WHY SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE IS IMPORTANT

Sustainable living is a term that we come across very frequently these days. So what is Sustainable living all about and why the hype?  The Wikipedia definition of Sustainable Living is adopting a lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual's or society's use of the Earth's natural resources and one's personal resources. It is often also referred to as 'earth harmony living' or 'net zero living'.  In layman's terms, Sustainable living refers to a lifestyle where we, as responsible people, live using minimal resources, conserving what is available so as to save future generations from suffering due to the depletion of the Earth's resources.  

Why is Sustainable living so important in today's world?  

Can you imagine a world stripped of its natural resources - water, forests, and the likes - and how living beings would be able to continue living in such a world? More and more people today are becoming aware of how their lifestyles are affecting the environment and creating an imbalance in the Earth's ecological system.  

Global warming, severe droughts, rise in sea levels, water shortage, and pollution are just some of the drastic impacts of our lifestyles where we buy more than necessary,  consume more than necessary, deplete resources more than necessary and eventually, dump more than necessary.            

What we need to understand is that Sustainability is as much an economic issue as it is an environmental one. One-fifth of the world's population has access to most of the Earth's environmental resources, as does the economic resources, including healthcare and education. And if this were to continue at the alarming rate at which it currently is, people of developing and under-developed countries will continue being crushed under the weight of poverty, continue being malnourished, uneducated, and unemployed.  

Sustainable living is important in the current scenario so that we may be able to reverse these ill-effects, little by little, and bring about a change and balance in the ecosystem.  We need to live a sustainable life so that we do not end up consuming every bit of our natural resources and thereby depriving future generations of the much-needed resources and making their survival a struggle.  Imbibing sustainable living methods will help create a better environment not just for us, but also for our children and for their children and for all generations to come.  Adapting to a sustainable lifestyle by making the right choices in food, transport, 

Energy consumption, etc. will help keep us and our children healthy.  We will be able to dump lesser garbage in our landfills and hence aid in preserving the ecological system and living in harmony with nature. Teaching children early on about sustainable living will make them responsible citizens and inculcate in them a love and respect for Mother Nature and her bounty of resources.  

If you are inspired enough to start on the path to sustainable living, here are a few things you can begin with:  

1. Conserve Energy - switch off lights and fans when not needed and unplug electrical appliances when not in use. Another better way would be to learn to use solar energy to power electrical fittings/appliances.

2. Conserve Water - Use a bucket to fill water to take a bath instead of the shower or the bathtub. Use washing machines and dishwashers judiciously.  

3. Reuse, Reduce, Recycle, Refuse - Refusing to buy more than what is essential, Reusing instead of throwing away stuff, Reducing our needs and wants(minimalism) and Recycling what we already have instead of buying more are all very effective ways of reducing our carbon footprint and preventing more and more stuff from going to the landfills. And always remember that one man's trash can be another man's treasure!  

4. Travels: Walk, Bike, carpool, or take public transport whenever you can.  

5 . Reduce/Eliminate Waste - Use cloth napkins/face towels which can be washed and reused over and over again, instead of paper napkins. Carry your own glass/metal water bottles, glasses, straws. Carry your own cloth shopping bags instead of bringing home more and more plastic bags.  

These are just some ways to start off with, which can be easily followed by every single one of us. It might seem too less looking at the dismal situations, but if we intend to live a healthy life and leave the world a better place for our future generations, it is imperative that each of us pledges to do our bit towards adopting a sustainable lifestyle - because little drops of water make a mighty ocean!