Sustainable living for beginners
Sustainability is no simple matter - it can be difficult to grasp the concept of taking care of the planet, as it's overwhelming to figure out what one person can do on their own. However, sustainability touches all different areas of our world and our lives, and it is possible to take small steps to make our planet a little better than before. So the following video and guide are a quick primer to help you understand what environmental sustainability is, the different impact areas, and some actionable items to try for yourself.
This guide is also sponsored by GoClimate - you can find more details about supporting climate projects at the bottom of this guide, as well as a code to get your first month free of charge.
What is sustainability?
As the human population grew and flourished, we've utilized all this planet had to offer to thrive. The word sustainability is defined as the quality of being able to continue over a long period of time, or the ability to meet the needs of the present as well as generations to come. It is also sometimes described as having three pillars - profit, people, and the planet. This guide focuses on the planet pillar, specifically on environmental sustainability.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, "everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. To pursue sustainability is to create and maintain the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony to support present and future generations." Other organizations have expanded this definition also to integrate social equity and economic vitality to ensure thriving, healthy, and diverse communities (UCLA), and there are growing movements to ensure that all people have basic environmental rights, regardless of income level, status, etc. The United Nations has also developed 17 goals for sustainable development - consider reading up on each one with the link here.
4 sustainability impact areas
While there are quite a few areas of environmental sustainability, to keep it simple, consider the following four subject areas if you’re new to sustainable living.
Conserving our ecosystems
What’s happening
Industrial farming, logging, urban sprawl, and more have led to habitat destruction - "around half of the world's original forests have disappeared, and they are still being removed at a rate 10x higher than any possible level of regrowth" (WWF)
Actions
Supporting your local parks and community groups that help preserve local wildlife and ecosystems
Advocate to local government or corporations to help protect our oceans and lands and hold them accountable
Additional resources
Our planet’s resources
What’s happening
Everything we use draws resources from somewhere impacting local ecosystems and creating greenhouse gas emissions - industrialization and population growth have led to unsustainable consumption
The primary measure of resource usage is carbon: carbon footprint is defined as the total carbon dioxide emissions produced from specific activities
Resource extraction, manufacturing, transportation, etc. often require the burning of fossil fuels which are contributors to the current climate crisis
Actions
Consider calculating your carbon footprint with GoClimate and find more information about supporting climate projects that reverse climate change
Try going plant-based a few times a week - the carbon footprint of a plant-based diet is far lower than one filled with lots of meat
Bike, walk or use public transportation instead of going by car
Additional resources
Waste
What’s happening
Our society created a linear economy where we extract, manufacture, consume and dispose
We currently use more than what the Earth can regenerate in a given year - future generations will have severe resource constraints (Earth Overshoot Day)
Our excessive and wasteful resource consumption contributes to rising carbon emissions, ecosystem loss, and plastic pollution which poses a threat to wildlife
Actions
Refuse purchases that you don't need and shop through the items you already have
Put the pressure on governments and corporations to be responsible for their waste - advocate for a circular economy
Additional resources
People
What’s happening
Taking care of the Earth has its merit, but the people and communities affected by unsustainable business practices are often not recognized or heard
It's often low-income communities that end up living close to waste management facilities, industrial sites that create air pollution, oil spills, etc.
Actions
Learn from Intersectional Environmentalist, a resource hub filled with information for sustainability advocates to build a more equitable, just future for all people and the planet
Support organizations in your local area that are advocating for fundamental environmental rights - this could be for clean air and communities, access to healthy foods, etc.
Additional resources
About GoClimate
We all have an individual carbon footprint - unfortunately, the average American emits 18.6 tonnes of CO2e per year, with the global average being 3.4 tonnes of CO2e. GoClimate has developed a carbon footprint calculator to determine your unique carbon footprint and offers a service where you can choose to balance your carbon footprint by financing certified climate projects via a monthly subscription. Financing climate projects are surprisingly affordable and can have a high climate impact - the average carbon footprint for someone living in the US costs less than $15 to offset. Be sure to use the referral code simplybychristine to get your first month of offsetting free of charge.