Sustainable Living and Eco-Friendly Practices
Introduction
Sustainable living means the ability to use resources in a way that has minimal impact on natural resources or the ability of individuals or society to meet their needs. Sustainable living aims at promoting social accumulation so that the current generation and other generations to come shall not lack something that they need. Adapting new ideas on sustainable living is another way of carrying out environmental conservation measures in ones lifestyle.
Promoting the Efficient Use of Energy and Water
The use of energy and water may be hard to manage in everyday life but there are many simple things that one can do to conserve these resources. Measures such as switching off lights when they are not needed, using shorter time to bath, buying energy saving appliances, and drying clothes with ropes and ironing them without an iron box also contributes towards the reduction of environmental degradation. Other simple methods of using less utilities include replacing plumbing fixtures with low water flow ones and programmable thermostats.
Eating Sustainably
Sustainable eating is the kind of eating that should include eating locally produced foods, organic foods, and foods that are plant derived. Reduce consumption of factory produced foods and buy from those farms that are close to your home or participate in farmers markets or CSA programs. Reduce your consumption of red meat and processed foods, and increase the portion of fresh veggies and fruits in your diet. Home-gardening also has additional benefits that impact the environment positively.
Reducing Waste
It implies the rejection of plastic and other disposables to reduce on production of wastes on the environment. The personal items to bring are a reusable water bottle, a coffee cup, a straw, and a shopping bag. With food scraps, make compost instead of disposing of it in the waste bin. Strictly adhere to the five ‘R’s: the three Rs, refuse and rot = compost. Recycling any unwanted items such as clothing, toys, electronics, or furniture is better than simply throwing it away.
Making Eco-Friendly Transportation Choices
Use your legs and wheels as much as possible instead of use your four wheels. If you have to drive, then at least opt for a hybrid or fuel-efficient vehicle. Improve the quality of vacations by staying closer to home and thus minimize airplane travel and emission of carbon. If traveling by flight is unavoidable then one should look for the carbon offset options available. Propose to telecommute if you can do it several days a week, and if your employer approves it.
Conclusion
Introducing changes that would make society and its members become more sustainable and environmentally friendly is not as hard as may seem. It is possible for all of us to make personal adjustments to ensure that we use natural resources sparingly and keep our impacts on the environment as small as possible. Everyone does not need to make drastic changes to society or the world, but bit by bit, changes in personal and family life can bring more significant improvements to the world of sustainability. On this Earth, we should minimize our negative impact on the environment and be a responsible inhabitants to save it for the future.