Working toward a more sustainable future
There are two ways that the world is seen at least by 2050. Like how some sci-fi movies depict how the Earth will be in the future, it could either run out of natural resources or the opposite. Jonathon Porritt, the co-founder and director of Forum for the Future, predicts that the world will become healthy and prosperous by 2050. This is only if we humans would make the right choices.
Sustainability might have been ignored in the early days but in 2012, when a survey by MIT Sloan Management Review was released, it is found that 70% of 3000 surveyed companies have already included sustainability in their agendas.
That is good to know as it proves that more and more businesses or humans in general now care of how the future will turn out. Now, it’s really up to how humans act towards things that concern sustainability.
There are many things that you can keep doing or learn in order to support, promote, and achieve sustainability not only for today but also for the future. As you read on, you’ll know what these are.
Minimize Waste
A lot of projects are now arising regarding this matter. More and more people are trying to reduce their plastic waste and you should too! You could either start with avoiding plastic straws or purchasing goods and putting them in plastics.
More than 300 million tons of plastic products are made each year and 35 billion plastic bottles are being thrown away by just the Americans each year. Knowing that plastics can take up to 1000 years to decompose should already make you feel iffy about using more plastics.
Aside from that, learning to recycle can also be great. Instead of throwing away non-biodegradable things, why not find another purpose for them? Waste management is also becoming a problem all over the world and any help, no matter how little it is, is still a step towards sustainability.
Be More Eco-friendly
Being eco-friendly is just a broad way of saying that you should make well-informed choices. Whatever it is that you are planning to do or buy, you need to think of how it will affect the environment. You need to know what to look for to know if the production of the product you’re buying leaves a permanent footprint to the environment.
Choosing an organic and natural product means that its production doesn’t involve much processing that includes consumption of gallons of oil or chemicals that could be harmful to the environment. You can start being eco-friendly by choosing natural products or buying energy-efficient appliances.
It’s true that natural products and energy-efficient appliances tend to be more expensive but just think of that it is an investment and it will make a lot of difference for you and the environment in the long run.
Start Growing Your Own Food
Urban gardening isn’t impossible anymore. In fact, there are things that you can buy to start growing your own food in your backyard or even indoors. Learn the crops that you can grow easily and how you can grow them through sustainable methods.
This is mainly the reason why it’s best to grow your own crops or vegetables. A lot of the crops that you purchase in the supermarket look unharmful, but it’s possible that these are grown through non-sustainable methods – meaning they use chemicals or pesticides that could even be harmful to your health.
Aside from your own garden, you can even start farming. Some people have already started this by raising chickens, pigs, or even fish like salmon farming. However, these can only be achieved if you have a sizable space available and will be permitted to do so.
Growing your own food can even help you manage your waste. You can make your own fertilizer with your kitchen scraps instead of throwing those away. It could even be a form of hobby that could help you have a better mood and bond with your family.
Save Energy and Fuel
Aside from buying energy-efficient products as part of being eco-friendly, you can also start with unplugging devices that you don’t use. As simple as unplugging your TV when not in use can already make you save up not only energy but even some money for your electricity bill.
AS of 2010, there is an estimate that more than 1 billion motor vehicles are in use all over the world. Think of how much fuel these vehicles can consume in one year. If you can, schedule a day or few days in a week that you’d rather walk or bike to work or wherever it is you’re planning to go.
Doing such things not only lessens your fuel consumption but these are also forms of exercises that can help you stay fit and healthy.
Now, these are just a few and simple things you can do to promote sustainability. There are still many ways that sustainability can be managed, but the most important thing is that you understand why it is important. Know that sustainability helps us enjoy clean air and have healthy communities. If we fail to do the right choices, it won’t take long before our planet runs out of the resources we need.