Mel Awasi

Founder of YourOnePlanet and Director at Cundall (currently on sabbatical exploring artificial intelligence and zero waste)

Stories of sustainability experts, leading ecopreneurs and bold ideas that drive the world towards a sustainable future.

How has been your journey in the sustainability and ecopreneurship space so far?

I studied engineering in Dundee, Scotland. 

Over the past 17 years, I have worked in engineering design consulting, education, business operations, and leadership across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, where I recently played a role in delivering a transportation project as part of one of the first smart and sustainable cities in the region. 

Sustainability is at the forefront of everything we do at Cundall. As the world’s first consultancy to be formally endorsed as a One Planet Company by sustainability charity Bioregional, we are committed to providing people with the knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm to make a difference. 

Sustainability was an aspect of my professional life but not my personal one. This changed overnight after Cundall screened the documentary “A Plastic Ocean” to all staff. The documentary was very moving, and I vowed to change my lifestyle and never consume single-use plastic again! My journey towards zero waste began at the end of 2017.

What do you want to achieve with your initiative One Planet?

My journey towards zero waste has been an enlightening one. I have been amazed at the vast amount of resources and effort online to raise awareness and reduce waste. 

During the past year and a half, I have come across many people and organizations creating eco-friendly products to reduce or eliminate waste. Their efforts inspired me, and, as a result, I decided to set up the Your One Planet platform to acknowledge and celebrate them. I hope that, by doing so, I can inspire more people to live a lower-waste or waste-free life.

Why are you interested and drive behind topics like climate impact and sustainability?

I want to do my part and inspire others to make the world a better place for us and for future generations. Our way of life pre-COVID-19 seemed to be leading us in the wrong direction. Let’s hope that, going forward, we can all work together to make some changes to our lifestyles and make this planet a beautiful home for us—for now and tomorrow.

What do you think are the problems we need to address on a global scale? How can we achieve this and drive change?

Climate change and environmental degradation are some of the main problems we need to address on a global scale. These are real problems, and some of us are already suffering the consequences.

Recent reports by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) and Oxfam estimate that an average of 20 million people a year have been forced from their homes by extreme weather-related events since 2008, equivalent to one every two seconds.

The current health crisis and associated lockdowns have cut global climate change emissions to unprecedented levels, as reported recently by the BBC. Some leading climate researchers are optimistic that lessons learned from this crisis will be applied by everyone to better manage our one planet in the future.

I saw a meme recently with the caption "its just one straw.... said 8 billion people." I believe that education is the key to inspiring change. Education should help drive the attitude shift towards better care and love for our planet.

How can individuals contribute to accelerate the world towards a more sustainable future?

1.   Understand the impact of our actions on the environment

2.   Seek alternatives that have no or little impact

3.   Repeat

What is your vision of a more sustainable future? In which technologies and trends do you believe?

A recent study by an international team of researchers led by KTH Royal Institute of Technology found that AI has the potential to have a positive impact on 79% of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. 

“There is no Planet B.” This planet is the perfect home for us, and we can make it great again if we all do our part in loving it and caring for it. There is abundance everywhere, and with the use of technologies like artificial intelligence, we can unlock some of the secrets that are out there. AI has the potential to help humans solve some of the biggest climate change challenges we are facing and help us build a beautiful future where we can focus on human flourishing and evolution.

Thanks for the interview Mel!

Want to connect to Mel?

Facebook: Youroneplanet

Twitter: Youroneplanet

Instagram: Youroneplanet

LinkedIn: Mel Awasi

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