What would a sustainable world look like? How can we, the consumers of the 21st century, change our habits and work towards future sustainable development, and benefit immensely the generations of tomorrow?
What is sustainability?
We have all heard about companies and individuals that live by the motto of sustainability or proclaim the concept of sustainability as the necessary approach to keeping our planet Earth safe. However, we often remain uninformed of the actual meaning of “sustainability” and fail to understand profoundly what these industries and people advocate for. As stated on Investopedia, “Sustainability focuses on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.”.
In other words, sustainability can be reached by sticking to economic, environmental, and social practices such as reducing pollution and energy usage, conserving our natural resources, creating organizations that work toward a sustainable future.
How does environmental sustainability work?
Every action we take in the present sets the ground for future generations and their way of living. Therefore, if we want to be environmentally sustainable, we must be aware of our overconsumption of natural resources and put efforts into minimizing it.
How to be sustainable?
Apart from looking at the bigger picture of establishing sustainable industries, cities, agriculture, technologies, we suggest you start with baby steps in your journey to becoming a mindful consumer. Staying informed and educated on topics such as ecology, sustainability, and green practices, is the first and easiest step.
Taking action and creating new habits in our lifestyle is what comes next and what counts most towards sustainable development. Practices such as: recycling our waste; replacing our plastic single-use goods with biodegradable or recycled ones; limiting our vehicle use; shopping at local small markets rather than supermarkets; are things that every one of us can do even if it is 1-2 times per week.
After all, you shouldn’t forget that starting small is the basis for big changes in the long term. And what better way to contribute to this change than to start here and now.