Environmental Sustainability, it sounds like the solution to all the world’s problems right? Well, all problems may be an overstatement nevertheless, it certainly is an important strategy to consider when trying to save our planet for future generations. The words eco-friendly, energy-efficient, and environmentally sound do not even begin to describe this concept without speaking of the conservation of natural resources and protecting global ecosystems. Tackling climate change is essential for everyone’s sake seeing that it’s the turmoil within our world and no, I am not speaking of ocean circulation here.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
As Albert Einstein once said the environment is, “everything that is not you.” Everything around us that existed about 3.5 billion years ago, from the clear blue lakes to the beautiful forests with the rays of sunlight shining through the trees and the mountains we love to hike, all of this is why environmental sustainability is so essential; all of this is what makes it so beautiful to be living. Who wouldn’t want to keep the magic of nature alive right? The mere purpose of environmental sustainability is to look at ways to reduce our impact upon the earth while still keeping a good standard of living. Therefore, it is not a sacrifice but rather a purposeful way to reduce pollution, keep our oceans clean and keep the same standard of living or even better for our future generations.
TYPES OF SUSTAINABILITY
There are three types of sustainability; biological diversity, solar energy, and chemical cycling. Diversity is responsible for the supply of food as well as the pollination necessary for new plant growth. It takes control over the variety of organisms that exist on earth and occupies important niches in an ecosystem. Chemical cycling is the transport of nutrients around the earth, from the atmosphere to plants and eventually to the soil. A good example of this would be the nitrogen cycle.
Environmental sustainability can take many different forms and as cliche, as it sounds, every single thing we do in our path towards change does matter. It goes from city planning to making settlements as environmentally friendly as possible to eco-tourism. The positive of both of these strategies is that our lives barely have to change and yet, we are still able to save the habitats of millions of species as well as the beautiful landscape around us and many miles away. Another method of environmental sustainability is sustainable agriculture, think of the green revolution, which unfortunately did not work in Africa, however, did increase yields in many developing countries by about 100 to 200% increases in crop yields for grains.
PRACTICING ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
1.AVOID DISPOSABLE ITEMS:
Try to incorporate natural and biodegradable products in your households, such as jute and cotton bags. Recycling programs, where they exist, often only capture a minority of recyclable goods that people toss out. By choosing dish rags over paper towels and reusable water bottles over disposable water bottles, you reduce your production of trash by several pounds per week. Amazing right?!
2.MAKE YOUR PESTICIDES:
We can make our pesticides and manure with the natural and biodegradable products available at home! Treehugger and other environmentally-themed websites offer recipes for natural, homemade pesticides. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to save money and reduce your environmental footprint by making things at home.
3.TRANSITION TO RENEWABLE SOURCES:
Electric cars might sound like a good initiative, but the electricity comes from coal or natural gas. Instead, when trying to make an impact, try to install solar panels at your home to generate electricity.
4. HAVE A TINY SWEET HOME:
Buy a home that is big enough to meet your family’s needs, but no bigger. Living with one other person in a 3,000-square-foot home is not particularly “green” even if you have family staying there often.
5. SECOND HAND OR RENTED STUFF:
Instead of buying new things, we can buy old furniture, books and more from charity shops. They might need some repairing and refurbishment but will work perfectly fine. Try to rent cars, furniture, and other household items. There are various websites like; Furlenco, Rentmacha, Oodorental, Rentmojo, and many more to look at.
SUPPORT SMALL INITIATIVES :
Living in a world full of hope has turned into a questionable deed seeing that our actions have led to consequences. Therefore, supporting small businesses significantly helps the environment as well as our economy.
1.PATAGONIA:
For all you outdoorsy types, Patagonia is one of the world’s most successful activewear retailers, selling everything from snow gear to fleece to sleeping bags that appeal to the all-things-adventure crowd. Patagonia’s corporate philosophy is “100% For the Planet.” They’ve built repair centers around the world to increase the longevity of their products and lower their carbon footprint.
2.GREEN TOYS:
Infants and babies need a healthy environment to grow up. They spend most of their time playing with toys! The toys they use are usually made up of non-biodegradable materials and might be harmful to the child as well as the environment. To all the environmentalist mamas, you probably need to know about green toys. The toys are made from recycled plastic milk jugs, packaged in recycled materials, and are printed with soy ink. Their system also diverts material from landfills, which saves energy and reduces their carbon footprints
ARTICLE BY: Joanne Brienesse and Neha Priyadharshini