What is Sustainable Living and how to achieve a Sustainable Lifestyle

January 10, 2022

Understand your lifestyle and the impact its creating for the world. Your small step towards sustainable living can change the future of this planet. Adopt sustainable living today and make this planet a better place for generations to thrive.

Our changing lifestyle is increasing demand for natural resources. Resource depletion, global warming, and climate change are terms that are being used very frequently. But what needs to be done is not hear about them; instead, adopt a sustainable lifestyle to reduce our dependency on these resources. Before we dive into that, let’s understand sustainability and sustainable living.

What do sustainability and sustainable living mean?

There is no universally accepted definition of sustainability, but from “sustainable,” we can infer something that can be maintained at a certain rate or level.

Sustainable development, as defined by the United Nations in the Brundtland Report, is ”development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

But the resources of this planet are dwindling quickly. Therefore, for the better survival of the planet, it is very important to use these resources wisely. When we optimize our way of life to reduce our consumption of these resources, we adapt to a sustainable way of life.

Put simply, a sustainable lifestyle adapts to the smallest changes in our lifestyles, thereby reducing our carbon footprint and preserving resources for future generations.

To understand the magnitude of the situation, try the Tata Power Carbon Footprint Calculator and estimate your monthly carbon footprint.

How difficult is sustainable living?

We are very dependent on machines, we strive to get the job done faster, and when we talk about adapting to an environmentally friendly way of life, it certainly means blood, sweat, and tears.

If you’re a beginner looking to enter the world of sustainability, let us make it easy for you.

The only goal is to discover the activities/ products that make up your daily life and that you consider disrespectful of the environment. See if you can actually reduce its use or just replace it with greener alternatives. Does this seem good?

You can check items related to your life that pose serious threats to the environment.

The more you desire to make these changes in your life, the better the results you will notice.

How to Live a Sustainable Lifestyle?

We group our sustainability actions into three main areas: waste management, ethical resource utilization, & conservation of wildlife. It’s definitely not a limitation, but the best to begin with.

Waste Management

Not a new term, but definitely an important one to watch out for. Overall, waste is increasing, but only 9% of it is recycled. If we only talk about India, the waste recycling rate is 20%. But what about the remaining percentage of the waste? Will it be recycled, or can it actually be recycled?

Recycling is difficult and consumes resources. What we throw away as waste should be assessed before reporting it as waste and sending it to landfills. Here are some considerations for effective waste management –

1. Sorting bio-waste:

Start by sorting organic waste. Vegetable and fruit scraps can be used as animal feed. The rest of the organic waste can be used to make compost at home or at a local composting facility.

2. Non-biodegradable waste:

This consists mainly of plastic and is difficult to manage. Reduce the use of these products and discover the best alternatives to plastic products.

Instead of throwing away used plastic products, contact your local recycling center for recycling. Throwing away plastic waste should be the last resort.

3. Electronic waste:

Most electronic products contain toxic substances. Find out before you attempt to recycle e-waste at home. Instead, choose to sell your old electronics or visit a gadget store where they can buy and recycle them.

Choose wisely what you throw away. Not just the ones mentioned above, but various other household items like utensils, clothes that just end up in landfills. It is better to optimize what we buy and what we throw away. Knowing the facts, it’s best to adapt a zero waste lifestyle.

Ethical Use of Resources

We rely on government actions/policies to conserve natural resources. Air, land, water, fossil fuels, and all other listed natural resources will surely be depleted if consumption is not regulated. Conserving resources should start at home; the best way to use them helps preserve them for future generations.

The points listed below specify how we can begin to conserve natural resources at home.

Take care of your environment. Unused lights, spilled water, car engine signaling—turn off anything unnecessary.
Plant a tree. Set aside space in your home to maintain the surrounding greenery. It is also good for birds, insects, and pollinators.
Start rainwater harvesting. We are not far from depleting the water tables.
Use solar power massively for your industrial electricity needs and opt for hybrid vehicles; saving on fossil fuels is a good investment.
Make room in your home’s windows to let in fresh air and natural light and reduce your reliance on electricity.

Wildlife Conservation

Settlements scattered throughout the forest are destroying wildlife. Not only the land, but also the high dependency on trees for furniture, paper, medicine, etc., is creating an imbalance in the wildlife, making it difficult for species to survive. All we can do to begin from our end is save the flora and fauna around us to prevent any other species from going extinct.

Build feeders for birds and animals in your area.
Start gardening at home. Plant native species and try to avoid pesticides and other chemicals.
Work for an NGO working to save wildlife.
Instead of buying animals and birds, start adopting them. The animal trade has increased in recent years.

Every action you take can help change the future of this planet. You should raise awareness about green living. This article was just to begin with the adoption of green living, but there’s no limit to it. You can always share your ideas/ innovations for saving the planet with us and get featured in our stories.

FAQ

What do you mean by “sustainable living”?

Sustainable living means understanding how our lifestyle choices affect the world around us, finding ways to make life better, and reducing our carbon footprint. When we optimize our lifestyles to reduce our consumption of resources, we adapt to a sustainable lifestyle.

What are some examples of sustainable living?

Some examples are:

Limiting the use of plastics
Reducing dependency on resources
Conserving flora and fauna
Believing food is for all, and stopping food wastage
Going green wherever possible
Choose to recycle.
Reducing the carbon footprint

How can we adopt sustainable living?

If you are new to a sustainable lifestyle, then focus on three main areas: waste management, ethical resource utilization, and conservation of wildlife. It's definitely not a limitation, but every little step of yours to reduce your carbon footprint can lead to a sustainable lifestyle.

What is the importance of sustainable living?

The resources on this planet are limited; if not taken care of today, our planet might face severe consequences tomorrow. For the planet to thrive and for future generations to survive, we need to adopt sustainable living.

What are the four pillars of sustainability?

Human sustainability, social sustainability, economic sustainability, and environmental sustainability

What are the 3 core elements of sustainable development?

These three elements are economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental protection.

What are the six factors of sustainability?

These factors are: climate change, environment, innovation, technology, people, and ethics.

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