Sustainable Living
Sustainable living: Human beings cannot just take from the environment and give nothing back. We have to accept that we are not only responsible for damaging the earth – from the hole in the ozone layer to garbage that is choking the sea – but for saving it, if we want to save our future generations.
Today more than ever, there is no denying that our planet is under threat.
It is not just the responsibility of governments and leaders to make sure we don't harm the environment, but of corporations and communities and individuals. Every one of us can make a difference.
What can we do? First, let's understand the situation.
It can be argued that construction, growth of cities and use of earth's resources are only so that human beings can have a better life. These are necessary for social and economic development.
While there is no denying that development is important, we must make sure it is not short sighted. What is even more important is sustainable development or "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" - World Commission on Environment and Development (1987).
That is, we find a solution that benefits both us – human beings and our planet, our home. We should find ways to "develop", bearing in mind that not only are earth's resources limited, but that there is a limit to the disturbance, exploitation and pollution that the planet can withstand.
At an international level, the United Nations (UN) has been trying to get countries to accept and promote sustainable development among its citizens. It set up the United Nations Environment Programme and the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (1992). It has got the world community together for the 'Marrakesh Process' (2002), the International Resource Panel (2007), and the 'Youth Xchange towards Sustainable Lifestyles'.
And it saw that world leaders included the idea of sustainability as one of the eight accepted Millennium Development Goals( MDGs). The seventh goal (see more) advocates that countries should "Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources.
The principles of such development are that we should all:
- Live within Earth's limit
- Reduce our impact on the earth's resources
- Make lifestyle and consumer choices that favor sustainability
- Meet our needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs
- Create a balance between our natural systems, our economic system and our social system
- Take care of nature so nature can take care of us
At an individual level, this translates into sustainable living. This means choosing options in your lifestyle (e.g. your home, your office, what you eat, the products you use, how you move around etc.) that are better for the environment, even if it means a little more effort or time.
You can make sure you live a sustainable or "Green" life by
Planting More Trees/ Adopting More Plants
Energy Efficiency: Everyone can become an energy saver by cutting down on wasted energy or using better technology to get what they need. For example, for light or electricity, you can use an energy efficient light bulb - it produces the same amount of light as a normal bulb but uses up to 75% less energy to do so. Also, instead of using oil or coal - both limited resources - to produce our electricity and fuels, we could switch to "Renewable Energy" i.e. energy obtained from alternative sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, and tidal energy. SEE MORE TIPS
Water Conservation: This is simply the practice of conserving and recycling water – and not wasting it unnecessarily. Water is essential for all life forms to survive, but it is limited and over time, has become increasingly polluted. Many areas of the world are facing water shortages, and if water conservation isn't a part of everyday living, the situation will only get worse. Water can be conserved by a number of easy steps such as ensuring there are no leaking taps, washing your car at home, recycling cooking to water plants etc. SEE MORE TIPS
Waste Management: Means that there is a system in place for families and offices to collect, dispose, transport and process all their waste (trash) responsibly. Recycling our products is one of the easiest and most effective waste management techniques. One can recycle glass, plastic, paper, metal, electronics and computers. Other waste management techniques include creating a compost pit from bio-degradable waste, keeping harmful waste away from water supplies and disposing of waste only in designated containers/places (not littering.) SEE MORE TIPS
Sustainable Landscaping: For those of us who live in cities, we need to pay even closer attention to how we are affecting our environment. We tend to equate development with big buildings and highways etc. but forget that they come at the expense of trees and plants (which are constructed over.) What we need instead is cities that have 'sustainable landscaping'’.
This means, typically, a visually attractive environment which is in balance with the local climate and requires a minimum of 'inputs' such as labour, fertiliser, pesticides or water.
Let's learn more about sustainable landscaping in the UAE
A GLOSSARY
| Pollution | Pollution is the introduction of a contaminant into the environment. It is created mostly by human actions, but can also be a result of natural disasters. Pollution has a detrimental effect on any living organism in an environment, making it virtually impossible to sustain life. |
| Land Pollution | Land pollution is pollution of the Earth’s natural land surface by industrial, commercial, domestic and agricultural activities. Some of the main contributors to land pollution are Chemical and Nuclear plants, Industrial factories, Oil refineries, Human sewage, Oil and antifreeze leaking from cars, Mining, Littering, Overcrowded landfills, Deforestation, and Construction debris. |
| Air Pollution | Air pollution is the accumulation of hazardous substances into the atmosphere that danger human life and other living matter. Some of the main contributors to air pollution are Automobile emissions, Tobacco smoke, Combustion of coal, Acid rain, Noise pollution from cars and construction, Power plants, Manufacturing buildings, large ships, Paint fumes, Aerosol sprays, Wildfires, and Nuclear weapons. |
| Water Pollution | Water pollution is the introduction of chemical, biological and physical matter into large bodies of water that degrade the quality of life that lives in it and consumes it. Some of the main contributors to water pollution are Factories, Refineries, Waste treatment facilities, Mining, Pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, Human sewage, Oil spills, Failing septic systems, Soap from washing your car, Oil and antifreeze leaking from cars, Household chemicals, and Animal waste. |
| Ecosystem | The biotic community together with the a biotic factor; all the interactions among the members of the biotic community and between the biotic community and the a biotic factors within an explicit unit of space. These include Air, Gases, Ice, Snow, Deserts, Grasslands, Wet–lands, Forests, Streams, rivers, and lakes |
| Landscape | A group of interacting ecosystems in a particular area |
| Biosphere | All species and physical factors on earth functioning as one mammoth ecosystem |
| Species | All the members of a specific kind of plant, animal, or microbe; a kind given by similarity of appearance and/or a capacity for interbreeding and producing fertile off spring |
| Sustainability | The use of natural products in a way that does not harm the environment. So can continue for a long time, such as trees, fish, frosts, etc, (biological species) grow and reproduce at a rates faster than their natural consumption |
| Recycling | The process of re-using material for the production of new goods or services on the same quality level. If the quality of the goods and services products with recycled material is lower, then the process is known as down- cycling. |
| Global Warming | The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has concluded that unchecked global warming will cause a significant increase in human mortality due to extreme weather and infectious disease. Regional climate stress on agriculture may mean up to 300 million additional victims of malnutrition world-wide each year. It may threaten the availability and supply of safe drinking water. Diseases associated with flooding, such as malaria, dengue fever etc. could affect millions more people every year. Learn more: |
Sustainable Living
Do you turn off lights during the day, and in rooms not being used? Wow – not only are you conserving energy, you are a model of sustainable living!
SUTA 2008
More than 100,000 people in the UAE, and millions around the world Stood Up on Oct 17, 18 & 19 in support of the Millennium Development Goals. You can continue to Take Action for a Green Earth by leading asustainable lifestyle and planting trees in the UAE that support the environment.
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