by Irene Abgarian
Sustainable living is the prioritization of the use of natural and renewable resources instead of creating excess waste and spending resources.
The term sustainable living was first used in 1987 by the World Commission on Environment and Development in the report published by the United Nations. It was described as: “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
Sustainability is important
Living sustainably means being conscious of everyday life in order to protect and improve our environment. Sustainable living is a daily practice. You can build your sustainable habits per one change at a time. To create sustainable habits, you can start from reducing energy consumption to installing solar panel kit to reducing your paper use. There are many ways to reduce energy consumption, and become more eco-friendly, thus reducing your environmental impact.
Every year 1.3 billon tons of food produced is wasted. There is overfishing, freshwater pollution, and overuse of water supplies all over the world. Sustainable living and responsibility over clean water and energy, climate change, and the healthy planet need everyday actions. Let’s introduce them.
Say yes to renewable energy
Non-renewable resources we use for our essential and economic objectives, like natural gas, coal and petroleum, are finite, can not be replenished and badly harm our environment. Therefore, fossil fuels’ decrease and renewable energy (i.e. sun, wind, water, biomass and geothermal) usage increase are the biggest sustainable living solutions.
Solar energy usage is one of the principles of sustainable living. The sun is considered to be the most important source of renewable energy. Moreover, the energy of the sun can be used without declining its future availability.
Renewables are popular both for your home, business and vehicles. Installing solar panels on your roof or in your backyard will help you generate your own no-waste electricity. With the development of the solar energy industry, the cost of solar panel systems and solar equipment drop, making it more affordable for the consumers.
Consume less and smarter
Energy conservation is one of the most important steps of a sustainable future. It will help you reduce your carbon footprint. Leaving electricals on standby needlessly uses up energy. Switch off and cut the energy bills. Turn off lights, heating, cooling, appliances when you are not using them. Insulate walls and ceilings at your home, turn off the hot water system when you are away for long periods of time.
Reduce, reuse and recycle! Try to limit the amount of your new purchases. Do not change your car often and cut down your shopping. Repair and fix your stuff instead of throwing and buying a new one.
For a sustainable lifestyle improve your recycling-ability. You can recycle almost everything, from batteries to paper to cars. Although it may seem simple to find out if you could recycle something instead of throwing it away, it is not that straightforward. Educate yourself to ensure you are recycling properly.
Become a smart consumer. Turn to eco-friendly technologies. Turning the light off is important. But using energy-efficient technologies is better. This way you are going to use less energy for the time the product or light is on, thus saving money.
Make sustainable choices and create minimum waste
- Buy fresh local products and choose seasonal eating. Huge amount of energy is wasted moving food from where it is grown to where it is sold. Don’t waste food and grow your own fruits, greens and vegetables if possible.
- Buy recycled which will reduce future waste. Cut out plastic: use your own bag instead of plastic bags, reuse plastic containers, and get a reusable water bottle.
- Print only if really needed, delete junk mail, and read online.
- Choose walking more, and using public transport more often.
Never stop
Think of sustainability as health. You can sometimes consider that your small steps have no value, but in a long period all actions count and have their influence on a planet and environment.
Become a conscious consumer and take steps to make your lifestyle more environmentally friendly. Meet your present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Irene has always been addicted to writing. Currently creating content for the solar energy industry, she puts all her energy into educating people on the positive impact of the solar energy usage on the environment.
* This article was originally published here
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