Published by Allen Brown
Today and more than ever, humanity is in dire need of protecting what is left of our natural resources and reducing the effect of the damages done to this planet due to the abuse of natural resources and different kinds of pollution. In 2019, Covid-19 hit the world like a hurricane, and the situation still is out of control, with the world still out of balance. This should make us reconsider many things in our lives, including the way we live and how we add to the depletion of natural resources. Sustainability means the avoidance of the exhaustion of our natural resources to keep the ecological balance. It is not too late for us to start a sustainable life. This article will serve as a guide to demanding less natural resources and living sustainably.
Go Plastic Free
Plastic does not biodegrade! You might think that scientists and environmentalists are blowing things out of proportion when they try to make people aware of how dangerous the use of plastic is and that we are heading toward an environmental disaster, but they are not. Billions of pounds of plastic are making up almost 40% of our ocean surfaces! Sadly, this is how bad things are. Moreover, plastic waste puts marine creatures in danger as many seabirds, fish, and other marine life die every year because they get tangled up or ingest plastic waste. To do your part in saving the planet, you can use reusable bags for shopping, stop the use of single-use plastic water bottles, plastic straws, and bags, or any product that is made out of plastic. This way, the companies will be forced to find alternative solutions other than making their products basically out of plastic, and eventually, you will reduce the plastic waste.
Boycott Wildlife Endangering Products
Some of the products that we use require the destruction of the natural habitats of many wildlife animals. Moreover, some products use animals for testing their effectiveness to make sure it is safe for us, which is really ironic and cruel! Other products are made of animal fur or leather, which is pure evil as they do not wait for the animals to die than make use of their fur or skin to make leather, but they hunt them down so we can show off our expensive clothes and accessories. This has to stop, and you can be part of it by shopping conscientiously. If you look around, you will find many alternatives to these products.
Read the Labels
You can reduce your impact on the wildlife. You can look for labels that indicate that these products were produced in an environmentally friendly way or through a sustainable production process while paying fair wages for workers. Abusing workers can say a lot about the ethics of the manufacturers and how they treat the environment. Some of these labels are on coffee brands. Look for labels that read “shade-grown” as this definitely is a brand that promotes sustainability and has a positive impact on the environment. It means that the coffee beans were grown in a way that ensures the animals’ habitats are intact. Moreover, organic food might cost you a couple more dollars but it keeps the environment safe from pesticides that harm the land, water, workers, wildlife, and even you.
Wise Use of Water
We are running out of water. We might now feel how bad things are during our lifetime, although the world is facing usual droughts, the coming generation will definitely feel the impact of the increased demand on our limited water resources. Therefore, we need to conserve water and be water-wise. There are many ways to save water, like making sure that you close the tap properly after using the faucet. Don’t keep the water running all the time as well while you are taking a shower, and many, many more simple ways that can have a huge effect on your water consumption.
Do not underestimate any small step you take toward sustainable living, as the tiniest change can have a huge effect on our planet and its limited resources. Saving water, boycotting products that harm the wildlife, going plastic-free, and switching to products that care about the environment and ensure that their production process does not harm the planet in any ways are some of the ways that will contribute to a sustainable living that would help our planet get back to balance. Our planet’s resources are limited, and the increased demand for them due to increased population and carelessness resulted in the depletion of these resources. Each one of us can make the world a better place by starting with ourselves and becoming more conscious of our choices for us to have better living conditions, as well as the future generations.