From the melting ice caps, wildfire, harsh summers, extreme weather patterns, and lack of adequate food supply, humanity is now reaping the effects of our careless actions towards the planet. If not addressed urgently and properly, we will badly hurt and compromise the environment and future generations. This is where sustainable living comes in. With proper knowledge, awareness, and drive to practice on a massive scale, sustainable living could be the way for us to help heal planet earth.
Sustainable Living Explained
Sustainability is a word we often hear nowadays, especially when talking about the environment and social issues. In general, it means being able to support or continue at a certain level. It refers to the actions and processes through which we can avoid the significant depletion of our natural resources to keep an ecological equilibrium without compromising our quality of life.
Sustainability, when explained further, applies to the improvements on certain aspects such as manufacturing operations, natural resources, consumer purchasing behavior, overexploitation, and citizen lifestyle. You will be considered living sustainably as long as your actions and way of life cause little to no harm to the environment and ecosystem.
Renewable Energy
For the past several decades, humanity has been overloading the atmosphere with carbon dioxide and burnt fossil fuels from traditional energy sources. These harmful emissions result in global warming, and the effects are devastating. Because of this, many countries are now practicing the use of renewable energy. The most commonly used renewable power technologies nowadays are wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, and low-impact hydroelectricity.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, many local governments are now using renewable energy by generating it on-site, purchasing green power and renewable energy to provide power to communities with limited access to traditional energy. The benefits of these are fewer greenhouse gas emissions from burnt fossil fuels. Using renewable energy also creates growth in the economy and employment by providing jobs in the installation and manufacturing industry.
Horticulture
In a nutshell, horticulture refers to the art and science of the development, marketing, and sustainable production of intensively produced ornamental plants and food. The crops and plants produced from this method include landscape plants, decorative indoor and outdoor plants, as well as fruits and vegetables.
With the help of tree service professionals specializing in cultivation, horticulture aims to improve the overall quality of life and environment. It also focuses on rehabilitation and sustainability. With this, we can make sure that we are not sacrificing the plants and trees of future generations.
To make this possible, sustainable horticulture grows plants, fruits, and vegetables sensitive to the environment. In the process, farmers use fewer chemicals and focus on using compostable pots, organically-based fertilizers, and enriched soil. Studies show that plants and crops grown through this method are better for the environment.
Pasture-Raised Meat
In 2020, people ate a total of 224.63 pounds of meat per person. They consume huge amounts of pork, beef, and chicken despite the recent global health crisis. However, there are more and more people who are now eating less meat.
One of the main reasons behind this is that industrially produced meat hurts the environment because of massive amounts of other resources like water, energy, crops, and land. They also produce a high amount of carbon dioxide equivalent gases.
A good way to reduce our impact on the environment because of food production is to buy pasture-raised meats. The big difference between these types of meat and their industrial counterparts is that pasture-raised animals are unconfined and spend their lives eating fresh vegetation.
Another downside to industrial meat farms is that their confined systems like cages and barns negatively affect water, soil, and climate. Farmers who produce pasture-raised meat, on the other hand, have better waste management practices that help reduce the emissions coming from the animals’ manure.
Eco-Textiles
One of the most environmentally harmful industries today is the textile industry. The problems occur almost in the entire process from start to finish. Some practices like dyeing and bleaching of fabric pose negative effects to the ecosystem. Companies in the fashion industry also use factories that produce large amounts of burnt fossil fuel because of the massive energy during production.
Because of these, many fabrics and clothes manufacturers turn to what they call eco-textiles. Generally speaking, it refers to accessories and clothing that are designed to use recycled and organic materials. Clothes manufacturers now supporting eco-textiles use fabric made from natural fibers from plants and synthetic fibers like nylon and rayon. Many cotton plantations are also now refraining from using chemical fertilizers and pesticides to limit the negative effects on the environment.
We only have one planet, and at this point, humanity needs to realize that we are running out of time and chances to correct our actions. By practicing sustainable living, we have the opportunity to help the environment and the planet our children call home.
