THE BENEFITS OF A
SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE
By Sunniva Engum StJohn
Warrington
INTRODUCTION
Almost
every day people hear about climate change. They hear about global warming,
greenhouse gases, and the environmental damage caused by the transportation
industry, and from fossil fuels. They hear about the UN sustainable development
agenda and the UN climate change conference in Paris in 2015 (COP 21). Yet despite
this, some people deny the threat of climate change. Even more people disregard
it and make little or no effort to change their behaviour at a personal level,
to reduce the damage that they cause to the environment and to mankind by the
way they live. It is an established fact that if we do not address the issue of
climate change and global warming now, then we will face extreme weather
changes, rising sea levels, pollution, drought, and even disease this century
(Peters, 2014).
The
earth is currently overpopulated and increasingly so (Hoevel, 2008). We are
already beginning to endure the largest species extinction on earth since the
Mesozoic era of the Dinosaurs (Cowspiracy, 2014). And with the rise in
temperature melting the ice caps, rising sea levels mean there simply won’t be
enough space for everyone. However, overpopulation isn’t the most pressing
issue; it is the scale and rate of consumption of resources which makes the
planet unable to sustain such a large and growing human population. Sustainability
is an issue that everyone needs to acknowledge now, especially those who have
the ability to make a large difference. We seem to be the only species on earth
which doesn’t live in harmony with the environment. This must change
Sustainability
Sustainability
is, of, relating to, or a method of
harvesting or using resource so that the resource is not depleted or
permanently damaged (Merriam Webster, n.d.). From an environmental science
perspective, sustainability refers not just to the use of a single resource, but
describes the impact of consumption at the level of the whole interconnected
ecosystem. A sustainable lifestyle, means
rethinking our ways of living, how we buy, what we consume and how we organize
our daily lives. It is about transforming our societies and living in balance
with our natural environment (United Nations Environment Programme, n.d.).
To live sustainably, we must use resources efficiently to maintain our lifestyle
without compromising future generations. This approach means thinking about the
long term when it comes to each aspect of our lives. It means adapting our
lifestyle by changing routine behaviour in order to live sustainably.
WHAT IS A SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE?
Most
people wish to live comfortably, and healthily, and well. Our understanding of
this is usually limited to how we experience it at a personal level. Few people
consider the wider impact of how they live, of how it might impact others, or
how it might impact society and the environment. A sustainable lifestyle puts a
premium on understanding the consequences of how we live. It is not enough to
live well; we must also understand fully the consequences of how we live, and
especially the impact of our lifestyle on climate and the environment.
Sustainability is a broad area of study, but for the purposes of this work it
is helpful to consider sustainability within the framework of four main areas: energy,
waste, food, and products/services – illustrated at figure 1 below.
Figure 1 - sustainability framework
The
majority of methods to deliver electricity to houses, cars and other energy-craving
technologies release large amounts of CO2, other greenhouse gases, and toxic
chemicals into the air. In addition, the process of collecting fossil fuels
such as coal, oil and gas, often results in environmental damage and pollution
e.g. oil spills. This contaminates not only the land and the water, but also
the air we breathe and the food we eat. A sustainable lifestyle demands that we
switch to more environmentally friendly methods of energy production and
thereby create smaller carbon footprints – the greenhouse gas emissions caused
by a given behaviour expressed as equivalent tons of CO2. There are many ways
to switch to alternative or renewable energy sources. For example, by using a hydroelectric
power supply instead of coal-fired power stations, by driving electric cars
instead of combustion powered cars, living in locally solar powered houses
instead of drawing electricity from the main electric grid, and using an underground
thermal source for home heating rather than oil or gas. The main renewable
sources are shown at figure 2 over:
Figure 2 - renewable energy sources (Azure, 2017)
Energy
conservation is another aspect of energy sustainability. Careful consumption of
electricity such as light sensors to extinguish un-needed lighting, energy
efficient household devices, and good insulation and so on, all contribute to a
sustainable life. Combined they significantly reduce our impact upon the
environment. Also, a great deal of energy is lost in transmission and wasted in
the home. By generating energy locally, and conserving it, we can make a
significant reduction in both our production of greenhouse gas and our
consumption of natural resources.
