What does a sustainable life-style mean?

“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”

                                                                                                                   –         Robert Swan
  

We found it fashionable to switch to a life-style which took us away from our roots, in a way. We are all earthlings strongly connected to mother earth always. Should we or our lifestyle forget this? 

As busy professionals, parents or as technically enabled millennia’s, we sometimes forget our origins as human beings. Why? Is it mandatory? If it is not, what is keeping you away from leading a sustainable life? After all, living beings depend on natural resources more than anything else. And, something good for our natural ecosystem should be good for you too! And, it is not as difficult as you might think. In fact it can be an enjoyable and  a learning experience to include sustainable principles into your lifestyle. So, let’s begin by understanding sustainability as a concept and then sustainability as a practice.

Sustainability: The concept

“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”

Sustainability as a concept can be understood as a ‘service to nature’ for the benefit of the living beings, as they are solely dependent on natural resources for survival. Sustainability in living brings an optimum balance between the society and ecology.  Thus, the idea of having a thriving economy through ecological abundance for the benefit of the present and the future generations is called Sustainable Living or Sustainable Lifestyle.

As a concept it is extremely vital in the present age. However, thinking sustainability in practical terms demands much more understanding and clarity than knowing just the concept. So, let’s go through some of the significant aspects of the ‘Sustainability as a practice’ or ‘Sustainability: A way of life’.

Sustainability: A Way of life 

“Sustainability is not a goal to be reached, but a way of thinking, a way of being, a principle we must be guided by”

Each day we live, we are deteriorating the natural ecosystem through our actions. For example, we use plastic toothbrushes which take centuries to degrade, and thus become a burden on the ecosystem.

• Most toothpastes, soaps and cleaning agents used for floor, clothes and utensils today contain chemicals, which are released in the sewage and the same ultimately goes inside the earth. This is aggravating the ground pollution, causing degradation of the quality of food that is grown. General populace is already aware of the considerable statistics related to river pollution caused through domestic channels. We are causing it by our day-to-day actions. 

• While the farmers are trying to grow increased produce by using chemicals and pesticides, clothes are being made from synthetics. The most popular packing material ‘plastic’ is a non-biodegradable one.

All of this is leading to earth being untenable or unendurable for living and that is just the opposite of sustainability.

Direct ways of living a sustainable life style

• To live a sustainable life we need to check each of our action, whether it is sustainable or not. The products that we use in our day-to-day life should be biodegradable, which ensures that they are capable of decomposition by bacteria and other living organisms.

• You can also take a big step in sustainable living by growing your own vegetables on your terrace. The food waste from your kitchen can be used as manure for this activity.

• Are you the one to pop a pill at a slightest hint of headache? Is this a sustainable way to deal with it? It isn’t. One should have preliminary knowledge of one’s body signals and be able to treat it naturally before consuming strong chemicals in the name of medicines. This will definitely help in the long run as it is a sustainable practice to conserve the body for a healthy life.
  
  
  
  
  
  

Indirect ways of living a sustainable life style

• One should make sure that the food we eat should come from sustainable and safe sources. Such food will not only take care of you and your dear one’s health but also ensure the health of the land for sustainable agriculture. A way to guarantee safe food for the present and next generation is to purchase such food and extend your support to such safe methods of sustainable farming. This will, in turn, make it a popular methodology for every farmer to follow.

 

*Sustainable Store, Pune carries all the equipment as well as know-how for leading a truly sustainable lifestyle. It is a bridge between the producers and consumers who are aligned with the sustainable principles. Every supplier in the sustainable living group stands on a strong base of sustainable ways and practices. And, at this point of time consumers have an equal role to play in the development of sustainable methodologies through their consistent support for this movement.

Coming Up:

The what’s and whys of safe food.