By: King Ting Liu (Content Writer)
“I want you to act as if the house is on fire, because it is” — Greta Thunberg
At Neo Cremations we care about sustainability. In addition to operating as a carbon-neutral enterprise and incorporating a minimum 200% carbon offset through our tree planting charity partners for each cremation we perform, we have partnered with 1% for the Planet to ensure we leave a positive environmental legacy.
About 1% for the Planet
1% for the Planet is a global organisation which partners companies to high impact non-profit organisations who make protecting the planet their mission. Participating companies pledge to donate 1% of profits to their charity partners as a contribution to address environmental and sustainability issues. This mutual relationship solves the funding problems which many nonprofits often experience and ensure that companies participate in fulfilling the responsibility they have to protect the resources they profit from. 1% of the Planet also provides individual volunteering opportunities to ensure that everyone can commit to protecting the environment as part of their lifestyle. Since its founding, the organisation has manifested its ethos by verifying more than $250 million in support to nonprofits — we’ve signed the UN pledge alongside companies like Microsoft and Sony.
Why is this important for us?
By partnering with 1% for the Planet, Neo Cremations helps address six core issues for our planet:
- Climate Change– Intrinsically linked to all other environmental issues, a large proportion of funds is used to help climate-related nonprofits. Continual burning of fossil fuels results in an excessive amount of carbon emissions which heats the Earth via the greenhouse effect. This causes a faster increase in global temperature, which amongst other consequences melts polar ice caps, causing rising sea levels and loss of land for wildlife and communities. We believe that by partnering with climate change nonprofits, the promotion of sustainable energy alternatives helps in preserving vulnerable ecosystems.
- Food– As countries become more developed, demand for animal proteins increases. Converting land previously used to grow a variety of vegetables for animal farming and animal feed production has resulted in biodiversity loss in addition to further carbon emissions. This is unsustainable as significantly more resources are used in animal farming, hence funding for food nonprofits are essential in promoting healthier and more sustainable diets for future generations.
- Land– A rising human population inevitably leads to converting extra natural spaces to meet our needs. Though essential for economic growth, indifference towards the methods of achieving our needs may cause serious environmental harm and negatively impact local communities. Sustainable infrastructure projects are particularly important to ensure that impoverished communities, who often rely on their natural environment, are considered. Funding land nonprofits ensure companies design projects optimally and benefit the residing local communities and nature.
- Pollution– Plastic and air pollution are hazards for both wildlife and humans. Every year, eight million tonnes of plastic are dumped into our oceans which incapacitates marine life and disrupts food chains. A recent study has found that outdoor pollution reduces human lifespan by an average of three years, and causes more premature deaths than obesity or alcohol. This places an avoidable burden on health services and increases opportunity cost on government funds. Pollution nonprofits advise companies in methods to reduce waste and carbon emissions during production to encourage long-term sustainable growth.
- Water– Only 2.5% of the Earth’s surface contains freshwater, which is shared amongst humans and wildlife. The amount of freshwater has remained constant over time, but the usage of water has more than doubled in the last century due to the increasing human population and industrialisation of countries. Freshwater environments contain rich biodiversity which benefits aquatic ecosystems and humans as a food resource. The disappearance of freshwater lakes is a direct result of mismanagement, driving the extinction of endangered habitats. By 2030, over half of the world’s population will suffer from water scarcity and therefore funding in water nonprofits is crucial to ensure freshwater environments are protected.
Wildlife — Every hour, approximately three species are being driven to extinction. When compared to the natural rate of nine species per year, the effects of human population growth on wildlife is devastating. Conservation of wildlife is vital in preserving food chains which provide for all species. Bees, for example, are responsible for pollinating 70% of the majority of the food we consume. Mass food shortages will occur directly as a result of bee extinction, besides significantly disrupting food chains for all ecosystems. Wildlife nonprofits fight to protect species which form the core of environmental balance through introducing policy changes.
Our Commitment to You
Neo Cremations believe that actions speak louder than words. We want to transform the notion that end-of-life services have to be expensive and elaborate to be respectful to the deceased. By offering green cremations, we are committed to creating a sustainable alternative in the funeral industry. We believe that paying respects and revitalising the environment go hand in hand, and we are convinced that we’ve come a long way into realising this.
Interested in how Neo is championing societal and environmental causes? Read our journey to becoming the world’s first B Corp, here.