One
of the most common and well-known routes to a more sustainable lifestyle is waste
recycling. It is easily done yet saves a very large amount of rubbish from
being sent to landfills or burnt, creating pollution and harmful greenhouse
gases. Instead our waste can be re-used in a cycle – here in Norway our waste
is sorted and reused e.g. biological waste as fertiliser, and glass and metals
as raw material in production processes. Some materials, such as plastic, are
very difficult to recycle, or cannot be recycled at all. In these cases it is
better to try and use another material instead, and this is the basis for a
zero waste lifestyle. Zero waste is where people take the idea of producing
less waste to the ultimate extreme by producing no damaging or non-biological waste
at all. This is a relatively modern and trending concept. Waste, in this
context, is anything that has severely damaging environmental consequences and
that will likely end up in a land fill if thrown away e.g. plastic. Therefore,
instead of using plastic, the zero waste lifestyle entails using bamboo, wood
or stainless steel instead. Much of the equipment that we use in our daily life
(lunchboxes, kitchen tools, sanitary products etc.) can be found in another
eco-friendlier form. Below are some examples listed by Lauren Singer, who lives
a zero waste lifestyle in New York City, on her blog, Trash is for Tossers, (2013):
·
Plastic lunchbox: stainless
steel lunchbox
·
Plastic toothbrush: bamboo
compostable toothbrush
·
Cotton balls/pads: re-usable
cotton rounds
·
Plastic straws: metal
re-usable straws
·
Plastic cooking utensils: bamboo
cooking utensils (naturally anti-bacterial)
·
Commonly used dish soap
(high levels of preservatives-negative health effects): bulk castile soap
While
such changes may seem modest, taken together they reduce significantly the
amount of waste that we produce – Americans alone produce some 33.6 million
tons of plastic per year (Cho, 2012). Waste that which would otherwise end up
in a landfill. And the waste in landfills leaks pollutants into the soil and
water (Cho, 2012). The zero waste lifestyle involves a lot of re-using of products,
and buying things in bulk. When it comes to waste, a sustainable lifestyle
means being more aware of the impact we make on the planet from throwing even
just one product in the bin. It also means being more minimalistic and simple
in the way we live and consume, therefore producing less waste as a whole.
When
most people consider sustainability issues, their first thought is of
transportation, how cars and petrol are bad for the environment. The topic of
food is usually avoided, whether it is food consumption or food production.
Food sustainability is controversial, and the industry around food production
is rich, powerful and influential. Price, not sustainability, is the dominant
factor in most peoples’ approach to food. Adapting our diets to become
sustainable means change, and most people are afraid of change, especially when
it comes to eating. People find it hard to acknowledge that some foods and food
production techniques are damaging to the environment; price and pleasure are
the surer guide to what we eat.
According
to a 2006 United Nation Report on animal agriculture, rearing cattle (animal
agricultural industry) produces more greenhouse gases than the entire
transportation industry combined i.e. the flatulence of cattle creates more gas
than all the exhaust fumes of trains, planes, boats and automobiles put
together. And the meat/beef/dairy industry is the leading cause of global
warming, Amazon deforestation, water pollution, habitat destruction, ocean dead
zones, and responsible for 51% of global greenhouse gas emissions (Cowspiracy,
2014). Therefore, the single biggest decision that we can all make to improve
global sustainability is to stop eating red meat such as beef, unless it is bought
from a sustainable, local farm, with close to no carbon footprint. Also, the
fishing industry is taking out more fish and seafood than the oceans can
naturally sustain, thereby exploiting and depleting the worlds fisheries
(Cowspiracy, 2016). In fact, we may see largely fishless oceans by 2048 if we
continue at the current rate of depletion (Roach, J – National Geographic News,
2006). When it comes to food, a sustainable lifestyle demands we control our
animal product intake, and evaluate whether or not the food product we intend
to buy will have a negative impact on the planet. Many sources tell us that the
vegan diet is the most sustainable (Cowspiracy, 2014). Indeed, it is hard to
credibly reconcile being an environmentalist and a meat-eater, since it takes
far more natural resources (and 10x the amount of land) to produce the same
amount of protein from meat as it does from plants (Lightlife, 2016). Ultimately
the importance of diet to global sustainability is too often overlooked. We all
have the possibility to effect significant change in the rate of depletion of
resources and the rise in global warming simply by eating differently.
Many
of the products and services that we buy impact global sustainability. Mobile
phones, that we change every couple of years, use rare metals that are increasingly
in short supply (Sheibani, 2014). Computers are disposed of in an
environmentally damaging way – usually shipped to Africa or China and broken
apart and burned (Watson, 2013). Goods
purchased from overseas burn fuel and pollute in their delivery. The list goes
on.
