Tag: Environment

Sustainability isn’t a milestone, it’s a practice

What do we mean when we talk about sustainability? Sure, there are innumerate definitions, but all of them are rooted to a common way of living – with the best attempt to refrain from damaging the environment, while conserving the Earth’s natural resources and preserving these resources for the upcoming generations. The requirements of sustainability are basic – use how much you need, conserve resources whenever possible, and attempt to replenish these resources while avoiding pollution.

The primary aim of sustainable development, as you would have guessed, is to maintain the relationship between nature and humanity, and avoid any imbalance, which would cause damage to both sides. It requires us to circumvent the present situation. Humans must consume not more than what they require, and not conserve less than what they use. Our present generation is just a streaming particle in the never-ending pinnacle of life. We must not think for ourselves alone. I remember a great saying, “We have not inherited the world from our forefathers, but we have borrowed it from our children.”

Sustainability begins with you. However, it doesn’t mean that you start your day by brushing your teeth with a bamboo toothbrush, or get to work on that rusty, old recycled paper, writing with a pen made of recycled plastic bottles, or buying more plants to make your home look green. Sustainability starts with thinking sustainably. As said, “Actions speak for words.” Start with miniature conservation efforts within your locality and begin to make a difference. First things first, you need to ensure that your basic needs are fulfilled. You would not be able to help others unless you don’t help yourself first. And by that, I mean, you must ensure that you have all the requirements to influence others, and you should be living sustainably, yourself.

In the contemporary world, where industrialization has helped us achieve success to the extent, it has come in conflict with the idea of sustainability. True, industrialization has had many positive effects on the human race, and will continue to; however, it does not go hand-in-hand with the notion of sustainable living. It has caused humans to indulge in deforestation, and other negative environmental externalities, like increased greenhouse gas emission and global warming. Along with known to exploit humans themselves, industrialization has had huge negative impacts on the globe. Derrick Jensen, a celebrated American author and radical environmentalist says that “industrial civilization is not, and can never be sustainable”.

The words ‘zero waste’ and ‘sustainability’ are often used interchangeably. Mostly, when people talk about sustainable living, they make an indirect reference to a philosophy that encourages the restructure of the life cycles of resources, and re-usage of products, whenever possible. True, these terms have a lot in common, although they are subtly different. In fact, zero waste is a component of sustainable development. It is a short-term goal, mostly referring to minimize waste disposal. On the other hand, sustainability is a long-term enterprise, where people not only aim to reduce refuse, but also aspire to reduce fuel consumption, preservation of biodiversity, and save resources for the generations ahead.

The three pillars of sustainability are social, environmental, and economic sustainability. “Social sustainability occurs when the formal and informal processes, systems, structures, and relationships actively support the capacity of current and future generations to create healthy and livable communities. Socially sustainable communities are equitable, diverse, connected and democratic and provide a good quality of life.” – WACOSS, Western Australia Council of Social Services. It is often associated with sustainability in business.
Economic sustainability refers to the art of management of economic growth, without negatively affecting the individual sectors of the economy.

The third, and perhaps most important pillar of sustainability, is environmental sustainability. It is a condition which allows people to use their environment to their convenience without reducing its efficiency. The major challenge that exists with reference to this concept is the war on plastic. Plastic is convenient, cheap, and versatile; but it is also non-biodegradable, i.e., it never disappears from our planet fully.

• The most prominent way to reduce plastic consumption is to carry your own bag (preferably, made of cloth or jute) during shopping. The idea is to refrain from using plastic bags whenever possible. If the use of plastic is urgent, make sure you safely dispose it. Many types of plastic products can be disposed off in the bins allocated for the same.
• Use glass jars to store products at home and prefer to buy sauces, grains, fruits, veggies, and other products stored in glass bottles or in other non-plastic containers. Also, avoid using foil and switch to reusable food packaging instead.
• Composting is an excellent method to dispose organic waste. It is a process of take-and-give, where you are returning the nutrients back to the Earth, by letting it biodegrade in the soil. A backyard is the best place you can use for composting. Nonetheless, you can set up composting bins in cities and apartments as well.

Now, that I think I have mentioned enough about sustainability, I would love to express my views on various methods of sustainable living:

• Reduce, reuse, and recycle: This is one of the most commonly heard practices for living sustainably. Right from the clothes on your body, to the mobile phone in your pocket and the furniture and appliances in your house, everything is made up of resources. Remember, it is always better to reduce and reuse whenever possible, because the process of recycling consumes an enormous amount of energy. It is recommended to use goods up to their usable extent and then send for them to be changed to other forms. One way of reducing production of consumer goods is to shop for second-hand products.
• Eco-friendly homes: Have you ever wondered how air conditioners or room heaters work? Sure, they do give you comfort by increasing or decreasing the temperature in your room as you want them to, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. These appliances harm the environment considerably, although we don’t feel it inside our homes. Apart from this, they use lots of energy too, making them ‘energy gobblers’. This can be reduced by upgrading and sealing windows, using ceiling fans and a programmable thermostat. In the case of unavailability of these, you can insulate your home. This is known to work satisfactorily. As mentioned earlier, energy conservation is also an important aspect of sustainability. Hence, we must commit to renewable sources of energy like hydroelectricity, solar energy etc. Increasing number of companies are providing the same, hence obtaining energy from renewable sources is expected to become easier through the successive decades.
• Save water: Water is the most essential element of our lives. Yet humanity is known to exploit nature’s priceless largesse. This is, indeed, one of the key points to sustainability. Unused water going down that drain may seem to be minimal at the first sight, to an individual; however, if everyone thinks the same, all of this wasted water could cause an enormous amount of damage to the Earth, and to the entire present generation as well. The rapid rate of the growth of population provides another reason to conserve water. Many don’t have access to clean water, whether it be for drinking or for other basic purposes. Hence, sustainable conservation of water resources would not only preserve it for the subsequent days, but also ensure an equivalent distribution today.
• Use green transportation: It is an evident fact that personal vehicles consume a lot of the much-needed energy fuels from the Earth, and in turn, give out byproducts that harm our environment. Apart from making travel easy for the driver, such means of transportation are a complete lose-lose situation, in the perspective of the Earth. But guess what? There are various other green means of transport that can help you get there, without polluting the Earth. Just make sure to grab that cycle, whenever you go out. In fact, cycling is known to increase metabolism as well. When distances are large and such transports cannot be used, make sure to use public transportation. Relative to using personal transportation, public transportation causes less damage to the world, per person and is considered economical too.
• I am, I will, and I can: One of the best ways to encourage sustainability is to get politically involved in the community and its goals. Encourage some form of sustainability in the society. A small difference can cause a big change. True, many may not prefer to do so. In that case, commit to vote for individuals or groups that promise a green lifestyle. By doing this, we are not only ensuring sustainability in our surroundings, but we are inspiring other communities of the world to do so as well.

“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”

Robert Swan

Sustainability is, and is going to be, the foremost idea in saving the world. We must hold hands and try to perform our bit. Just as several drops form an ocean, our helpful bits, and opinions, will surely, bring a turnover in the way the world is progressing right now, for the good.