-maker.”

What scientists are saying

Elderly and immunocompromised Americans have been recommended to get the booster shotIMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,Elderly and immunocompromised Americans have been recommended to get the booster shot

Dr Priscilla Hanudel, a Los Angeles-based emergency doctor, told the BBC she isn’t surprised that people are confused.

“There’s so many different steps in the process. I think it can be a little hard for people to understand until final approvals are in,” she said.

Currently, Dr Hanudel recommends that immunocompromised people “definitely” receive an additional dose of the vaccine. She believes that it is likely that boosters will be authorised for the general public as immunity wanes.

“I think it’s going to look similar to the flu shot once a year,” she said. “Whether that’s a booster or thought of as just another annual shot, I think it’s going to happen forever for everyone eventually.”

Julia Raifman, an assistant professor at Boston University’s School of Public Health who tracks Covid-19 policies, said that the debate over boosters is a sign that the US needs to “reset” pandemic policymaking.

“Strong, clear, well thought out and vetted messages from national leaders is key to communicating in a crisis,” she said. “We didn’t see a well-developed policy decision with boosters or with the May guidance that people remove masks. In both cases it really undercut public health.”

Dr Monica Gandhi, an infectious diseases physician and professor at the University of California San Francisco, said that while she believes that immunocompromised people and at-risk frontline workers should get additional jabs, other vaccine doses should be sent abroad to countries with low vaccination rates.

“There’s a moral and ethical obligation. We’ve had these vaccines for 10 months and we managed to only get 4% in the hands of low-income countries,” she said.

The World Health Organization has called on wealthier nations to hold off on widespread rollouts of booster shots until vaccination rates go up in lesser developed countries. In September, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was “really not right” to give boosters to “healthy populations”.

Dr Gandhi added: “From a public health perspective, no one is safe from the emergence of other variants unless we get transmission down worldwide.”

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Covid: India withdraws 10-day quarantine for UK nationals



India has withdrawn a 10-day quarantine for UK nationals arriving in the country.

British nationals travelling to India will have to undergo home quarantine for seven days and take Covid-19 tests.

This came days after UK eased similar travel restrictions for fully vaccinated Indians.

There have been tensions between the two countries over the Indian-made version of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

According to a release by the Indian government, earlier guidelines dated 17 February will now be applicable to all travellers arriving in the country from the United Kingdom.

The UK had earlier refused to recognise India’s Covishield vaccine even though it is identical to the doses given to millions of Britons.

UK eases Covid travel restrictions for Indians

So, fully vaccinated Indian travellers had to isolate for 10 days and take Covid-19 tests – at their own expense – before they were allowed to leave quarantine.

Officials in the UK designated Covishield an approved jab last month after a major backlash in India against what many saw as a discriminatory rule. But it did not add India to the exempt-from-quarantine-list and the restrictions continued.

This led to more backlash from Delhi, which imposed a mandatory quarantine for fully vaccinated British nationals travelling to India. Finally on 8 October, UK added India to the exempt-from-quarantine list, ending the mandatory self-isolation.

Covishield is India’s primary vaccine, with more than 720 million doses given out so far. It is the same as the AstraZeneca jab used in the UK vaccine rollout.

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