How sustainable is my lifestyle?
“Sustainable” is a broad term, as many people have different opinions of the word. When I see the word I immediately think of the many problems we face today, such as climate change, global warming and running out of fossil fuels.
Due to these problems, the government and even individuals like me and you are beginning to change our lifestyles to help, “meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” (Brundtland commissions definition)
I have now begun to think differently of the energy I use, and since coming to university and seeing how my flat mates are, I believe I’m beginning to become more sustainable.
When I go food shopping I always remember to take my bags for life, as they are much bigger and sturdier than the plastic shopping bags. This has become a big influence from big supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s, by advertising the bags for life and now even more recently, charging for plastic bags to discourage them even more to shoppers. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A28808490
I found an article that shows the pros and cons of plastic bags have on the environment and also how a town in Devon has become completely plastic bag free. If everyone used bags for life, this would decrease the energy that is used to make them in the first place, also will decrease the space in landfill sites and the bags wouldn’t harm the environment.
Most of the time I use public transport to get around the town and even when I was at home, I used to rely on public transport.
This web link shows how Curitiba in Brazil changed the whole city design, in order to have a more efficient and cheaper way of public transport. This has now led to 25% less congestion and 30% lower fuel consumption. This shows that if the proper public transport is put in place, more people will use it, therefore reducing the amount of fossil fuels that is extracted, therefore keeping it for the future.
Also being at university I now have the facilities to recycle plastics and cardboards, as at home I didn’t have the facilities to recycle, but my Nan does recycle, so when I used to go round for tea, she always made sure I put plastics and cardboards on the side for her to recycle!
When at home and at university, I always made sure that when leaving a room I turn off the lights and turn appliances of at the walls. Otherwise electricity is wasted on something that isn’t being used. My flat mates aren’t very good at this, as when they leave the kitchen, they hardly turn off the light when they are the last ones out! And even at home, I always made sure my television wasn’t left on standby.
These little and simple things that I do reduces my carbon foot print; therefore I don’t waste and use as much energy. This then reduces the amount of greenhouse gases that is released into the atmosphere, therefore decreases global warming.
So how sustainable is my lifestyle? I think, from an individual level its good, however sometimes it’s very low, but it will be hard to change everyone’s morals and perceptions of sustainability, as that means everyone will have to change their lifestyles.
It seems to me that when you see or think about the word sustainability you think of the negatives, whereas when I think of the word I see communities coming together to work on a project that symbolises who they were, are and going to be. But you do seem to care about sustainability of the planet and how you can help it. It seems like your home life and uni life are roughly the same you recycle and turn lights off in both places, unlike me, where I am more sustainable at uni then at home. But overall you have summed yourself up to be fairly sustainable, but let me ask you this what other sustainable things do you do in your life to make you a sustainable person such as water usage and holidays?
ReplyDeleteThanks
I suppose i am fairly sustainable in some ways, however I'm not in other ways.
ReplyDeleteFor example, holidays. For the past two years i have been on one every year for 2 weeks, therefore I am using up there resources such as water, gas and eletricity.
However in 2009 we boooked with the travel agents for everything, e.g. flights acconmadtion EVERYTHING.
But in 2010, we only booked our flights with a travel agent and our accomdation directly with the company out in Turkey. So we were a bit more sustainable, in that more of our money actually went to the company than to the travel agents we booked with in the prevouis year.
I know it's not a lot better, but at least we noticed it more.
It was the same when i went to morocco with my college. We booked all the way through the companies out there, so that they would get the benefits of the money.
And with water usage, i must admit im not good with that either!
So im probably weighing out my pros and cons to a nuetural position right now!!!
Hi April,
ReplyDeleteYou seem to do the most you can (at uni) in terms of saving energy and resouces.
Do you feel like a drop in the ocean in terms of your contribution to saving the planet? or do you still feel you can play a bigger role in terms of sustainability? You are a good role model but do your house mates take a leaf out of your book?
Answer quickly as I am eagerly anticipating a much thought out 2000 word reply, in essay format, as I am creating a portfolio of the most interesting blogs posted by northampton geography students.
Ollie