Sustainability is an issue that will be around for the rest
of our lives. It is something that can always be incorporated in different
ways throughout our culture in order to improve things in many different ways.
After learning a lot about sustainability this semester and
doing some extra research on the internet, I have come up with 10 small things
that we can give up (or use less of) in our everyday lives as individuals in
order to better our future:
1. Highly processed/ packaged foods
-
Buying locally grown foods benefit those local farmers as well as reduce
transportation and packaging.
2.
Bottled Water
-You
can use a refillable water bottle to cut down on plastic water bottles.
3. Plastic Bags
-
Bringing your own reusable bags to the grocery store can cut down a huge amount
of waste.
4. Unnecessary driving
-Carpool
with friends or walk when possible in order to reduce the amount of pollution.
5. Paper Receipts/ Bank Statements
-Many
places offer these things via email nowadays and this will reduce waste as well
as make it easier for yourself with less papers to keep track of.
6. Keeping The Heat and Air Conditioning
Blasting in Your House or Apartment
-Turning
your thermostat down a few degrees can save you a lot on energy costs.
7. Throwing Away Old Clothes
-Donate
your old clothes instead of throwing them away so that they can be reused.
8. Disposable Batteries
-Try
to buy items with rechargeable batteries. Batteries are a huge issue when it
comes to pollution so cutting down on as many as possible can really help.
9. Harsh Cleaning Chemicals
-Nowadays
there are a lot of eco friendly cleaning choices that you can either buy or
make at home.
10.
Paper Towels
-Use
reusable towels to clean up when possible to reduce the amount of waste. ( I also found a company called People Towels that makes a reusable paper towel alternative made from 100% organic fair trade cotton.)
These things are all small changes to your daily lifestyle
but they are all things that really do help to make a difference for a
sustainable future. Many people do not want to give up their lifestyle but you
don’t have to do anything crazy… by changing some small things, (as
insignificant as some may seem) we really do have the power to make a
difference.
Sources:
Hi there!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog post this week. The tips that you suggested sparked some interest for me because, honestly these are things that will truly move us too a more sustainable future, and they are quite easy to accomplish. It is a shame that more people have not taken these initiatives already. Why do you think this is so? What do you believe is the biggest barrier to sustainability. I also liked how you mentioned that sustainability is going to be around for the rest of our lives. What is your preferred image of what you would like our future to look like? In addition to your great suggestions, I would include what proof that you would find applicable to prove that your suggested future is being put into action. I liked all of your info graphics this week. Info graphics are a great source because they provide both imagery and information, keeping the attention of your reader. To further enhance your blog I would add some quotes and metaphors to give it a meaningful and personal touch.
Also to further add something to your topics I thought you would enjoy this article about how stores use re usable bags as a shopping incentive! I work at target and you get 5 cents off for every re usable bag you bring. This really adds up!
http://alcoa.c2es.org/tips/store/buying-goods/reusable-shopping-bag-incentives
I agree that sustainability is something that will never go away and will always be an issue in our society. I really like the suggestions that you made that we can either give up or use less of. They are all small things that we could live without that we may have never thought about before. Just by cutting down on using some of these items someone could truly make a difference in this world. There are all small simple changes that anyone could do no matter their income or lifestyle. Great suggestions and great post again this week!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post this week and ideas just went off in my head after reading it. The first thing that I thought of was glass bottles. You mentioned using recycled and reuseable water bottles, but I think that is not always the best. Glass is the better option, but there are also cons to this scenario. Here is a link to help you understand more about glass water bottles: http://beneficialtrends.wordpress.com/2013/11/13/the-pros-and-cons-of-glass-water-bottles/
ReplyDeleteInstead of buying a nice, pretty expensive one, you could just go to a gas station and buy the Voss glass water bottles and just reuse that instead!
Also, I quickly just wanted to mention about the paper towel idea that you brought up.
Here are three articles about paper towels vs. hand dryers:
http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/2355/20130610/study-finds-paper-towels-more-effective-hand-dryers-removing-bacteria.htm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2335811/Ditch-hand-dryer-Paper-towels-MORE-hygienic-remove-germs.html
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/paper-towels-or-hot-air-dryers---which-is-better--why-215240081.html
After reading, you will discover that more bacteria lies in recycled paper than it does that regular paper towels. Although there is bacteria, it doesn't mean that using a hand dryer is any better. Take a look for yourself!
Great post! I noticed a few things you wrote about I had written about as well. It's interesting to see what we've all gathered from this class and what we've learned. As for the glass/reusable water bottles, I asked for one for Christmas this year because of this class! Although it's troubling to learn that there are still big cons to these solutions we all have come up with.
ReplyDelete