Because an unavoidable fact is that the people of the industrialized countries have a consumption level that's not sustainable in the long term. It is worked out that 1/5 of the's inhabitants consume 4/5 of all of the resources available. If the planet's complete population where to live in the western lifestyle we might need the natural resources of many planets simply to keep the system going. The unsymmetrical distribution of natural resources implies that citizens in certain parts of the planet have far too much while people in other areas barely have the essentials needed to get through the day.
It is obviously time to make a change.
The decisions we made today will have a decisive effect on how the earth's climate - and thus also the life of future generations - is going to develop. Even though it is simple for any one individual to feel little and trivial in a grand scheme of this kind, the truth is that your personal selections does have an effect on both the environment and on the future of folks all over the world. This remains true regardless of if you opt to go green or not.
And there are many things you can do to go green. Here are just a few suggestions you can implement right now.
1) Waste less of precious materials
Buy new stuff only when you actually need to. Borrow or rent whenever this is a viable alternative. When you do purchase something brand new, try to choose recycled products. Get things that are durable, reusable and recyclable. Avoid products with excess packaging that isn't recyclable or biodegradable.
By reducing consumption you save natural resources as well as help reduce the pollution problems caused by production and waste disposal. Note that consumption and standard of living aren't one and the same.
2) Consume energy wisely
By saving energy you help reduce the global need for electricity and thus also the need for increased worldwide energy production. Burning fossil fuels adds to global warming and nuclear energy comes with great security risks - not only in the actual power plants but in the fuel processing cycle as well. Choose a power company that offers electricity created by renewable energy sources.
Avoid using your car for unnecessarily short trips, use your bike to cover the shorter distances. Also consider public transportation wherever it is a practical alternative.
3) Eat good food
The food we choose to put on our plates have a significant impact on the environment. Choose locally produced ingredients as long transportations means an increased use of fossil fuel. Try to add more vegetable dishes to your weekly menu and choose eco friendly produce as a rule. Do not throw away a lot of food, try to carefully estimate how much you need instead.
4) Support Fair Trade
Although many fair trade products aren't locally produced, the Fair Trade system still has many advantages. For most westerners things like coffee and bananas are have to be imported anyway. But by selecting the Fair Trade alternative you guarantee that the producers actually get a fair deal for all their hard work. The Fair Trade certification also guarantees that the environment is taken into consideration better than in conventional production.
5) Find out more
The above suggestions are only rough guidelines. Making specific choices will always require factoring in everything about that particular case. Sometimes the information at hand is incomplete and it may be difficult to know where something has been produced/manufactured, what exactly it is made of and so on.
It may also at times be hard to decide what you want to emphasize the most in your product selection. You may for example find yourself wondering whether the organically produced but imported apple is a better choice than the locally produced super apple?
This is all part of the process of learning how to go green. By doing a little bit of research each time you will learn how to progressively live a more eco friendly life. And when you have worked out the "greenest" choice on how to do something in particular, you can share your newfound knowledge with all your friends and colleagues.
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Awesome. For those who, like me, think that global warming is hyped out of proportion, there are still a lot of good reasons to become sustainable. I outline those in my booklet "The Sustainability Factor," which can be downloaded for free from my website AaronsEnvironmental.com
ReplyDeleteRight on the money Aaron - global warming is just the tip of the iceberg (no pun intended) when it comes to sustainable living.
ReplyDeleteThen again, if a little bit of hype can get more people to make more environmentally conscious choices it is of course still a step in the right direction.
I downloaded your booklet and quickly browsed through it - and it certainly seems like very worthwhile reading. I'll go through it in detail over the weekend.
Thanks,
Erwin