The Importance of Environmental Sustainability

Environmental sustainability is a topic that has become more and more prevalent in our national conversation these days. Many people believe that we our earth is seeing more and more extreme natural events these days, and it is because humans are consuming a tremendous amount of the planet’s resources. Sustainability is defined as the study of a how a natural system functions, remains diverse, and produces everything it needs for the ecology to remain in balance. Sustainability also considers that humans rely on natural resources to support our modern civilizations, and how we can live in harmony with nature and prevent it from destruction.

 

Even 10 years ago the idea of sustainability was not taken as seriously as it is now. If you are interested in helping to protect the planet, here are a few things you can do:

 

  1. Recycle – Recycling is one of the most widespread, and beneficial things you can do to promote sustainability. Recycling allows you and other consumers to use consumed materially over and over, limiting the amount of waste created on a regular basis. It reduces the pressure on raw materials, the need to mine for more, fuel, and landfill space.

 

  1. Minimize Waste – An estimated 50% of food in the United States doesn’t even make it to our tables. This food is lost during transportation, packaging, and marketing, and even when the food does reach our tables, as much as 40% of it is thrown out as well. Besides the waste of food, think about all the energy, gas, water, and fuel used to transport and carry this waste that is never used. Eating more of of your food can drastically reduce this major toll on our environment. Only buy what you need or plan to use in the near future, and reuse as much as you can. When you are doing a major cleanup,  use a great dumpster company that is environmentally responsible so you know your trash is being disposed of properly.

 

  1. Compost – After you’ve eaten as much of your food and leftovers as you can, you can additionally promote sustainability by composting. Any of the unusable food waste in your house can be used as fertilizer for your garden. This will not only make your garden healthier, but you will be reducing landfill waste at the same time.

 

  1. Carpool or Use Public Transportation – Automobile carbon emissions is a hot topic both in congress and in environmental circles around the country these days. If you carpool via an app like Uber or Lyft, or opt for public transportation, you’ll be reducing your carbon emissions and protecting the environment.

 

  1. Support Sustainable Companies – Choosing to support sustainable companies instead of ones that have no regard for the environment sends a powerful message to corporations that the environment matters. Some companies that are known for their sustainable practices are Adidas, BMW, and Chegg.

 

  1. Reduce Your Utility Bills – Conserving energy and minimizing waste will not only save you money, but it reduces the resource strain on the environment. If your bills seem unusually high, look for leaky pipes, faulty wiring, or old appliances. Turning off your lights and air conditioning when you aren’t home is another easy way to reduce your bill without even noticing it.

 

We hope this article gave you some ideas for how you can promote environmental sustainability.