SUSTAINABLE LIVING: WHAT IS THE OTHER OPTION?

The United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) defines sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Brundtland Report, 1987). Sustainability’s triple bottom-line are economic, environmental and social; implying, attainment of prosperity without endangering the environment and ensuring the holistic well-being of the people.

The challenge which has constantly proven an uphill task has been the ability to match words with actions in developed and developing countries alike. Industrialization has come at a great cost to the environment over centuries despite ratifying several conventions, legislation and bills on the environment and its overall protection. Our individual choices are the main factors in ensuring sustainability – what kind of efforts do we make to conserve and/or preserve our immediate environment and the people who live in these environment? How much emissions, heat island effects, global warming and ozone depletion our lifestyle cause and what is the commitment to ensure a reversal on the effects of daily human activities on climate change? Energy consumption is at the summit of climate change contributors, how much conscious effort do we make to reduce our energy,  transportation, water usage, building orientation are few of the factors that increase the effects of human activities on the climate change? There is a seeming lacuna in individuals, corporation and nations understanding the gravity of climate change and how to ensure a reversal on the effects before it morphs into a disaster.  With the understanding of the effects of human activities on climate change and the need for urgent responses to ensure its reversal, comes an opportunity for modifications from our conventional lifestyles to more sustainable, environmentally friendly lifestyles. Some aspects where we can make adjustments and take action are:

Waste Management:  It is predicted that in years from now, there are going to be more plastics in the oceans and other large water bodies than fishes, which could increase the ambient temperature in the water and possibly lead to extinction of water organisms needed in the ecosystems. Invariably, this means waste disposal and management is an issue directly related to climate change – the basic principles of waste management (reduce, reuse, recycle) has to be ingrained in us all right from infancy – consider the life-cycle of products i.e. from source to disposal, before making a purchase.
To reduce waste, we must learn to reuse items such as plastic whenever possible, too much unnecessary packaging and wastage of materials should be avoided; we can take our own shopping bags, repair items such as electronics instead of disposing them, reduce usage of paper in homes and offices by opting for electronic means of correspondence and information storage, instead of buying some items such as books – we can also borrow to avoid waste, avoid trashing goods and products that still have useful life and can be donated to others. A lot of everyday items can be used over and over again to avoid waste, up-cycled to make new things such as indoor and outdoor decorative pieces and other useful things, an item that has outlived its usefulness in one aspect can be redirected to another purpose instead of being thrown away. Recycling is another way we can channel products (plastic, paper, metal, fabrics, glass and food waste) away from the landfills, recycling ensures that waste re-enters the system as a resource for manufacturing.

Water Management: Water as a resource has never fully been appreciated, hence the inefficient use and poor management as is seen in a number of countries around the world. To live sustainably, we have to inculcate proper water use into our daily routines, indoors and outdoors – a major part of that being using efficient appliances such as low flush toilets, low-flow high-performance faucets etc. Outdoor wastage of water should be discouraged by proper water conservation and storage systems such as owning a garden (gardening saves water in a number of ways: ensures reuse of wastewater for watering the plants and plants prevent water run-off by slowing down and absorbing rainwater), using a bucket of water and a rag or alternatively, a hose with efficient nozzles for washing cars; rainwater harvesting is a very effective way to store water for purposes like watering plants, washing cars and flushing toilets and urinals – water sequestration is also another means of preventing pollution from runoff. Wastewater can be collected and treated for other uses apart from washing, drinking and bathing, water leakages should be checked and fixed early to avoid water wastage.

Energy Efficiency: For sustainable living to be actualized, renewable energy (majorly solar and wind power) must become the order of the day. Biomass power should also be taken advantage of (using wood, bagasse, biogas, manure, straw and stover). Industrial processes, buildings and transportation systems should be designed to ensure that there is zero wastage of energy and the minimum amount of energy is expended in running and operations. Opportunities to save energy during various processes should be maximized and improved upon using technology to ensure efficiency and huge energy savings by countries. Drying can be done using heat from the sun, there should be a conscious effort to turn off light bulbs and electronics when not in use, carpooling and public transport systems should be encouraged along with bicycling and walking.

With so much focus on sustainability now, thanks to the advent of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is critical for nations to reassess their stance on how to ensure that all their citizens have the same ideas about sustainable living and constantly engage them on ways to improve and best practices. Sustainable living requires that there are adequate policies made and followed through, taking advantage of technological advancement and a change in people’s pattern of thinking – in developed and developing nations around the world. In the end, it all boils down to the fact that there is really no option other than sustainable living.