We
can, however, ensure that the products and service that we buy are sustainably
sourced and produced. There are quality marks such as CSA sustainability mark
(denoting sustainable production) and local product marks (the Norwegian
flagged products) that allow us to choose sustainable products and services,
locally sourced. We can opt to use local retailers rather than the global
distribution hubs like Amazon. By doing this we actively contribute to making
the world more sustainable, and if enough of us do this then we can make a real
difference.
THE
BENEFITS OF A SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE
Environmental
Perhaps
the most obvious benefits of living a sustainable life are those felt by our
environment. Each element of a sustainable lifestyle will combine to create a
greater overall impact. And the net result will be a healthier, improved
planet, and an environment and ecosystem better able to support current and
projected populations alongside our rich and diverse flora and fauna.
Our
efforts towards energy sustainability impact not only ourselves, but the planet
as a whole. A significant and rapid decrease in carbon emissions will create
cleaner air, less pollution, and slow global warming and its many effects. Resources
and commodities will be preserved. Forests will flourish, large areas of the
world will remain pristine, and nature’s diversity will continue.
Reducing
waste will reduce the land and ocean misappropriated for landfill and
sea-dumping, reducing pollution. Less waste will be burnt, resulting in fewer toxic
gases and pollutants.
Sustainable
food production will ensure the survival of species and allow depleted stocks
and regions of the world to recover. Natural food sources will be preserved;
resources will be better used; and more land will remain pristine. Agriculture
will use less land, less water, and produce far less carbon dioxide and other
pollutants, thereby slowing global warming and its damaging effects.
Buying
and using sustainable products and services will offer more of the same.
Economic
Living
sustainably is often assumed to be an expensive lifestyle choice, a luxury that
only the rich can afford. This is simply not true. A sustainable lifestyle
brings many economic advantages, especially over the long term. These
advantages are present in all areas/factors which contribute to sustainability.
Many
energy sustainability technologies are in fact affordable, and cheaper than the
typical alternative e.g. wall-insulation made from recycled newspaper. Solar
panels may be considered expensive to install; but post-installation the bills
are very low, considering that the energy is free – sunlight is free. Numerous
studies have already shown the economic savings one receives long-term from
switching to solar energy (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2013). Even more
recent studies, including a report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, show that
“Solar will become the cheapest source to
produce power in many countries over the next 15 years” (Fehrenbacher,
2016). This long-term cost-efficiency is the case for many sustainable energy
sources. We are guaranteed, “stable
energy prices…a more reliable and resilient energy system” (Union of
Concerned Scientists, 2013). In addition, sustainability has recently become a
new and positively recognized concept in the transportation/roadworks industry.
Seizing on this, many governments have offered tax and other advantages to
those using environmentally friendly transportation – transportation that is
both driven by renewable energy, energy efficient, and non-polluting e.g. electric
cars being given permission to drive in the taxi/bus lanes in certain
countries, like Norway (Mirani, 2013).
Being
waste-conscious also offers economic benefits. Living a zero waste, sustainable
lifestyle limits us to what we can spend our money on as most products are
wrapped in plastic nowadays. Many would consider this a disadvantage; however,
it just means needing to consider each purchase more carefully. This results in
fewer unnecessary purchases, and better home economy. Lauren Singer (2015) says
that since adopting a zero waste lifestyle she has saved money for three main
reasons: “When I buy my food and the
products and when I make my own products because I’m not paying for the
embedded cost of packaging, so things are cheaper. I’m also saving money by
shopping completely second hand, because second hand clothing is usually less
expensive than new clothing. I’m also saving money because I’ve downsized, and
so I don’t go shopping all the time now and just buy things on impulse, I only
have what I really need”. Bea Johnson, author of best-selling book, Zero Waste Home, currently lives a zero
waste lifestyle in Mill Valley California with her family, states on her blog
Zero Waste Home: “We not only feel happier,
but we also lead more meaningful lives based on experiences instead of stuff” (B,
Johnson UK). Becoming zero waste often results in being more minimalistic and
spending less money on unnecessary items. In the long run, significant amounts
of money can be saved by simply buying less environmentally damaging products.
The
health side of a vegetarian or vegan diet is a very controversial topic; though
recent research shows major health benefits to eating a more plant-based diet.
According to studies by Harvard University (2016), vegetarians have shown to
have considerably lower chances of acquiring heart disease, cancer and type 2
diabetes. The American Society for Nutrition also states that vegans tend to
have lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels, overall lowering their risk
of heart disease, provided the person eats a well-rounded vegan diet, including
the consumption of all necessary vitamins and minerals (Craig, 2009).
Considering that a plant based diet is the most sustainable (Smith, 2014), by
becoming vegan you are not only helping the planet but avoiding many fatal,
future health issues, such as heart disease and cancer which both require high
medical expenses to treat. By lowering our risk of acquiring health problems we
are lowering our chances of having to spend money on treatments and medicine,
thereby decreasing our health bills. Spending more money on high quality fruits
and vegetables may seems costly, as healthy food is usually more expensive than
fast food, but in the long run we are preventing medical expenses, or even an
early death.
When
we use or buy from non-sustainable companies or services we are supporting the
process in which the product was made, and in effect reinforcing this practice
by investing in similar manufacturing development. Fossil fuels and other
overused sources will eventually run out, and when they do the companies and
services that exploited them will struggle to find a replacement. By supporting
these brands, we are encouraging a future collapse in the economy. When we buy
or support sustainably produced products/services, many of which are cheaper
than common products, we are supporting the cause of both a healthy environment
and an economically stable future.
Social
Sustainability
is a positive cause; it is about doing things better. And when people do good
things they feel happy and radiate that happiness to those surrounding them.
The same can be said from changing our lifestyle to a more selfless and caring
one.
The
social impact of sustainable/renewable energy stems from improving the
environment for living, especially air quality and reducing pollution.
Pollution from transportation has been proven to have a considerable link to
breathing problems, heart attacks and cancer (Union of Concerned Scientists,
2013). By converting the source of our energy we are creating a ripple effect
which will eventually hit the society in which we live, by reducing health
hazards and costs, while also safeguarding future generations. People will be
healthier and happier and live longer.
When
we feel as though we are doing good in the world, we feel happier and more
accomplished. By reducing our trash footprint we are not only making the world
better for everyone who lives in it, but we are helping ourselves. Lauren
Singer, who lives a zero waste lifestyle, states that along with the many other
benefits of this lifestyle: “For the
first time in my life I am living in direct alignment with my values”
(2015). What are our values? Do our lifestyles truly work in harmony with them?
A society where values and behaviour are aligned is a healthy and prosperous
one.
As
stated before, a good vegan diet is extremely healthy and prevents us from
buying unhealthy sweets or processed food, because of the animal products and
plastic wrapping. “I don’t have the
option to buy processed food products package free. And so now my diet consists
of things like fresh fruits and vegetables or bulk grain and nuts” (Singer,
2015). If everyone adopted this aspect of restriction into their diet and life,
then people would be healthier, and happier, “When you eat better you feel better. I’ve noticed that over these past
few years my weight has stabilized, I have more energy, I need less sleep. And
when you’re eating better, and you feel better and you save money, you’re
happier” (Singer, 2015). By eating fewer animal products, we are also
diminishing the possibility of acquiring animal product related diseases. The
idea of sustainability in food gives people the opportunity to improve their
well-being, while preserving the earth’s natural resources.
Companies
that provide sustainable products and services clearly focus on more then just
profit. They deliver an output that is aligned with their values and their
concern for society and the environment. Very often such companies use part of
their profit to facilitate other projects such as improved water quality,
education, improved environment, and better care for natural resources. By
supporting well-produced products, we are directly supporting not just their
manufacturing process but their values, giving them money to continue their
work for the improvement of all society.
CONCLUSION
Climate change is the greatest issue upcoming
generations face. Temperatures are rising, ice caps are melting, and human
action is the primary cause according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change Fifth assessment report (E, Cameron 2014). The preponderance of
environmental research shows humans are responsible for climate change and global
warming. Everyone knows what is happening, but what is being done? Human
activity is setting us up for a dystopian future.
Making a change to a sustainable lifestyle doesn’t
need to be complicated or difficult. A sustainable lifestyle is all about how
we consume, be it energy, the waste we create from consumption, the food we
eat, or the products and services that we use. It may seem challenging to
restrict certain aspects of our lives such as diet, and which products and
service we buy; yet the pros of this lifestyle far outweigh the cons. There are
clear environmental, economic and social benefits to living sustainably. The
moment we overlook what is obvious to our future is the moment that we all put
future generations and species at risk. And it is small changes that make all
the difference. People often hear about sustainability and recycling and say: I
won’t make a difference; or one person won’t make a difference. This is plain
wrong. We all have the ability to make a big difference. Perhaps the last word
should be left to Ghandi, he once said: “…you
must be the change you wish to see in the world”(Daskal, 2014).
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